happy new year

The last few months of 2012 were a bit of a whirlwind, with celebrations in various locations from Florida to Singapore. The most recent – New Year’s Eve – took place for us in Breckenridge, and I was so happy to be there, even though it meant skiing with a broken toe (not fun, but I pushed through the pain).

We stayed at the family home of a good friend with a beautiful setting in a valley across from the ski resort. When the lift lines were too long to deal with, we avoided the crowds with sledding and snowshoeing. Winter fun all around. 

where is the snow?

We have been snowless all month in Lake Tahoe. The skiing is not great, but that hasn’t stopped us from going up every weekend anyway. In lieu of doing laps on the single open run, over and over, we spent one afternoon hiking. The landscape changed from dry, desert-like conditions to a snow-covered path leading to a frozen lake. Winter is not in full swing, but we are hopeful, and until then, we will enjoy the mountains any way we can.

and another winter begins…

I am very happy to say we have secured another ski lease in Lake Tahoe for the 2011-2012 ski season, and it’s even better than last year’s. This year’s house, just down the road from Squaw Valley ski resort, is a cozy A-frame cabin that’s been home to the same family since the 1950s. It’s truly well-loved and well-used, and it reminds me of another family weekend home on a lake far, far away… 

With updated kitchens and bathrooms, the house has maintained its rustic, retro charm while allowing us modern conveniences. It’s pretty perfect, and we're going to have a fabulous winter. There’s not much snow yet, but I know it will come.


The exterior of our A-frame ski lease (above left); our first night, hanging around the wood-burning stove – talking, just talking…there’s no cable or internet (above right); another outside shot (below left); our first day on the mountain this winter – it’s pretty bare (below right).

 

a happy 4th of july

With the exception of a few international trips, I have spent every 4th of July of my life at Table Rock Lake in southwest Missouri. Those who know me know it’s pretty much my favorite place to be on any given day from about March to October, and when I don’t get to spend a 4th of July there (a lot rarer than you may think considering I don’t usually live anywhere near Missouri), I can get achingly sad. Luckily, I have deep, crystal-clear, fabulous Lake Tahoe a few hours from my doorstep. When we first considered going to Tahoe for the 4th of July, I naturally assumed it’d be a weekend of summery lake activities. I was wrong. Part of the weekend was spent that way, but on the 4th itself, I went skiing. Water-skiing, you presume? No. Snow-skiing. Snow-skiing on the 4th of July. It was odd, but tons of fun and certainly the most unlikely 4th of July I’ve ever spent (this includes three occasions of not actually being in the USA). Squaw Valley does summertime skiing right, with a sparkling swimming pool at the top of the mountain.

We had the good fortune of friends with access to a secluded cabin on Lake Mary (a much smaller lake near Tahoe, adjacent to Sugar Bowl Ski Resort), to which we had to hike through snow, still on the ground months after ski season should have ended. The hike was worth it, though, for the perfect woodsy spot.

 

goodbye tahoe

My ski season came to an end on Sunday, as I left our ski lease in Truckee and headed back to SF for the last time this year. It was bittersweet – obviously, I love to ski, but I’m looking forward to being back in the city on the weekends, and actually seeing my friends and getting stuff done. We’ve been MIA for too long since New Year’s.

Tahoe blessed me with a massive amount of snow as a send-off. I’m talking fresh powder up to my thighs, and with the closure of Interstate 80 throughout the weekend due to heavy snow, slippery roads and stupid drivers, Northstar was not crowded. Hurrah for us.


I will miss the following, clockwise from top left: fresh powder (this was the scene in our back yard on Saturday), our rustic-yet-luxurious townhouse in Truckee, the stunning views, the alpine landscape.

i'm not in colorado anymore

After two years of living and skiing in Vail, the mother of all American ski resorts, I have a skewed view of what makes for a good experience on the mountain. Vail’s enormity, well-placed lifts and well-trained employees spoil the average skier. When I moved to San Francisco, I was excited to make Lake Tahoe my new skiing home, but I’m finding it difficult to stop comparing the resorts to Vail. Northstar-at-Tahoe is our regular resort now, and what struck me immediately was how tiny it is compared to Vail. It’s hard to escape the crowds and long lift lines when there’s not much space to spread out, but when you get to the top of the resort and catch a glimpse of Lake Tahoe, glimmering in the sunlight and reflecting the mountains, you kind of forget that you stood in a lift line for 20 minutes. Until approximately 45 seconds later when you’re back at the bottom.

home sweet tahoe

Our weekend home until the end of March—a fabulous three-bedroom townhouse just outside of Truckee, California in the Old Greenwood neighborhood. Just a 20-minute shuttle ride from Northstar ski resort, this place is pretty awesome.