Saturday was stormy and windy so we decided to work on taxes and work out at the gym — while Sunday was a true bluebird day and we took advantage of it!

We left the house around 1:30pm and got to the Mt Rose Wilderness area shortly after that. To our surprise, we found awesome powder –yes! although it was so warm, there was still powder from the storm the day before. Some areas were a bit crusty due to the high winds the day before, but for the most part — if you stayed in the trees you got good powder! Spring skiing with powder in late March is just an amazing combo.

Here’s my six-month pregnant belly, enjoying the warm spring day:

Snowboarding at Mt. Rose

It’s been an incredible year for snowboarding. It seems like every other week brings another storm, usually during the week, that dumps fresh powder on the mountains just in time for the weekend.

With all that in mind, last weekend I took my teenage son and some of his buddies to the closest skiing to Reno, which is the Mount Rose Ski Resort, for a little snowboarding. Mt. Rose is only 25 miles southwest of Reno (via U.S. 395 and the Mount Rose Highway).

During this visit, they wanted to check out the Slide Lodge, which is a second base facility for Mt. Rose skiers and boarders located east of the Main Lodge. The Slide Lodge is the gateway to Slide Bowl, a kind of secondary skiing area at Mt. Rose.

The reason they wanted to hit Slide Bowl is that it’s the location of Mt. Rose’s two terrain parks designed specifically for boarders. The parks, called “Doubledown” and “Badlands,” offer a wide variety of boarding features including tables and rails.

“Doubledown” is designed as the primary “go big” course and has a roller, lots of rails, a couple of 40 to 45-foot step downs and a 250-foot table spine. “Badlands” has mostly medium-sized elements and consists of several rails, boxes and rollers, as well as two tables.

While I don’t board, it was fun to watch them race down the runs, goofing on the various features–and eating some snow more than a few times.

With only a brief break for lunch, my son and his pals played on the slopes for most of the day. I saw them catch a bit of air, skate down the rails more than a few times and, in general, have a great time enjoying all the snow we’ve been blessed with in recent months.

I wonder if it will last until Memorial Day?

Of course, another nice thing about Mt. Rose is that it’s affordable. The adult day rate is $54 ($44 for a half day), with the lifts running from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.—-Richard Moreno

The snow just keeps coming! Last week it was a full moon so a few of us ventured out in the backcountry up around Mt Rose Wilderness. The snow was light and deep and beautiful in the moonlight. Couple of days later it snowed again and we were right back out there touring around, dropping in, and having an absolute blast. Here are a couple of pics from Saturday.

No way!

Especially when it has been snowing non-stop for the last I don’t know how many weeks. There is powder everywhere, so getting hurt is not a concern at all!

We went backcountry to the Tamarack Peak area on Saturday and enjoyed the awesome powder. And then again on Sunday with our friends Erik and Michelle who are also expecting a baby!! The snow was a little bit crusty but we still had a blast. Check out our pictures:

The pregnant girls

The six of us

View of Washoe Lake

There are few things more exhilarating than racing around on a snowmobile—and this year’s great snow pack has produced some awesome snowmobiling conditions.

One of the best ways to enjoy snowmobiling is to take a guided tour at Zephyr Cove Snowmobile Center of Lake Tahoe. There, you can rent everything you need from the snowmobile to the helmet, gloves, boots, parka and snow bib. The company has more than 100 Ski-Doo snowmobiles.

After registering at the Zephyr Cove Resort, you’re taken by bus to a spot above Tahoe where you’re fitted onto a machine and given basic instructions about its operations.

Riding a snowmobile is easy. A button starts it up and all you have to remember is that the brake is on the left side, the gas is a thumb-lever on the right. It only takes a few minutes to get comfortable with the machine.

As with a motorcycle, the guide instructs you to lean into a turn rather than away. You’re also told how to use hand-signals to instruct other drivers of your intentions, such as slowing, turning or stopping. For safety purposes, taking your thumb off the gas immediately kills the engine.

Once you get started, you soon find yourself racing through snow-coated pines and groves of skinny, bare aspen trees sprayed with frost. The trail gradually climbs higher into the mountains, twisting and turning through the trees. Eventually, the road reaches the crest of the mountains and you’re riding parallel to the lake, enjoying one of the most magnificent views in the world.

