LAKE TAHOE 2011

We just returned from a fabulous 7 day trip to Lake Tahoe. It is truly a beautiful place and the people were fantastic and very welcoming to their community. The Lift attendants were all very helpful and would slow down the lifts if we needed to load or unload Jackson. Very unlike Ruidosa where I grew up and learned to ski. If you fell getting off the lift, they made no attempt to stop it, just let it bang you in the back of the head and drag you out of the way with the first piece of clothing they could grab. Very undignified and this was before folks started wearing helmets.

So, glad Jackson's first two experiences (Utah last year http://tony-shellygraham.blogspot.com/2010_02_01_archive.html) were positive and enriching. I even wore a helmet with him, (can't exactly enforce a rule I won't do myself) and actually liked it. Kept my head warm without all the itching hats generally cause us girls with long hair. Now, if they would only put a pony tail hole up high on the helmet, I would be happy (all those ponytail holes in hats that are way down low, what's the point, it still makes my neck itch and hot. We like high ponytails people).

The trees at Lake Tahoe were weird. I have never seen evergreens grow like these did. One variety grew straight up, not out like a Christmas tree and several would grow a branch outwards, like normal, and then it would sprout up like a whole new tree. (Double click on the images, it will enlarge them for better viewing)

We had a great time, but Tony and I didn't get to ski a single run together, except for the runs with Jackson down the green slope. There was only one on the side of the mountain where we were, so we stayed there most of the week. On Friday afternoon, I took him on the Gondola (complete whipping for Mom hauling kid, skis etc), but he liked the ride and there was a different green slope for him to ski on which he really enjoyed.

Last day, the wind started blowing hard and cold, but the rest of the week couldn't have been more beautiful. In fact, my sexy new ski coat (no pictures, the ones in the video is my old one) was too hot. Ended up wearing a short sleeve T-shirt underneath it and didn't even have it zipped most of the time. The warm weather wasn't that great on the snow, but Heavenly Resort did a superb job in grooming the trails at night to keep them from turning to ice. They have not had a single flake of snow since December, so it could have been worse.

One of the strange things about Heavenly, I have never, in all of my life, on all of the mountains I have skied, seen so many people hauled out by medics. 4 and 5 a day, on the stretcher. I finally asked one of the instructors what the deal was and he claimed it was the condition of the snow being hard packed powder and some ice. It was not Utah conditions, by any stretch, but it really wasn't that bad. I guess people were just going too fast and losing control. I know alot of the injured were snow boarders and while they wore helmets, they are very prone to concussions due to how they fall (either face forward or backwards on their butukis).

So here's the video - enjoy and stay tuned for next year's location. We are always looking for ski buddies to go with us so we can ski at least one run together, so let us know if you are interested.