Ski Season
Are you ready for ski season? I know we’re all enjoying the amazing fall weather, but really, it’s not too early to start gearing up for the upcoming winter. With a number of world-class ski resorts just up the hill from Nevada City (Sugar Bowl, Boreal, Royal Gorge, Northstar, Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows) there are a lot of great opportunities to play in the snow, whether you ski, snowboard, cross-country ski or just want to go sledding. The InnSide Nevada City blog has put together a great pre-ski season giveaway package to get you excited for snow. To get the legs in shape we’ve got one spot in the upcoming South Yuba Club’s Ski Conditioning workout series, which starts the week of November 5th. We’ve also got 2 tickets to Sugar Bowl Ski Resort*, and remember if you’re going to buy a season pass this year the early season rates ends on October 31st. Mountain Recreation is offering up a $25 gift certificate and a free ski/board tuning. Their pre-season juniors rentals are currently available, get your child equipped for $99. Flowlow Gear has offered up a pair of Ridge Gloves (click here to watch a behind the scenes video on the gloves) and Snowlands Network is hosting a screening of PowderWhore’s ski film “Elevation” and we’ve got a pair of tickets to the November 12th show at Mountain Recreation (free beer by Sierra Nevada Brewing Company). So how do you win this package worth over $400? Post a comment on this blog post about your favorite memory of the snow and I’ll draw the winner on Halloween.
© 2013 InnSide Nevada City, Photos by Erin Thiem and Megan Michelson
*Lift tickets valid Sunday-Thursday with the exception of 12/21-1/5, 1/18-1/20 and 2/15-2/23
My favorite memory of snow is growing up skiing iwth my parents and my dad always having starburts in his pocket for the chair lift rides. 🙂
I favorite memory of snow is watching the first time my husband and daughters saw snow falling from the sky. It was magical!
My favorite recent memory of snow was last year at Squaw getting up the gumption to drop into a black diamond bowl on a powder day… my first time on a snowboard. It all clicked. I felt that float, that freedom… it was fun, exciting & unbelievable when I reached the bottom triumphantly. The next best memory was riding back up to that same spot… same run, different feeling when I face planted and snowballed head over heels 3 times. I was screaming & laughing all the way. Ah, snow….
I do much better with water in its liquid form, but would fully embrace the gift of powder if offered. Even w/o making it to the mountains, that ski conditioning class would do wonders for my fitness regimine – seeing as how it could only get better.
My favorite memory happened last year. I took my 6 year old daughter up to Sugar Bowl to try her first time ski lesson. She had a blast and wants to do it again this year! I can’t wait to take her up the mountain again, and to have her continue the family tradition of skiing with your parents!
My favorite memory in the snow is watching my 4 year old daughter take to skis and having her confidence expand leaps and bounds. She wanted speed, snow, and it was hard for us to keep up with her agility!! The joy on her face, through her goggles and helmet, priceless.
I have too many favorite memories to count! Most include two skis strapped to my boots : ) the feeling of speeding down snowy mountains and riding up the lift with an ear to ear smile never gets old! My mom taught me how to ski when I was a much littler version of myself and I still love to ski with her…nothing like mother daughter time on the mountain!
I CAN’T wait for it to snow!!!
One of my favorite memories is in the early days, riding the Rainbow chair at Mt. Bacherlor with my best friend, singing punk rocks riffs watching other riders below float over the pillowy drifts. 20 years later, it’s me on skis trying to catch up to my 9 year old!
One of my favorite recent snow memories is a couple of years ago when Nevada County got hit with a huge early dump. We had over 4 feet of snow on the ground up on top of Banner Mountain. There was so much snow we had to shovel it from the deck for fear of collapse, not the best memory. But the deep pile of snow we made below the deck was amazing. Our kids were jumping off the deck and pile driving themselves’ into snow. Their joy was contagious.
My favourite memory of the snow was from when I was a child. I had never seen snow before and we had to drive 4 hours to get there. We stopped at the first part where snow was and I made a snow angel. And I have loved the snow ever since.
Born and raised in Lake Tahoe, I have memories from the time I can remember about snow. Every snowstorm brought a lot of shoveling and often times “snow days” which were always appreciated since adventures always presented themselves on those days!
Of course, once you have a child and you see them stick out their tongue to catch a snowflake for the first time all the other memories become small and that one seem to shine the brightest!!
My favorite memory of snow are the winter mornings you wake up and it’s so quiet. I you draw the shades and see glistening fresh snow that had fallen unexpectedly overnight. When you go outside it is so crisp and the world has seemed to slow down.
My favorite memory is watching my kids sledding down the hill in our backyard.
We just moved here three weeks ago and can’t wait to MAKE memories!
My favorite memory in recent years: Believing that I was an ok skier, then having a friend, who is a great skier, takes my poles from me and tell me, “No offense, but you need a lesson!” Ha! This package would be awesome for the whole family!
My favorite childhood memories of snow definitely include skiing down the mountains of Tahoe between my dads legs when I was learning to ski. My love of skiing started at my youngest memories. As I got into my teenage years, I loved the freedom of skiing the beautiful mountains with my Walkman blaring Oingo Boingo, Van Halen and U2 🙂
Pick me, pick me, I want to ski again this year after a long lay off!
