Tahoe resorts compared to Colorado resorts

I'll post this here and leave it at the top until ski season comes around again.
I'm trying to gather input on which resort would best suit us at Tahoe.
In Colorado we have been to Copper Mountain and Winter Park. We still feel challenged at those resorts and have lots of fun there.
So, what might be a comparable resort in Tahoe?
If you have any input I'd appreciate it!

Tahoe here I come

I'm so excited that I am going to be within a couple hours of snowboarding again! We are moving to the Sacramento area from Iowa, and one of the biggest draws for me is the proximity to Lake Tahoe. I've heard it is just beautiful.
It will be great to be able to go up for a weekend or even just a day, rather than have to find a whole week off in order to go.

A great finish to a good season

I forgot I never wrote about my last trip of the season.
Spring Break time and there were tons of people...BUT the snow was awesome, the weather was gorgeous, and most of the time I managed to avoid long lines and crowded slopes.
The first day out of any trip, I usually feel completely awkward and I don't do well. This time the first day out it felt as though I'd just been snowboarding the day before. That made it so much fun, since we had only three days, and I enjoyed every one of them! And my fingers never felt like they were going to fall off, which was a plus.
I love when I feel confident and get a run all to myself, where I can use the whole space, not worry about anyone else, and I feel like a rock star.
Somehow, snowboarding fills a need for me and is just a perfect fit for my life right now. I'm so glad I discovered it when I did.

Need to get in shape

I've started walking again, trying to get myself in shape for my upcoming snowboarding trip. I hadn't realized how wimpy I'd become since the winter break. Last time we were out it was awesome though. Even though I wasn't feeling 100 percent, I still had so much fun. Mostly I didn't challenge myself much, just took it easy. But towards the end of the second day I hit some small jumps, sort of inadvertently. I was taking a path that went through some trees, just working on controlling my board, but then there was a drop off. I was going pretty fast so I got a little air, landed it, then immediately had to make another jump. Landed it, and put on the breaks fast because there was a huge steep drop off. I felt like an Olympian.
I got really cold though. My gloves were damp and by the end of day two my hands were so cold it took 10 or 15 minutes inside to get the feeling back. The third day it was really nice out, sunny and warmer. I just didn't have it in me that day, I was pretty exhausted and just coming off being sick. Still, I think that's the first time I've ever had the opportunity to go snowboarding and turned it down.
I'm hoping to feel better and have good weather when I'm out again in a few weeks!

riding while weak=dumb idea

So, went to have my lesson at Sleepy Hollow on Sat.
May have stayed up a little too late on Friday night. Also, it seems I am sick.
All day Saturday I was having trouble just doing basic things like standing and thinking.
Standing and thinking are somewhat important for snowboarding.
Especially standing.
First, I tried to go up this rope lift. All you have to do is hang on and keep your board flat. It was a little hill. I fell about ten times trying to get up the hill. Each time it was harder to get up. All I could think was, this is not going to go well.
My DH successfully did a rail. I didn't even try it. I made it across a box once, the other times I just fell down.
I fell getting off the chairlift. I fell going down the hill. I fell a lot.
Hopefully I get over this and am not so weak by my next excursion. I'd rather feel like this in Des Moines than in Colorado. Better take care of myself.

plans! yeah!

I have a lesson and one definite, one probable trip to Colorado in the works! Can't wait!
Will write about my lesson... never thought I'd take a snowboard lesson in Iowa...

Stupid programming decision

So, on Saturday afternoon I was supposed to be watching Snowboarder X on ABC...guess what, they decide to show the KU-Nebraska basketball game (can you really call that a game?) instead. Meanwhile, they've been showing every single heat of snowmobile racing, but they can't cover any of the Snowboarder X except the finals, then they don't end up airing it in Iowa. I can see why they'd make that decision, though. After all, college basketball is only on nearly every day for several months, whereas the Winter X games are on for four whole days each year!
So, I watched some choppy coverage of snowboard slopestyle, which turned out to be pretty incredible, with Shaun White riding a broken board and Heikki Sorsa unfastening one binding right before flying through the air and still sticking the landing.
Then, the evening coverage was pretty awesome also, a big night of snowboarding. But a ton of guys fell on the superpipe, way more than usual it seemed. Then snowboard big air was crazy as usual. Those guys are so insane. If my kids ever do any of these events I would need to be medicated every time they went out there.
Well what am I doing? X games are on, gotta go!

the x-games are only four days away

I can't wait to watch the Winter X Games. It starts Thursday and goes through Sunday. I printed out the schedule so I'll know when to watch. I just realized it will work to my advantage that I live in Iowa, because with the different time zone the coverage shouldn't interfere with the kids' bedtime. When we were in Colorado I missed a lot of good stuff. I am always looking for anything in the category of "advantages of living in Iowa."

why I love snowboarding so darn much

I'm not even sure what exactly it is about snowboarding that makes me enjoy it so much. Is it the numbness of my fingers and toes? Is it the feeling of my head slamming into the hard, frozen ground? Or could it be the thrill of a close encounter with a tree?
I may never fully understand what motivates me to strap both feet to a slippery board and attempt to maneuver down a snowy mountain. All I know for sure is, when I hit the slopes, I find myself having an unreasonable amount of fun. I walk around the resort with a big goofy grin. I chat with people on the lift. If I'm going up the lift alone, I swing my legs, whistle (weather permitting), and take in the scenery.
When I'm on my board, all I'm thinking about is riding. I'm in the moment. If my mind starts to wander, I'm liable to wipe out, so in fact I have to be in the moment. In general I am not very good at being in the moment, so I welcome the opportunity.
Most of the time, I am out there alone. For most people, skiing and snowboarding are social activities, but at this stage of life my husband and I have to take turns watching the kids. I don't mind. The thing is, I am so rarely alone that it is a real treat for me to have the time to myself. Time to think, to relax, to focus on something that has nothing to do with my day-to-day life.
The other aspect is, learning something new is hard. Accomplishing something hard is satisfying.