Wednesday, February 23, 2011
funny thought
The only time my brother and I didn't fight was when we were skiing. My parents never really got to experience this because they didn't ski.
Saturday, February 19, 2011
When I was a kid..
When I was a kid growing up in Flagstaff, Arizona we had a little ski resort that had sporadic snow storms. We never really "prayed for snow" because we knew our prayers wouldn't ever be answered. At least not the way they were in the Sierra's or anywhere else for that matter. But, if it was a day off of school and the lifts were running, we were skiing!
Dad would load us up in the Subbie, drive the 40 minutes to the hill and drop us off by 9am sharp. There was no need to be there any earlier then that because we were already geared up and ready to ski. When I was a kid we'd put our boots on at home, there was no time to get dressed when you got there because Dad would drop you off right in front. We"d hop out of the car grabbed our skis and sack lunch and in 3 minutes we were skiing. We skied all day, there were no "breaks", we ate our lunch on the chair lift.
We skied in all conditions, sunny, powder, snowing, blowing, raining, hard pack, dirt, grass mixed with slush, it was all the same to us. It didn't matter because we weren't at school, we were skiing! When I was a kid we never took a day of skiing for granted. You never went home because the conditions were crappy, or the powder was all tracked out. Once we got the the slopes our only option was to ski. So we would, all day until Dad came to pick us up at 4. There were no cell phones to call for a ride home and it was a long distance call from the payphone at lodge anyway. If you were lucky enough to have a dollar in your pocket, you wouldn't waste it on a phone call, you'd buy a damn candy bar and ski!
I feel like I should have posted this a few weeks ago and now that we have been blessed with feet and feet of beautiful powder its easy to forget about the last month. We went 6 weeks with almost no snow, it almost seemed like the end of winter. The slopes were empty, you pretty much had to stick with the groomers. If you didn't have your G.N.A.R. score card it was getting a bit monotonousness. But, the one thing I noticed were the people that were out there riding anyway and not complaining. Just talking about where was good and where might be a little better. If you look out there today on this perfect powder day, those guys and girls out there shredding through the pow as if they were on fire, the ones that you wish you could ski like? Those are the ones that will be out there anyway. I know its its hard to motivate to drive 45 minutes to ski boiler plate conditions. The last month of no snow, Ive tried to remind myself that I ski because I love to ski and if I have a chance to ski and have fun, I'm not taking it for granted no matter what the conditions.
Dad would load us up in the Subbie, drive the 40 minutes to the hill and drop us off by 9am sharp. There was no need to be there any earlier then that because we were already geared up and ready to ski. When I was a kid we'd put our boots on at home, there was no time to get dressed when you got there because Dad would drop you off right in front. We"d hop out of the car grabbed our skis and sack lunch and in 3 minutes we were skiing. We skied all day, there were no "breaks", we ate our lunch on the chair lift.
We skied in all conditions, sunny, powder, snowing, blowing, raining, hard pack, dirt, grass mixed with slush, it was all the same to us. It didn't matter because we weren't at school, we were skiing! When I was a kid we never took a day of skiing for granted. You never went home because the conditions were crappy, or the powder was all tracked out. Once we got the the slopes our only option was to ski. So we would, all day until Dad came to pick us up at 4. There were no cell phones to call for a ride home and it was a long distance call from the payphone at lodge anyway. If you were lucky enough to have a dollar in your pocket, you wouldn't waste it on a phone call, you'd buy a damn candy bar and ski!
I feel like I should have posted this a few weeks ago and now that we have been blessed with feet and feet of beautiful powder its easy to forget about the last month. We went 6 weeks with almost no snow, it almost seemed like the end of winter. The slopes were empty, you pretty much had to stick with the groomers. If you didn't have your G.N.A.R. score card it was getting a bit monotonousness. But, the one thing I noticed were the people that were out there riding anyway and not complaining. Just talking about where was good and where might be a little better. If you look out there today on this perfect powder day, those guys and girls out there shredding through the pow as if they were on fire, the ones that you wish you could ski like? Those are the ones that will be out there anyway. I know its its hard to motivate to drive 45 minutes to ski boiler plate conditions. The last month of no snow, Ive tried to remind myself that I ski because I love to ski and if I have a chance to ski and have fun, I'm not taking it for granted no matter what the conditions.
Welcome to the Tahoe Bunny!
I will be posting my silly rants and raves, videos and photos of the Lake Tahoe area and beyond from a chicks point of view. What it means and what it takes to live in Lake Tahoe and the rewards we redeem everyday in exchange.
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