🙂 liz
My favorite memory of snow was last year! Our first year skiing of skiing together as a family! Such joy to share it together!! Thanks for the awesome images- no snow at our spot yet, but still getting excited! Fab giveaway!!!
Teaching my three boys to ski.
The *one* time in recent history (over 30 years ago) when it snowed in Menlo Park, California and left a totally unexpected blanket of white all over everything. I remember waking up my friend’s little sister and dragging her to the window in her sleeping bag to show her the miracle…
There are a lot, but one that sticks out is New Year’s Day at Alpine in 2005. Mega storm cycle. Was staying with high school/college friends in South Lake, but we all had Alpine passes. Drove all the way around the East Shore of the Lake. Alpine Meadows Road was periodic whiteout conditions–e.g. I had to stop my truck a couple of times because I knew there was a Landrover somewhere in front of me, but I couldn’t see past my hood.
Everything at Alpine was shutdown except Roundhouse (and maybe Meadow). We lapped Roundhouse from like 9:30-3. Hardly anybody there. Refill laps with thigh deep fresh in places. Jumping off things with zero consequences. Incredible day with my best friend, his (now) wife, and their friend from Davis.
Pray for snow.
Favorite memory has to be the first time I saw snow. I was so excited, I ran out onto it with bare feet. Surprise! I realized how cold it was and started crying until my Mom pulled me off.
Okay, this is super dorky but my favorite memory of snow is the first time Anabella saw it – she was only an infant and it just started floating down and her eyes went so wide and she just kept trying to catch it only to be baffled by its disappearing act in her tiny hands….yeah, super mom-dork but it’s my favorite memory of snow. I think it was love at first sight for her and since she’s the one who finally convinced me to take up skiing, I thought it was appropriate for this post!
Making snow angels with my 3 little ones. It just makes you smile to see them excited!!!
wow — what an amazing give-away!! yowza, you weren’t kidding.
Snow. Great memories .. childhood: in the Bay Area, borrowing snow from all the neighbors lawns to get just enough for a snow person. college/young adult — trips to Tahoe from Berkeley w/ friends .. and being a fanatic sled building course queen (they’d all be in drinking and i was like an obsessive lab) .. and now, when we get those big snows here and all just gets SO silent.
I think that may be total favorite — the feeling of the air around me in the snow. It is amazingly different and quite holding/supportive.
My Favorite Snow memory is snow-shoeing with friends in Truckee back to a ‘off the grid’ cottage to celebrate my friends 58th birthday. There is something about the silence when you go back into the woods far enough after it snows.
My favorite memory is when we had first tracks in Beaver bowl at Alpine. It had been closed due to all the fresh snow and we were some of the first on the chair right after ski patrol opened up the area. We slapped on our skins and hiked harder than I have ever hiked before. The clouds opened up and we skied the best powder ever.
Great giveaway. I love everthing about skiing/winter, especially our family days. Think Snow!
My favorite memory is snowshoeing to a Sierra hut. It’s camping winterstyle!
J’adore faire du ski dans les alps! C’est vraiment trop bien! J’aime bien d’en faire vite!
Favorite memory- skiing Keyhole with my dad.
Favorite ski memory – climbing out of bounds to earn some fresh powder turns on a bluesky day at Alpine Meadows!
So many- snowshoeing on a snowy Valentine’s evening near Serene Lakes and the moon decided to grace us with her presence – and some helpful light. Or the first day all of our four girls were all on skiis and could all get on the chair unassisted! Let’s hope for an early and long season…..
My favorite memory of snow is watching my son fly down the hill.
I have many fond memories of snow. There’s nothing like the joy of seeing the first snowfall of the season (especially in picturesque Nevada City). My favorite memory though is probably of the last snowstorm last March. My family and I had just moved into our new home and it was (I think) our second or third night sleeping there, when my 5 yr old woke me early in the morning saying “Mommy, it’s snowing outside”. We spent the day unpacking, drinking hot cocoa and playing in the snow. There’s something about snow that totally makes me feel like a kid again.
Skiing in 2 feet deep powder at Boreal Ridge with my then 2 year old daughter on her skis between my legs. She now out-skis me six ways from Sunday.
I grew up near Chicago. In 1967 there was a huge snowstorm, till this day remembered by everyone old enough to remember as the Big Snowstorm. When we shoveled our driveway we piled all the snow up in one place. I guess I should say, when my dad shoveled our driveway. It seemed so huge then, but I can see from the pictures that it was all of 6 feet high, at most. We would climb up it, pull the sled up after us and slide down! It was a hoot!
BTW, I didn’t read the other posts, but no Heather Smith is not my daughter, Krista Keachie is.
Woo hoo, bring on ski season. My favorite snow memory was watching our boys rip down Waterfall, oh the places we’re going to go!
Snow is simply awesome.
I love driving up highway 20 to go cross country skiing in some nearby fresh snow.
Night sledding after some serious engineering of downhill shoots on snow covered hills.
I love making snow cats. And sledding. And skiing at Mt Bachelor with my grandparents.
