A redeye to Tahoe

[slipnslide]

I think I am ready to share this trip now that I have finally caught up on my sleep.

A recent article in SKI magazine stated that anyone can take a quick weekend ski jaunt without too much trouble and be back at work on Monday. Well, yes, it is possible to fly across country on a Thursday evening, ski two solid days, and be back at work on Monday. But, only my middle aged carcass was in that chair. My skis followed me home on Tuesday.... I hadn't seen them since I left on Thursday. I had to fight the bureaucracy of DELTA airlines to get rental vouchers and any information on their whereabouts.

But, that is all beside the point. The sleepy cloud through which I viewed Nevada and California last weekend did not dampen my excitement about skiing, nor did the exorbitantly priced Kielbasa eaten for lunch at Heavenly on Friday that laid me out for the rest of the evening with food poisoning. I was up early on Sunday to fight Delta for a second day rental voucher to ski at Squaw Valley. Being an optimist, I must say that I enjoyed the two different ski demos. Friday, I tried the K2 Lotta Luv 153 and found that I have a much easier time keeping my center of mass forward. I could be aggressive on these skis and push them hard. I liken them to an American muscle car, a Ford Mustang, a “Lotta” torque. At Squaw on Saturday, I tried the Volkl 5 Star Attiva 154. These skis rode the bumps nicely, turned on a dime and grabbed the morning ice. Later, as the sun warmed things up into the 50 - 60s, I had to take care not to catch the edges in the soft, sometimes slushy snow. Guys were skiing shirtless and many women stripped down to their tank tops and shorts. The sun was INTENSE, but I loved it. I wore sunscreen, but was sunburned by the end of the weekend.

We took off directly after the slopes closed on Saturday to catch a 7:46 PM flight from Reno to LAX. From there, I half dozed during the 5 hour trip that put me into Charlotte at 6:10 AM Eastern time on Sunday. It was still dark when the airport shuttle dropped me off in the remote parking lot, and I spent 15 minutes searching for my car. Thank goodness for the keychain panic button. The sight of my Subaru was a relief. I sped home and an hour later was in bed only to be awoken by my 18 year old two hours later.

Was it worth it? I am going to try Utah next year.

 

[Squaw]

Wow...I am impressed. that is a lot of effort for two days! It is REALLYhard to be without your gear. I take it you had your boots, though.

And given the conditions out here (Lake Tahoe area) last weekend, you were on two of the perfect skis. I have the older Phat Luv, which is a tad wider that the Luv you tried. And I have the Attiva 5 -- and what you describe is exactly my experience on them.

One thing that impressed me with Utah is how I could be at Solitude within about 45 minutes. Go for it!

 

[ski diva]

Give that lady a "Hard Core Diva" Award.

Wow -- food poisoning, lost skis, red eye flights -- not an easy trip.

Still, sounds like you had fun on the snow!

 

[slipnslide]

Thanks SkiDiva, I did have fun. My memories will focus on the beautiful day and exploring the nooks and crannies of the mountain. I loved going into the trees at the top of granite chief lift. Headwall was also fun. I know there is a lot more to explore on that mountain and I will visit again when I have more time.

Squaw - I always bring my boots in my carry-on. It would have put me over the edge to rent.

I still think a quick weekend jaunt is achievable, but since I am coming from the east coast, a two hour time difference would make it easier to adapt. I have skied Alta and Snowbird and I know that once I land in SLC I can be at the slopes in 45 minutes. Keep posted for the report next year.

 

[abc]

One thing that impressed me with Utah is how I could be at Solitude within about 45 minutes. Go for it!

Utah is both good and bad for traveling from the east coast.

It's TWO hours shorter flight, which means you arrive at SLC at decent time on Thursday evening instead of the wee hours (body clock: pass mid-night). And chances are better to find a DIRECT flight to SLC than to Reno from the east coast.

Bad news is there're few (virtually non-existing) "redeye" flights. So, you need to leave the resort early to catch the last fight out that get you back to east coast past midnihgt instead of a full day skiing followed by a lesurely dinner before you need to catch the redeye at 10pm.

Denver is another option. Even though the drive to resorts are longer than SLC, the flight is considerably shorter. The big negative is the drive from Denver to the resorts in the dark after landing at Denver. Depending on the weather, the last day is a toss-up compare to SLC because you have to account for traffic on the long drive back to the airport.

I've done Thursday to Monday, never Thursday to Sunday. That gives 3 and half days of skiing. slipnslide, I thought you came back on Sunday's redeye arriving Monday morning. But re-reading your post, I realize you came back on Sunday morning. Why?

 

[slipnslide]

I had to be back at work on Monday and I wanted time to rest. Yes, I know crazy