Velvet Snow

On Friday I will arrive in Lake Tahoe. On Saturday I will be skiing. I am going skiing with the same group that I went with last year. Last year I remember being nervous because I only knew one other person that was going. But I feel just as nervous, if not more so, this year. I am trying to figure out why. I know I am the least skilled skier of all those going, but now I actually know everyone going. Last year it didn't seem so intimidating because I didn't actually know how good everyone was at skiing. I know once I get there and get my skis, go down that first run, and eventually wipe out (it's bound to happen), I will feel a lot better.

I do know that if I ever have kids I will be teaching them how to ski when they are young. Do you ski? If you do ski, where?

Come Saturday I will be wearing this jacket and attempting to hit the slopes in Lake Tahoe.

And just for kicks, this is the video I took in Big Sky last year, when I was pretty much the only person on the "green run":

Like a G10

In less than a week I leave for a ski trip in Tahoe. I am excited, but also a little nervous. Most of the people going are really good skiers. Really good. And I can manage. So this year I am taking a day long lesson. I looked at the lesson info on the site and there is a scale from 1-9 to find your ski level. I looked at the levels and I would say I am a 5.

"LEVEL 5

Description: You ski or ride comfortably and confidently on all “green circle” and most groomed “blue square” terrain at Heavenly. You can link turns (mostly parallel for skiers) of varying sizes and you can control your speed in most situations by adjusting your line, with little need for braking (“gliding the slow line fast”).

What to expect—depending on your needs and goals:
- Explore higher speeds and more vigorous movements for shorter, complete turns.
- Develop higher edge angles and discover the control and sensations of carved turns.
- Gain confidence on steeper, more challenging groomed blue terrain.
- Venture into easiest ungroomed terrain." (taken from www.heavenly.com)

Of course, with my personality I wasn't just ok with making the reservation on line before actually speaking with a human. I was reassured that taking a lesson was a good thing and because I am an adult in the non beginner class, the class probably won't be crowded. It's also a good way to see a lot of the mountain.

So I have a lesson on day one and lift tickets for days 2 and 3 at Heavenly. Depending on how things go, I may go to Kirkwood or I may go to the spa ;)

Last year I rented a helmet and I was completely fine with that. It was actually my first time wearing a helmet while skiing. When I first learned to ski no one wore helmets. Thinking back on it, I am actually surprised my parents let me go without wearing one. I was the kid who had to wear a helmet when I rode my bike because of the horror cases my parents would see at the hospital. But now that I will probably go skiing at least once a year I decided I should just invest in my own helmet. A helmet that only I will sweat in. Safety first kids.

So I got a G10.

And this model didn't come with a cover. So I made my own. That's right I made a cover. A simple cover bag, but it works. I made a cover and I didn't even have a pattern! The only "pattern" like thing I had was a dust cover from a Coach handbag. It came it quite nicely if I do say so myself. I just need to put the cord stop on and melt the ends of the cord. A big shout out to my mom for giving me her old sewing machine, providing me with a kick-ass sewing kit, and giving me the confidence to take on projects like this!

And because I didn't post a picture of my Christmas tree, here it is. It may still be up, but looking at all the pink ornaments just makes me happy. Next year I will be upgrading to a 7 foot WHITE Christmas tree! My mom has gotten me so many pink ornaments they no longer all fit on the 4 ft tree!