India is not a country where one can easily learn Skiing as part of growing up. However USA offered the sport so easily that it was hard to not get tempted into trying a little bit on the bunny slopes. Soon this turned into an annual adventure sport for us. It is also an expensive one as we pay for the ski rentals, lift pass, hotel rooms, and purchasing the ski outfits.

Big Bear mountain ski resort is not only close to us but also offers varieties of slopes. California is mostly known for it's sunshine but because of the tall mountains in the vicinity, it also offers better ski slopes than any on the east coast! 

Waiting in the line for the ski-lifts is mostly a breather at first and then frustrating when you realize you spend more time in the queue than on the slope while skiing down! 
The beauty of the sport is that it is as much fun on a sunny day as when it is showering snow flakes on us.

The drive to the ski mountains can be testing sometimes. We've had to put snow chains on our tires, something we had never done before....we've had to drive in heavy fog where we couldn't see the next car or the next turn (only death seemed to be breathing down our necks :))  On other days, you get rewarded with some stunning views on your way to Lake Tahoe.

Flurry of fresh snow makes for beautiful views on the slope and also gives a nice thick padding on your bums when you fall down :)

For us, this time of the year offered opportunities to travel and do fun things with our friends!

Lake Tahoe rewards stunning views of the lake from the slopes.