This past weekend was quite the rollercoaster! Between a last minute decision to head up to Tahoe and then getting snowed in an extra day from a huge blizzard, last weekend definitely had its fair share of crazy stories and memories.
Friday – last minute drive up to Tahoe
The decision to go up to Tahoe happened mid-week last week. A new friend, Kevin, invited me along, and since I hadn’t been skiing yet this season, I thought why not! Tahoe is one of my favorite places in California (I’ve been over 5 times now); I hadn’t been back since last summer and so I was dying to spend time in the winter wonderland…
Kevin and I originally planned for a day-trip on Saturday, but given the rough snow forecasts, we decided to save some stress on Saturday morning and drive up Friday night. And by the way, this decision happened on Friday morning. Needless to say, Friday was a bit of a scramble between booking a place to stay, packing, and then taking off after work and driving up!
The drive completely flew by as Kevin and I had endless things to chat about. We listened to music, shared stories, made a pit-stop for dinner, and by midnight, we made it to our Airbnb in Truckee and were ready to pass out.
Saturday – best ski day ever
We had a slow start in the morning since it was already snowing pretty heavily, and we had a few errands to run before getting to the resort. We picked up breakfast, I needed to rent skis in Truckee and buy a ski pass, we took a shuttle to North Star resort… I forgot how many moving parts there are to a ski trip!
We finally were ready to hit the slopes around 10am. The conditions were absolutely wild. So much snow dumping from the sky, wind blowing left and right, and very low visibility.
My attempt at a selfie given the crazy winds. I could hardly hold this phone up!
The good thing to come from these crazy conditions was that there was fresh snow everywhere! We started off with an easy run on a green trail, and then right after that Kevin led me to a black diamond…I had never done a black diamond before, but Kevin encouraged me to dive right in. I remember standing on top of that mountain telling myself “if I stand here too long I’ll never start and get down this mountain…” and without thinking I went for it.
It was SO much fun! I’ve always been a “scared skier” (flashback to when I was 15 and broke my hand…). But something about all the fresh snow + being in survival mode on the black diamond made everything work out.
Needless to say, the rest of the day I was on cloud nine skiing with more confidence than ever. Kevin and I both agree that it was the best ski day of our lives (especially given the fresh snow everywhere).
After a successful day on the slopes, so much snow had accumulated that we were in a bit of a rush to get back to SF before it got too difficult to drive. As we approached the highway…we saw that I-80 had closed down. I was completely floored. How could they shut down the biggest highway in California?!
Kevin and I went into problem-solving mode and booked the first hotel we could find, which was quite the miracle since hotels were usually sold out even without all of Tahoe being snowed in.
It was quite the relief to make it to the hotel. We decided to make the most of our extra night and had a nice dinner, watched tv, and just enjoyed the warm and cozy downtime while listening to the crazy snow storm outside.
Sunday: Impromptu ski day
When we woke up, Kevin and I decided to ski one more time. If mother nature was going to snow us in, we were going to make the most of it! 4 feet of snow piled on top of our car…what a morning shoveling our way out.
Most resorts around us had closed for the day, but luckily North Star stayed open. Another busy morning running errands, but when we finally made it, let me tell ya…it was SO. WORTH. IT. The sun was shining bright and it was finally a beautiful day. All the snow from the night before provided so much powder, and enough for everyone to enjoy which is quite rare.
You could actually see Lake Tahoe from the top of the mountain. Gorgeous.
My confidence carried over from the previous day, and despite having pretty sore legs, it was another fabulous ski day under my belt. This trip was such a success that I decided I’m going to buy my own skis finally! They seem worth the investment to save on the time and hassle from renting, and after tackling a few black diamonds, I feel legit enough to buy them 😉
We skied straight through the end of the day and then made our way back to SF after the I-80 opened up again in the afternoon. It was pretty backed up since everyone was on the highway heading back, but once again our drive flew by as Kevin and I had no shortage of fun things to chat about.
Mother nature can sure be unpredictable, but overall I thought it was a blessing in disguise to sneak in that impromptu snow day, spend time extra time in the gorgeous mountains, and bond with Kevin. 🙂
Hope you all have a great week!!
I Run Like A Girl 