I am a flatlander. I grew up in the plains in India and then moved to the tropics where I lived near some of the best beaches in the world for the next decade. In my 37 years, I have seen snow about 3 times. The first when I was probably 6 or 7 and my mom took me to Manali in India, of which I have very vague memories. The second time was in Berlin in 2006 during a business trip, and I was woefully underprepared for the freezing -20 C weather. I nearly broke my leg trying to walk on the icy roads in unsuitable shoes. And the snow was mostly sludge.
The third time was more recent. Two years ago on a road trip from Seattle to Leavenworth, we made a pit stop at Steven’s Pass and it was snowing in spring! That was the first time I had seen snow falling from the sky! Unfortunately, it was a quick stop and we had to be on our way after 20 minutes.
So when my cousin and his wife asked us to join them and their kids, on a ski trip to Tahoe to celebrate their 11th anniversary, I couldn’t stop hopping about in excitement. I was finally going to ski, and play in the snow, and make my first snowman! (My mother claims I made my first snowman on that long ago trip when I was little, but I honestly have no memory of it).
My husband lived in the East Coast for many years and has some basic skiing experience. I, on the other hand, knew nothing about walking in snow (forget skiing) or the havoc it can wreck if you are not suitably prepared.
When my sister-in-law sent me a list of things I should buy in order to survive the snow and the cold weather, I have to admit, I was taken aback! Who knew, preparing for snow was such an elaborate process. Thank God for Amazon, and all the amazing deals you can get on it, or I would be burning a very dangerous hole in my credit card.
For other newbies like me, if you have never seen snow or are planning your first ski trip, make sure you have these:
- Snow Pants – Insulated, waterproof trousers specially made for outdoor activities in Winter
- Ski Jacket – The Ski Jacket needs to be waterproof, breathable, insulated and well fitting. This will also be the most expensive item in your ski uniform, but well worth the investment when you are out there on the slopes.
- Base Layer Thermals – As far as I am concerned, this is perhaps the most important item of clothing when you are preparing for the slopes. Long-sleeved shirt and long pants made of moisture wicking fabric that traps heat against the body instead of letting it escape into the air.
- Second layer below the Ski Jacket – This would be typically a warm shell, a fleece jacket or a wool sweater with a high neck.
- Balaclava – This is the mask you see bank robbers wear on TV as they hold people up at gunpoint! It covers your head and neck and parts of your face, leaving only your eyes open. Initially, I found it funny, till I was on the slopes with a blizzard headed our way and the only thing protecting my face was this thin, but powerful garment!
- Mittens or Gloves for Skiing – Gloves are the only thing that will keep your hands warm on a frosty day. It took me by surprise how quickly my hands went numb with cold when I took off my mittens to take a photo on my phone. These need to be waterproof and warm without being bulky or cumbersome.
- Snow Goggles – At a higher altitude, the air is thinner and filters fewer UV rays. The sun’s reflection on snow is brighter and the wind can make your eyes tear and blur your vision. Oh, and tiny ice particles can, and will get into your eyes! A good pair of snow goggles is the only protection for your eyes.
- Long Woollen Socks – If you are like me and constantly have cold feet, irrespective of the weather, the first part of your body to really feel the chill will be your feet. It’s critical that you have tall, cushioned ski socks made of high-quality wool, with moisture wicking properties.
Now that are you properly wrapped up, you are ready to head to the slopes!
We chose the Alpine Meadows Resort in the Squaw Valley, tucked between Truckee and Tahoe City. It has more than 100 trails spread over 2,400 acres and has something for every level of skier. It’s also super family friendly and beginner friendly. My little nieces had their own kids’ enclosure where they learned to balance on mini skis and ride the magic carpet.
The hard-core skiers bring their own gear – Skis, helmet, poles, ski boots. We chose to rent our gear at the resort.
With the exception of my cousin, who is a seasoned skier, the rest of us decided to take lessons on our first day. You can buy lesson packages online on the Alpine Meadows website, which includes a full or half day of lessons, gear rental, and a lift ticket. You can also buy these directly at the rental desk and get lift tickets at the ticket kiosks conveniently located outside.
First Timer Tip : Those ski boots feel weird. With all that layering, you will probably need one size up from your regular street shoe size. I struggled to get my feet into the boot, which seemed to be designed as some sort of torture device! Finally, one of the ski instructors had to help me into them by making me stand up, bend my knee and do various maneuvers to make sure the boot fit right.
