This is a story about my snowy drama in Northstar.
Thankfully it ends well.
Thanks to the generosity from the Northstar team, Vegas and I were able to sneak in one more snowboarding trip this season.  Remember that Northstar travel guide I wrote last month?  We re-lived it… but bigger with a TON more snow, new-to-us food stops, and a bit of drama.
This is how my Monday started out in the parking lot…
Northstar got more than 47 inches of snow in the last 3 days.  That’s on top of the 19″ base.  I’ve never seen so much snow in my life.  I was boobs deep in it in some places!
We trekked to our favorite market, Copper Lane Cafe and Provisions, to get a breakfast sandwich.  I’d never eaten there before, but we’re going to make it our regular stop.  This sandwich was AMAZING.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BRTwJzoAHzf/
Dramatic, no? Â Don’t worry. Â This day gets better.
First off, let me talk about boards.  We were given demo boards from Northstar via rentskis.com.  This was awesome on two counts: nicer boards make a HUGE difference and we could store them there overnight.  Not having to schlep stuff through the winter wonderland of snow is key.
LOVED my Burton Feelgood Flying V board
Boards in tow, we made it to the top of the mountain.  I cannot do anything the easy way, so I directed us to the trails on the backside of the mountain.  They’re a little longer, more challenging, and less packed.
It was a blast. Â I couldn’t stop laughing every time I fell in the snow. Â It’s like falling into a marshmallow. Â This is my first full season snowboarding, so soft falls are especially appreciated.
Feeling confident, I told Vegas to go down that same trail again while I tried a different one. Â One that was completely and totally NOT groomed. Â It’s sort of like off-roading. Â Fun, right?!
What I didn’t know was that when you fall, you cannot get up without a fight.  A brawl, really.
You can’t see it, but my butt and board are both deeply sunken in the powder.
I couldn’t stand up for more than 30 seconds at a time.  There were mini tracks where the snow had been ridden, so if I stayed on those I was fine.  That is a BIG if.  There’s no turning, as the tracks are so narrow.  You just have to stand up and ride it.  Turns out that is WAY above my skill level.  I’d start going fast (again, there’s no turning… so no slowing down), lose my balance, and bust it.
This is where the fighting happens.  I’d skid into that soft, fluffy, powdery snow, often ending up buried up to my chest.  Then I had to figure out how to get up without relying my hands too much because they’d uselessly sink down into the snow.
Getting upright involved a lot of flopping back and forth, literally digging out of snow, jumping, and muttering profanities.  I repeated this maneuver until I’d crashed my way down the half mile long trail.  I’ve never been so happy that I workout; that was cardio and strength training all in one!
I got to the bottom, met Vegas, and told her the whole exhausting story.  I was laughing at myself.  It was a fun learning experience.  Until…
DRAMA.
I cannot find my phone anywhere.  I fell so much and did so much digging out of the snow… it must have come out of my pocket.  Naturally, I flip my sh*t.
Vegas tired to calm me down, but the full gravity of the situation hit me. Â I didn’t just loose a $700 iPhone. Â I lost my debit card, credit card… my ID. Â WHICH I NEED TO FLY HOME.
The world is basically ending thanks to my super cool wallet phone case.
Ever the voice of reason, Vegas pulls out her phone and suggests using Find My iPhone to locate it.  Genius!  We locate the phone 0.8 miles away.  Back down the trail I go.  I told Vegas to take the easier, neighboring trail because: 1.) I’m the better boarder and 2.) I knew how bad this was going to suck.
Perspective: this is the skating rink in the Village. Taken over by the snow.
I manage to board down to where my phone allegedly is.  I’m pinging and pinging it.  My hands are frozen from holding her phone to find mine.  I’m trekking waist deep through snow alllllll alone on the mother effing trail.  I can’t find my phone and I’m close to tears (I do NOT cry as a general rule).
Then I see Vegas’ head pop over the top of the hill.  She saw me through the trees and came to help.  I almost shed tears of relief!
