Snowboarding at Lake Tahoe!

After getting picked up by Toby, we went to Dublin, east of Palo Alto to pick up another friend, Morgane. There, we dropped Toby's old car off and loaded all the ski gear into the larger and more convenient typical soccer mom's-car - the Windstar. Picking up Caity, Amy and Nick from Lodi, and cramming every snow-related item into the trunk to the best of our abilities, we stopped by at Carl's Jr for a quick bite and then proceeded towards North Lake Tahoe.

On the way inland, and as we gained altitude, we saw the gradual increase in the amount of ice and snow around us. Then soon enough, it started snowing on us. Chains were put onto our Windstar's front wheels as the roads became icy. Snow patrol officers in fluorescent yellow were giving instructions while huge snow plows periodically eased the terrain for all the motorists' needs.

Foolproof maps guided us into Nevada and ultimately to Caity's cabin, where we arrived later that night. Interesting fact: You know you've crossed the border into Nevada just purely by seeing casinos and neon on the roadside. Caity's place was very nice indeed, with two storeys, two bathrooms and pretty much everything that defines comfortable living. Outside, wading through snow, throwing snowballs and slipping off balance were all great things to be doing again.

Lake Tahoe is a lake on the border between California and Nevada, which contains clear blue waters and boasts many ski resorts on the slopes of its periphery. The Winter Olympics have been held in one of these ski resorts (Alpine Meadows).

Early next morning, we drove with chains to Diamond Peak, one of the ski resorts. Since it had snowed the night before, conditions were perfect for snowboarding, as fresh and thick natural snow covered the slopes while the skies were empty of any precipitation. I strapped on my snowboarding gear and went for my beginner's lesson which was very sore but fun. Getting proficient at the heel side and toe side turns required not only skill, but persistence despite various inflictions of pain from falling on the chest or glutes. Once I had the "falling leaf" pattern slowly worked out, I tried the green slope (the next level up) but got severely punished.

Later that night we grocery shopped, ate Nick's dinner creation of pasta and salad, and chilled out in the warmth of the lounge. I relied on the seven hours sleep I had that night for the much needed growth and repair for the next day of boarding. I must admit though, that getting up the next morning was hard...physically. They were aches from narm.

I attacked the green slope once more, and after completing it with elegant "S patterns" without falling over, I felt like a complete different snowboarder. Something told me to conquer the blue slopes (the next level up) and so I did. However, crashing my pelvis and backwards rolling many times in the process. I felt that the cycle of risk-taking, crashing, getting up and crashing again was an integral part of my real-quick learning over my first two days of snowboarding. By the end of the two days the natural feeling of going down the slopes was awesome!

I was dropped off later that afternoon at Truckee (Californian town with a Wild West character and history as a lumber centre), where I took the Greyhound bus back to San Francisco. Although hard on the wallet, the experience of Tahoe gave me great views of the lake from the high chairlifts, and a newly found passion for snowboarding!