Online shopping makes me nervous. I like to try on what I buy, see it in the store, inspect it before its mine forever and I dont like shipping fees. But, as sites like LivingSocial and Groupon gain monumental popularity, I must admit I have started falling in love. I have gotten to try a handful of local LA restaurants that I would never have known about, treated myself to a professional massage and tested various work out programs in the area.
Because my LivingSocial obsession has not yet failed me, I was thrilled when I heard about a group called SWAT that organizes long weekend and spring break trips for college students for one all inclusive price. I decided to take a leap of faith and sign up for the MLK weekend trip to Tahoe. The fee included two way bus transportation, three nights in a 5 star hotel, two days of lift tickets at two different mountains, and VIP access to a handful of exclusive parties.
Two months after buying the package, the trip is finally here. Despite forgetting me on the bus list, the average hotel with no hot water, no exclusive parties, and all man-made snow on the mountains which were an hour bus ride away…. I had a really fun weekend!!!
My friend Catherine signed up for the trip with me and we made it an awesome weekend. We survived the 10 hour bus ride with ease, watching some hilarious movies. We mostly unpacked and crashed early so we could catch the first bus to hit the slopes. Day 1 involved a full day at the mountain with a handful of girls then a quick turn around back at the hotel in preparation for the Avicii concert. My frist rave was anything but ordinary, but quite the experience. I did learn that dancing at a rave requires little to no skill, mostly just bouncing your arms around… I was a natural 🙂
At the bottom of Squaw
Catherine, Alanna and I dangerously taking pictures on the lift 🙂
Katie, Hannah, Alanna, Catherine and I on the mountain 🙂 You can see Lake Tahoe in the background.
We were on the front for for the Avicii concert!!
Day 2 comes to quickly and we aren’t surprised to find that there will only be 7 people heading to the mountain at such an early hour after the concert. One of the guys on the bus hasn’t even gone to bed yet! I was feeling a lot more confident and although Catherine has been snowboarding far more recently and more often than I, I mustered up the courage to go with her down some black runs and even through a few terrain parks. We met a few guys who really challenged us to try new things like surface spins, riding toe-side switched, and going off various jumps and rails. Day 2 was by far my favorite and I got worlds better with my friends challenging me.
Garrett, Catherine, Brandon, Ryan and I at the very top of Alpine mountain
Catherine and I taking a break to make snow angels
After the lifts closed, we spent a considerable amount of time at the hotel spa, enjoying the hot tub, steam room, and hot water in the locker room showers. A short dinner soon led to an evening at Circus Circus playing carnival games and watching short circus performances including this impressive tight rope walking act. We passed the next few hours sharing stories with some of the most interesting guys I have ever met (the same ones from the mountain).
She is balancing on a ladder which is balancing on a tight rope!
All that was left was sleeping, breakfast and the long bus ride home! But it was pretty quick. All in all, I am so glad I went! I loved getting to use my new snow gear (that I got for Christmas), attending my first (and last) rave, improving my snowboarding skills, and meeting a bunch of new friends. What an awesome three day weekend! :)) Can’t wait for President’s Day… who knows, maybe there is a trip to Big Bear in my future? 🙂
