Snow, Snow and More Snow

We spent much of last week up in Lake Tahoe at Northstar for our annual ski trip. This time, due to some one-time only circumstances, we were staying in the largest and most luxurious accommodations that Northstar Village had to offer - the Great Bear Lodge 4 BR condo. At a whopping 2,700 square feet of space for 4 adults and 4 kids, we were living in the lap of luxury!

The first pleasant surprise was that the lift from the parking lot opened directly into our unit. The second surprise was that the unit was HUGE, with lots of living space and an attached bathroom for each bedroom, plus a guest lav as well.



There was also a simply enormous central fireplace, and large decks overlooking the central ice skating rink.

Now we go up there every year, and this year, I think we've finally figured out the perfect algorithm. We booked 3 full days of private lessons and alternated the lessons between the two pairs of kids. And boy did they get better in just a few days! The two older girls skied a black run and I'm sure they will all surpass me within a year or two.

There's a bit of a building boom at Northstar with the new Ritz Carlton residences going up mid-mountain (target opening is Nov 2009) and a Hyatt Residence Club next to the Village. And a new Japanese sushi place called Mikuni has opened up, adding to our dining selection. In fact, we did not leave the Village once for a meal the whole time.

A huge snowstorm delayed our departure by a day but the girls made good use of their time by constructing a huge snow fort!