During our tour, the guide parked at a place that allowed us to just sit on our vehicles and enjoy the bright blue sky, deep blue water, brilliant sunlight and pure white snow. Writer Mark Twain was right about Lake Tahoe—it is the fairest picture the whole earth affords.

After stopping, we began the ride back down the mountain, which was even more fun than going up. Since I’ve only ridden a handful of times, I found that the longer I rode, the more confident I became with the vehicle. In fact, I found that if I lagged back a little, I could create a gap between my vehicle and the rider ahead, then, on the straight-aways, pour on the speed to catch up.

These thing are so fun that maybe I’m going to have to buy one…..

Zephyr Cove Snowmobile Center is located 25 miles west of Carson City at the Zephyr Cove Resort, 760 U.S. 50. Guided tours are offered daily at 9:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 1:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. Cost is $99 for a single rider and $145 for a double rider. Clothing rental is $15 for everything or $5 per item. For more information, call 800-23-TAHOE. A $7 discount coupon is available at www.laketahoesnowmobiles.com/coupon.php.

It’s been years since I went cross-country skiing but with the abundant snow this year it seemed like a good opportunity to give it a try. So last weekend, my teenage son, Hank, and I headed to Tahoe Meadows (at the top of Mt. Rose, about 15 miles south of Reno via State Route 431) for a little Nordic father-son bonding.

Conditions were ideal. The meadow was layered with about four or five feet of packed snow and the skies were bright and sunny. After parking beside the road, we climbed the four-foot berm and set off across the meadow.

Even though I hadn’t skied in a long time, the gliding movements soon came back to me as we plowed through the fresh powder. My son, who downhills and boards, quickly got the hang of it all and was, in no time, easily following the trail.

Since I’m not in the shape I was in 20 years ago when I used to cross-country more regularly, we only stayed on the snow for a short time. But the scenery was magnificent, the powder felt nice and soft under our skis, the smaller moguls were fun to ski down, and it gave us a chance to hang out and talk.

What more could you want on a Saturday afternoon?—Richard Moreno

So have I mentioned that I am 20 weeks pregnant??? But that doesn’t keep us from skiing and getting out every weekend. It’s been a blessing because I have been feeling great and full of energy!

This Saturday we went to Proletariat and had the best run of the season — we drank some mate at the top while enjoying the view, then met another tele guy and shared some stories and mate with him, and then we got to practice some great tele turns on our way back — since the powder was amazing!

Sunday we took our friends Caro and Sam (who are learning how to snowboard) to the Galena Creek Drainage area and we also had a blast. We decided to go there because the area is protected by the trees, so the wind wouldn’t drive us crazy. And that was the case! It was perfect!

Climbing up the mountain

Our friends taking a little break

Me and hubby talking to the belly

Our return trip almost dark (it was around 6pm!)

Boreal Mountain Resort caters to boarders.

A Boreal boarder.

Catching air at Boreal.

Riding a rail.

It’s no surprise that snowboarding is hot. Just look at the recent Winter Olympics. Who were the biggest stars of the games besides the medal winning speed skaters and Tahoe’s slalom queen Julie Mancuso? It was the boarders led by Seth Wescott, Shaun “The Flying Tomato” White, Danny Kass, Hannah Teter, Gretchen Bleiler, and Lindsey Jacobellis.

Fortunately, Reno-Tahoe has plenty of places to shred the slopes including Boreal Mountain Resort, which is home to the region’s only all-mountain terrain park, meaning it offers not only downhill skiing but also lots of snowboarding turf and a sledding area.

For years, Boreal has been one of the Tahoe area’s top snowboard spots. Boarders can ride the resort’s superpipe (with 18.5-foot walls) as well as Jibassic Park, a snowboard park with more than 100 features including rails, jumps and funboxes.

The focus on all things boarder means the resort has something for every skill level. For instance, the Jibassic Park (www.jibassicpark.com) offers small ride ons, medium and large-scale features, a superpipe cutter and more. The park is also very popular with freeriders, which are boarders who kind of surf around the mountains without trying to race or perform technical tricks.

Boreal’s ski and snowboard instructors, available on weekends and holidays, specialize in training first-time and novice skiers and boarders and boast of having taught more than 300,000 beginners over the years.

During a recent visit, it was clear this wasn’t the average ski resort. The slopes had a variety of jumps, mounds and rails for boarders as well as nice stretches of challenging open terrain for the downhill skiers. We saw several folks catch some good air on a few of the jumps. The thing that was most obvious was just how many boarders enjoy Boreal. More than half of those in the lift lines packed a board rather than skis.

