Powder, parties, planes and positivity

When it comes to most things in life you never really know what you’re going to get. This is very much the case with the snowboard resorts in Southern California. With the commute ranging from 2-3 hours, it’s hard to be certain of the weather ahead. We eagerly drove to the slopes and joined the crowd of snow-thirsty shredders to experience the fresh powder. The gnarly, yet epic weather brought in sketchy driving conditions. We weren’t allowed to pass the checkpoint without tire chains. We turned back to buy them at a store in Highland for 65 percent less than they were offering near the resort.

Once we arrived at Snow Valley, we decided to try the “next level” trail. We’ve been hitting the bunny slope for several years but after nearly colliding with a group of adult snowboarder learners, it’s time to move on.

Young learners adapt quickly but adults tend to be too afraid to fall. So instead of falling on their bottoms when they feel out of control they’re more likely to expect the other riders to get out of the way which results in a “wipe-out” or worse a “yard sale”.

At Lift 13 we met Ed. He looks a little bit like Santa Claus and has a friendly personality to match. He told us that not only should we move on from Lift 6 but we’re going to wish we had sooner. And boy was he right! The powder was softer and less crowded since the run is wider. We feel that this resort has the most helpful operators. They pay attention to riders that are nervous, slow down the lift when necessary and give instructions to get off when needed.

Snow Valley is located in Running Springs, only 2.5 hours away from San Diego. It is one of the oldest and largest ski resorts in the San Bernardino National Forest. It has 12 lifts, 29 runs and terrain parks including The Edge, Park Avenue Progression Park and Hideout Jib Park. It’s a fantastic resort with trails for all levels of skiers and snowboarders.

Rockin’ with the girls

We attended the Girls Gone Band holiday dance Dec. 16 at Club 1202. The event was held to benefit Being Alive San Diego. Lead singer Melanie Peters rocked the house and brought the ladies (and several men) to their feet.

Unfortunately, our invisible cloaks activated when we went to the bar. We were standing next to the one woman that was ordering drinks and somehow when she left we became invisible. The bartender proceeded to have a conversation with a colleague (even pointing to someone directly behind us), counted the register and served customers that came way after us. We decided to spend our hard-earned money somewhere else and left.

We look forward to seeing Girls Gone Band’s next performance, hopefully at venues that treat all their customers well.

Flight school

Ana gave me (Kim) a flight lesson as a birthday present. I took the ground lesson on the use of the flight controls during the weekend. My instructor went into great detail about the Basic Six set, also known as a “six pack”. It was a great learning experience. I cannot wait to fly the plane next week! Make sure to read our column for details.

Peace out!

We hope 2013 brings happiness and peace to everyone. Stay positive! And treat others the way you’d like to be treated. We ran into our fair share of rude people last year. No one goes out to have a bad time so don’t be that person that ruins their night. Keep smiling; you make a difference in someone’s life whether you know it or not.

A quick hello or a door held can ignite someone’s faith in humanity. To our faithful readers, we hope you’ve been inspired to try something new with us. We hope you come along with us as we bring you more adventures in 2013.