I feel fortunate to have come from a family of skiers. Skiing families raise skiers, and I’m grateful that I learned to ride at a young age. Part of my family lives in California; they’re hardcore skiers who access terrain through backcountry gates, almost exclusively skiing the trees. My aunt and my uncle, in their 70s now, seek out soft snow and bluebird days with no crowds.
Unfortunately for the cousins out East, the options are not quite as deep as they are in Tahoe. For us any new snow is good and there’s nothing wrong with cruising the groomers. We make the most of it, and with winter returning the East Coast family was ready to get back on the slopes.