Skiing Northstar

Reunited and it feels so good :)

I was back on snow this weekend for the first time this season! My friend Julia (who I worked with at the USSA and skied with all the time over the last two years) recently moved to South Lake Tahoe to work for Heavenly Mountain Resort, one of the resorts Vail owns in the Tahoe area. I've already been up to visit her once since she moved, but we weren't able to go skiing that time. This weekend, though, we went up to the north side of Lake Tahoe and spent a day on the slopes at Northstar!

It was an absolutely beautiful day! Unfortunately, there hasn't been a ton of snow in the Tahoe area yet this season so the conditions weren't perfect, but it was still a lot of fun. As the odd skier who enjoy groomers, it was great for me. I did have the challenge of skiing in skis that were in desperate need of a tune up (the edges were pretty much nonexistent), but that was fine! My legs were another story, though. Running clearly does not work the same muscles as skiing because I was hurting by the middle of the day.

Northstar itself was a great resort. It definitely had some Deer Valley vibes to it (in a good way). The groomed runs were very well done, the lake views were stunning and the on-hill staff were incredibly positive and friendly. Even with it being a busy holiday weekend, we were still able to find plenty of runs to ski that weren't crowded or chewed up. Both my morning coffee and afternoon Mexican food were delicious (although, as with every ski resort, they were overpriced). I love the fact that all of the Vail-owned resorts give you your on-hill photos for free, too! It's a nice touch.

It was an awesome day and I can't wait to get back up to Tahoe for another day on the snow! There's no such thing as a bad day when it involves skiing :)

2013 in Review: Part 4

Missed the other posts? Check out Part One, Part Two and Part Three.

October

After the excitement of September, October was a little less exciting. I attempted to keep up with running despite the weather getting colder.

But, alas, that was sidelined by a stress fracture in my foot. I ended up spending two months in a boot.

There was a lovely rainbow outside my apartment.

And Julia, Katie and I carved some pumpkins for Halloween!

November

Korey and Ashley moved to the Avenues in Salt Lake City. Their new apartment has some killer views!

The Colts and Texans played, so Julia and I went to Billy Blanco's to cheer for our respective teams. Naturally, the Colts won in a crazy fourth quarter comeback.

Starbucks red cups were released, which always makes me happy.

Another happy seasonal item...Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate Stars! I may or may not have stockpiled these.

11:11 11/11. Made a wish!

A long track speedskating World Cup was held in Salt Lake City at Utah Olympic Oval, so I went down to watch for a day. The USA went 1-2 on this particular event.

Opening day! Park City Mountain Resort opened at the end of November and Katie, Julia and I went out for a few runs to celebrate. 

I went home for Thanksgiving, which means lots of puggle time. 

Home also means lots of games! We played Cranium and Hillary and I had matching answers in Mind Meld. It was kind of wonderful! 

December

I kicked off the month with my first-ever NFL games! Despite being under the weather, I joined my dad and brother for tailgating.

Lucas Oil Stadium!

I worked with the Today Show on a shoot at aerials practice.

A bobsled World Cup came to Park City and I went out to take a few photos.

I continued skiing regularly. We had tons of sun dogs in December for some reason, and I couldn't stop taking pictures of them!

The FIS Nordic Combined Continental Cup came out to Soldier Hollow, which was a great chance to watch some of our B-Team athletes (as well as Olympic Champion Billy Demong) and take some photos!

I had to climb some snowbanks for optimal picture taking position.

I went home for Christmas.

Merry Christmas! We added a few people (and dogs) to our annual Christmas cookie photo. 

Christmas Eve service. 

Olympic Trials came to Park City! Todd Lodwick earned a record-breaking sixth Olympic spot. The weather was amazing all weekend and it was super fun to watch everything! 

Finally, I closed out the year with some New Year's Eve skiing with Julia.

Happy New Year! Can't wait to see what 2014 brings!

2013 in Review: Part 2

Missed the beginning? Part One is here.

April

The month kicked off with a nice round of pink eye, so I was forced to wear my glasses (which I never wear except at home) for nearly a month!

I enjoyed some Skyline while still home in Indiana.

I watched enough Game of Thrones with my brother that he decided our family needed its own crest (that's a bulldog and a puggle on it, for those who didn't know).

I worked at Olympic gold medalist Ted Ligety's homecoming celebration at Park City Mountain Resort.

I attempted a juice cleanse (spoiler alert: it did not go well).

I celebrated closing day at Park City Mountain resort by busting out this lovely old speed suit from my speedskating days.

I had a handful of adventures with this lovely duo, Ashley and Korey...

...including an AWOLNATION concert at the University of Utah. 

I had a birthday! And my lovely parents got me a stand mixer! 

Julia took me to a French bakery so I had some macarons instead of birthday cake. 

And...a moose decided to walk through the parking lot outside my apartment. 

May

The month started with a 5k in Salt Lake City with my roommates.

I expressed my feelings towards the Romney name (because there are maybe 10 people out there in the world unaware of them).

I had a run that went so well that it inspired this selfie.

I went to the Spiral Jetty with Korey and Ashley.

 We also went to Twin Falls in Idaho.

I participated in Running with Ed, a Ragnar-like relay race that supports the Park City Education Foundation.

I kayaked the Provo River with Debbie, my wonderful former roommate.

I discovered a fantastic cupcake place in Provo, as well. It's basically the only thing I'll go to Provo for. 

June

I went hiking around Powder Mountain with Julia.

Running on the Rail Trail in Park City became a pretty regular thing for me, as I was training for a half marathon. One day, a herd of sheep decided to join me on my run.

I made s'mores cupcakes. 

I decided to get bangs again (and after reviewing these photos, I think I may have to do it again in the near future).

I relived high school and went to a Fall Out Boy concert. It was amazing. 

Ashley joined me for the concert!

I continued volunteering at Furburbia. There were a ton of kittens over the summer!

I went to a painting thing with Julia. I was pretty proud of the finished product! 

I ended the month with more running. The Willow Creek trail became my favorite weekend trail...can't you see why?!