Feeling Heavenly

Imagine being inside a snow globe surrounded by tall pine trees, fresh powdery snow at your feet and falling from the sky. This is my attempt to describe the scenery on a mountain at South Lake Tahoe in December of last year. My husband and I, along with 3 of our friends, went to Tahoe to snowboard for a few days. Not having been skiing or snowboarding before, my experience was both exhilarating and painful! Since my husband grew up near the mountains in Colorado, he was very familiar with skiing and longed for it ever since he moved to Texas. But like many skiers, he flipped his nose up to snowboarding, so this was a relatively new experience for him as well.

Tahoe is mojo for the outdoor junky. There is something outdoorsy to do in Tahoe at almost any time of the year. During the summer, vacationers flock there to enjoy the immense lake (72 miles around) and partake in water sports, camping, fishing, hiking, etc. While in the winter, people like myself visit to enjoy skiing and snowboarding on the mountains. Vacationers not interested in the outdoor physical activities can relax at a restaurant, bar, or even casino (depending on which side of the California-Nevada border you're in) in the cute little town. As the city is known for attracting tourists, the locals are very friendly and helpful. There are also many restaurants, hotels, and shops nearby. I especially enjoyed the shops right at the foot of Heavenly Mountain.

On the first full day, we went to the Sierra at Tahoe. We had heard that the slopes were beginner friendly as compared to the other mountains in Tahoe. Once we arrived, we went to get our tickets to the slopes, our training passes, and our gear. While I was told that snowboarding was less expensive as compared to skiing, it was by no means cheap! The gear, especially the boots worn on top of several pairs of socks, was heavy and uncomfortable but definitely blocked the wind and snow. It took me almost 30 minutes to get everything on and tightened!

I was a little nervous about the upcoming experience. As I walked outside bundled up with my step-in snowboard in hand, I tried to take in the beautiful scenery and the crisp air. While the rest of my crew immediately attached themselves to their step-ins, I tested the ground to gauge its softness and looked anxiously at the "green" slopes scattered with dozens of snowboarders.

We had snowboarding instruction for about 2 hours where we learned how to start, stop, steer, and "fall properly". While I didn't have any problems falling, I never did master getting back up correctly. It was a little embarrassing as the instructor always had to give me a hand.

After snowboarding for about 6 hours that day our bodies felt like jelly. I could hardly sit or walk as my thighs felt torn. Surprisingly, we had sweat a lot on the mountain even though the actual temperature was probably around 10-15 degrees Fahrenheit with an even lower wind chill.

The next day, we went to Heavenly Mountain, which was right near our hotel. The gondola ride up the mountain was beautiful as we were able to see the lake from a distance. Heavenly, while much bigger than Sierra, also had fresher and softer snow (better for the bum). It also had higher slopes for the more experienced skiers and snowboarders. In general, this was the mountain that attracted most of the winter tourists.

That night, after another fun and exhausting day in the snow, we went to a cozy little Thai restaurant called Thai One On. While I've tried many different Thai restaurants, this family-owned business was out of the ordinary. The service and food were exceptional. The owner even came out and talked to us and our food was prepared exactly the way we had requested.

I am sure that after that trip my husband is no longer as much of a ski snob and we will make it a point to do that again. Maybe next time, I'll try skiing. While we were exhausted, we couldn't believe how fast 3 days went by and weren’t looking forward to getting back to a somewhat “less than scenic” Dallas.