A snowy memory
Resort RV daze
Parents and dog; storms and sun
Creating snow love
So many favorite memories of the snow…skiing with my sister, Robin, at Bear Valley on Christmas Eve…skiing with my husband Bill is always an adventure…I love challenging myself to keep up with him and try new and more advanced terrain…And then there’s snowshoeing…hiking up Eagle Rock or just making fresh tracks…and snow angels…and then there’s always sitting inside by a cozy crackling fire watching the snow fall…Here we go winter!!! : )
January of 1981- My dad brother & i were in Alta Ut.
Met some patrollers,skied with them for a good part of the day – The lifts closed as we sat in a patrol shack at the top of the hill,we sat & talked for about am hour,meanwhile it was dumping snow.when it was time to go,my dad brother & my self had to ski down first because the patrollers had to “sweep” behind us- there was about 6 inches of freshly fallen Utah powder. The run down still sits as on of the best runs I have ever had, i remember it like it was yesterday Pure magic!
My favorite memory of the snow was riding the ski lift with my brother when we were young. He was 13 and I was 8 and we would sing pop songs and laugh, swinging our skis beneath us. Racing down the hills was fun, too but what I remember most was being up high, away from our parents and the stress of some painful family transitions at the time and just enjoying being silly in the middle of a beautiful crisp landscape that seemed so full of possibility. After many years away, I’m moving back to the area and can’t wait to ski with my brother again.
What an amazing giveaway! It would be so fun to win!
About 8 or so years ago, on New Years, eve it snowed. We lived here, and were having a party with friends and kids. There were two memorable incidents. The first, our girl and her best friend, love to eat snow with maple syrup on it. So after getting their bowls filled, they decided to do face plants in the snow – for fun. Then our son and his friend, didn’t want anyone to leave, so they snuck outside, no jackets and built a huge snowball and put it in the driveway. Good memories.
Winter memories have a way of blending together for me. Favorite memory from last year, my first in the Sierras, was shoveling snow near the Christmas snow storm. After the third round chest deep snow shoveling it was clear winter is just a little different here. Looking forward to exploring Sierra Terrain this year!
Remembrances of my daughters (now in their 40s) on the intertubes at Incline loving every second of the ride.
That it is soft!!!
Skiing! Especially skiing with the whole family here at our Mt. Bachelor.
I grew up in Washington State and some of my most wonderful memories of childhood were those unexpected snow days from school. Waking up in the morning to quiet, listening to the radio to see if your school was closed. Grabbing the sleds and heading out to the hills with friends and coming home later wet and exhausted, but very satisfied and hoping that it might all happen again tomorrow. Now as a “grown-up” (Ha!) I relish getting to share these experiences again with my daughter. Waking up to snow falling outside, waking her up and watching the expression of pure joy on her face as she rushes to the front window, the whole family getting an extra surprise day off together in the middle of winter! So glad we live in a place where we still occasionally get snow days! So lucky.
My favorite memory of snow: the famed Blizzard of ’78 in Massachusetts. Total shutdown, schools closed for days, no one could go anywhere, and the entire neighborhood transformed into one giant outdoor snow park. When they finally made it to our street the snowplows piled the snow into a monstrous, packed heap fifteen feet high, 30 deep and forty feet wide. The plow tires created deep parallel trenches in the pile. Kids brought in all sorts of tools and transformed the heap into a network of connected rooms and passages, with the trenches separating different zones. We had epic close-quarters snowball fights in the pile, decorated rooms with outdoor furniture and generally had a blast.
Skiing down to the Eur Valley at Tahoe Donner cross country ski area in skirts and having a tea party with girlfriends in the beautiful sun at the base looking up at the views in tank tops.
I never forget all of the wonderful things we were able to do with the snow. Snow forts, tunnels, sledding. It kept us busy outdoors for hours.
My favorite memory of the snow would have to be skipping school for dollar days at Donner Ski Ranch in order to train to be a pro snowboarder!
My favorite memory is when I was the first time up in Tahoe snowboarding. It remembered me on my beautiful Switzerland!
I used to love it when it snowed on mt. Hamilton. I could look up at the mountain and be amazed that half of the mountains were so white.
Snowed in, no school, power out, and making maple syrup taffy in the fresh snow!
When I was younger we were have a snowball fight when we came across some bear cubs, we went inside and watched them play.
Moonlight powder laps in the backcountry a few hundred yards from a friend’s little cabin.
I can’t say that I have one favorite memory of snow…there are so many! My favorite memories are all involve skiing at Squaw, Alpine Meadows and Sugar Bowl.
My favorite memory in the snow would be when my boyfriend (now husband of 22 years) was teaching me to ski on the bunny slope. He was doing amazingly then it was my turn to try. He said, “Just watch me and you’ll do great.” Well a few hundred feet down the hill (on a bunny slope) he crashed and I kept going with a huge grin on my face! Haven’t let him live that down ever!!! 🙂
I love it when it snows overnight but with sunny skies in the morning. It’s such a fairyland with the trees coated with sparkling crystals and the air crisp and clear. We have a great view of the Deer Creek valley and it’s even more fabulous with all of the pines and other trees dusted and shiny.