As we stepped out with all our gear in place, I was awestruck by the beauty of the snowy mountains dotted with pine trees. People of all shapes and sizes whizzing past on skis and snowboards, ski lifts taking skiers to higher slopes, little kids screaming and laughing in the snow…it was spectacular!
Our instructor Eddie took us to the bunny slope, a term used to describe a gentle slope suitable for beginners. I used to do a lot of rollerblading as a teenager, which in some ways helped me with my balance. Once you attach the skis to your boots, trying to walk on the snow is quite the Herculean task. You have to slide forward, with the poles for support if you want to walk. Lifting your feet is not an option. You will fall down…a lot! But that’s how you learn.
Once we hit the bunny slope Eddie taught us how to move, how to slide forward by making a pizza slice with your skis, how to turn by putting slight pressure on your leg, and how to stop by making a wedge with your skis. Many of these principles are similar to rollerblading, except you have all that heavy gear on you and you are on a very slippery slope!
Unfortunately for me, I have a bad case of runner’s knee on my left leg. I have been running on and off these last few months and about ten days before the ski trip, I came back from the run with a sharp pain on my kneecap. Foolishly, I thought just resting it would make it go away.
The minute I started moving my legs around in the skis, I immediately felt my left knee-cap flaring up. I tried to ignore it and keep going, but after two hours of lessons, my knee was throbbing. I casually mentioned it to Eddie and he told me to stop immediately. He explained that skiing puts a lot of pressure on the knees and quads and if I didn’t take care of it by stretching properly, wearing a knee brace and working on strengthening my quads, I could be causing serious long-term damage to the cartilage.
I felt my big snow bubble of excitement deflating but was in too much pain to argue. As I took my skis off and tried to walk back to the rentals area through the powdery snow, I realized just how bad my knee was, as I struggled to take each step.
That ended my skiing dream for the trip, but I am determined to go back and give it another shot after I get my knee looked at and work on strengthening my quads.
Later that day, after my knee stopped throbbing, my sister-in-law and I hung around the kids’ area checking out my nieces learning to ski, while the men hit the Green and Blue slopes. Greens are the easy, wide slopes with a gradient of less than 25%. Blues are intermediate trails that are steeper.
I was just happy to be surrounded by all that snow. It’s more snow than I had ever seen and the novelty of it hadn’t worn off yet. Not even when it started raining and the wind turned my face into ice.
Later in the evening, we went back to the warmth and safety of our cozy lodge about 4 miles down the road. There is something quaint and charming about staying in a wooden house covered with snow. My husband left his ski gloves in the car, which turned out to be a mistake, because the next morning, the car was covered in snow and the gloves were frozen, with little pieces of ice inside them!
The good wife that I am, I gave him my mittens since I could no longer ski and put on some woolen gloves, which while unsuitable for snow, at least helped keep my fingers warm.
On our second day, in the morning the men took to the slopes, the kids went back to their lessons and the SIL and I hung around the cafeteria drinking warm Irish coffee and gossiping!
Later in the afternoon, we decided to go sledding and found the perfect spot at the Tahoe City Golf Course covered in a deep, blanket of snow.
This was also my first time with sledding and luckily didn’t require any knee related maneuvers. Just sit in the disc-shaped sled on top of the slope and go wheeeeeee as you slide down!
We spent a fun few hours turning into a bunch of little kids going up and down the slopes. Suddenly, it started snowing and I did a little Bollywood jig in the snow feeling the flakes fall on my face. I also got to be a snow angel flapping my hand-wings up and down in the snow. Clearly, I was infatuated with the snow!
And, I got to make my first adult snowman with my nieces!
Traveller Tip
If you are in the vicinity of Alpine Meadows, I strongly recommend visiting the Crest Cafe. Our lodge was across the street from this cozy, little cafe with the most delicious hot cocoa, warm ginger brew and different types of coffee.
By Monday morning, it was time to leave and I simply wasn’t ready to say goodbye to the snow yet. I am starting to think I may like snow more than I like beaches. (Let’s see how long that lasts!)
Luckily, we live only a 4-hour drive away from Tahoe and once I get my knee fixed, we can drive up anytime the ski bug strikes. The drive back from Tahoe to South Bay was truly stunning and I couldn’t stop taking pictures through the window. It’s interesting to see the landscape change from grey, wet and gloomy to sun bleached and snowy, and eventually green and sunny!
[…] my first adult experience with snow on a business trip, and I was reminded of it on my first ever ski trip to Tahoe in 2016, a good ten years […]