Additionally, Boreal has roped off a section of the mountain for sledding. From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., the Playland Sledding Area is open to children who are at least 42 inches tall. Cost is $15 and snow saucers are provided.

Skiers and boarders will find that Boreal has 9 lifts and 41 open runs. The resort’s base elevation is 7,200 feet and summit elevation is 7,700 feet.

Lift ticket prices are $38 for adults, $10 for children (5-12) and free for those under 4 years old. Boreal also has special night rates (it’s one of the few resorts with outdoor lights for night skiing) of $22 for adults, $10 for children, and free for those younger than 4.

The resort’s newest attraction actually has little to do with snow. Earlier this year, Boreal opened an indoor skateboarding bowl. Sessions begin at $5 for 30 minutes.

For more information, go to www.rideboreal.com or call 530-429-3666.

A woman and her daughter enjoy sledding at Nyack.

A young boy follows her on the smooth incline at Nyack

One of the great things about Reno in the winter is its proximity to so many outdoor recreation snow spots. In addition to about two dozen major ski resorts, Reno is also within easy driving distance of several undeveloped but definitely fun snow sites perfect for snow-mobiles, cross country skiing, snow-tubing and sledding.

In fact, during a recent return trip from Sacramento, my 11-year-old daughter and I decided to check out a few of the free sledding sites located along Interstate 80. After passing through Auburn, we began the climb from the Sierra foothills into the Sierra Nevada range.

The first place we spotted was a relatively tame series of hills located adjacent to a gas station at Nyack. Here, we discovered a half-dozen children and parents gliding down the slick snow on their snow-saucers and sleds. While the hills weren’t large, they were ideal for smaller children, who squealed with delight as they slid, slightly out-of-control, down the gradual inclines.

After a brief stop to enjoy the mounds, we continued to the next site we could find, which happened to be off the Cisco Grove exit. Here was a snow-covered hill that had a bit more gravitas. It was steeper, wider, and infinitely more entertaining, and attracted not only more sleds but also older kids. My daughter thought this looked like it was probably the best free spot to sled that was off the interstate.

As we continued on our journey home, we spotted other good snow terrain. Some of the best spots are the semi-developed Sno-Park sites offered by the California Department of Parks and Recreation. Along I-80, there are three Sno-Parks, which are basically undeveloped snow play areas with cross-country ski trails and snowmobile trails as well as snow-cleared parking lots. California has some 21 Sno-Parks.

The Sno-Parks are not free but they are reasonable. A day pass can be purchased for $5 (or $25 for a season pass). For information, call the Sno-Park hotline at 916-324-1222.

Along I-80, Sno-Parks are located at Yuba Gap (south side of I-80). This site is open to sledding, snowshoeing, and cross-country skiing but not to snowmobiles. A bit farther east is the Sno-Park at Donner Summit (take the Castle Peak exit beyond the Boreal Inn frontage road). Here the ski trails are on the north side of the freeway. Snow play, sledding, cross-country skiing and some snowmobiling are allowed.

The last Sno-Park along I-80 is at Donner Lake, on the south side of the Donner Lake exit on Donner Pass Road at the Donner Memorial State Park. Here, trails lead to Donner Lake. The area is primarily open to snowshoeing and cross-country skiing.

Of course, I-80 is not the only place to find good sledding areas. After we made our way from Truckee to Reno, my daughter reminded me that her two favorite free sledding spots are located, respectively, at the intersection of U.S. 50 and Nevada State Route 28 (near Spooner Lake) and on the mountainside opposite Tahoe Meadows at the top of the Mt. Rose Highway.

The U.S. 50/State Route 28 sledding area, located about 12 miles west of Carson City, is a fairly steep hillside that offers some great rides on sleds and snow-tubes.

The Mt. Rose site, located about 15 miles south of Reno via State Route 431, is another steep hillside with acres of open, smooth snowy ground perfect for fast rides on saucers, sleds, or tubes.

And she made me promise to take her to one or the other on our next trip.—Richard Moreno

I love snow, especially when it snows on the weekend and we can go out and enjoy the fresh-awesome-to die for-powder (can you tell I’m a powder freak?)

This weekend was one of those weekends with LOTS of POWDER since it snowed on Friday and all day Saturday — making it the best conditions ever!

As usual, let me share some of our pictures which speak lowder than my words…