A rare Vegas sighting on the blog! Â No one tell her I posted this…
Of course, she manages to hear the ping with her bat ears and proceeds to dig my phone out of 3 feet of snow, about 5 feet from where I was standing.
Note to Self: Next time she acts like she didn’t hear ask for something… do NOT believe her.
In total disbelief, I proceeded to promise to give my hero anything she wants… for the next 24 hours.  Gratitude has limits.  😉
Freezing, exhausted, and relived, we got back to the easier side of the mountain to board down.  Thankfully, without incident.  Even more thankfully, there were s’mores at the bottom.  There are complimentary s’mores every day at 3:30 pm in the village.  It’s pretty much the best thing ever.  Next to finding your life line in 3 feet of snow, that is.
Celebratory pizza and drinks ensued at Rubicon in the Village.
Once I had my phone in hand, I was able to laugh about the whole thing.  It was still a GREAT day of snow!  Plus red wine and pizza with your love is one of life’s simplest pleasures. ♥
*end scene*
We walked back to our condo, where I decided to dig the car out of the snow before dinner.  This may seem crazy since I was too pooped to poop.  It’s really a lesson in knowing myself.  It was a brilliant move because we had to get up early for our flight the next morning, and I am NOT a morning person.
Check out this before and after:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BRWGAynAgWN/
After that amazing workout (for real – if I did that every day my arms would be beast), I jumped in the shower to quickly get ready for dinner.
The Northstar crew hooked us up with dinner at a place called Tavern 6330′.  We’d had apres ski drinks there once before, but this was our first real meal.  Let me begin by saying that I’m typically not impressed with food in destination spots… Northstar is the exception.  Every meal we’ve had – from the mid-mountain lunch spots to the “nicer” restaurants in the Village – has been excellent.
We split all of the below so we could try more.  They had one of my go-to wines, Orin Swift’s Abstract.  It’s a blend of some of my favorite grapes: Grenache, Petite Sirah, and Syrah.  If you see it, try it!
We started with a butter lettuce salad with green goddess dressing and a beet salad with arugula and goat cheese. Â Both fantastic. Â I really love butter lettuce, so I have to order it whenever I see it on a menu. Â That was followed by the most amazing scallops. Â They were perfectly cooked with a soft, buttery texture. Â This was made even better by the braised endive, truffle oil, and cauliflower puree they were served over.
The main show was a 10 oz Wagyu steak with a peppercorn demi glaze.  I don’t think I need to tell you how amazing Wagyu beef is.  That marbling is the stuff of dreams.  Everything we had was just so clearly made with the highest quality ingredients and prepared with great care.  I wish I could eat here every night!
Oh!  There was also an unpictured slice of chocolate cake.  I forgot… a couple of the Northstar communications  women came over to say hi and we were having too much fun talking.  It was the perfect end to the evening!
But wait…
We got back to the condo and HAD to finish the puzzle I’d started.  The next thing I knew it was 3am*.  But we did it!
*So glad I went ahead and shoveled the car. Â We had 4 hours of sleep!Â
If you’re at all interested in snow. Â please check out my Northstar guide here (not sponsored!).
Anyone remember the mid-trail champagne bar, Töst, that I wrote about in that guide?  There was too much now for Töst to open.  Apparently they have to toboggan the bubbly over?!  This isn’t typical.  If you go to Northstar, locate it and take a break for bubbles.
For the mamma’s… check out this champagne ski lesson while the kiddos are in ski school!
Make sure to check out everyone else’s eats and link up to Jenn’s WIAW baby below!
[Tweet “Don’t miss this hilarious winter wonderland drama in #Northstar!”]
***
We thought this would be the last trip of the season… but we might have to squeeze one more in. Â They’ve extended the season through April 23rd!
What would you do if you lost your phone… AND your ID +Â cards?
Is your significant other your hero? Â I’ve never felt so much comfort just seeing someone. Â So lucky.
omg I did lose my phone for the first time a couple of weeks ago in Penn station! it dropped somehow as I was getting on train and I didn’t realize until I was on train and the doors closed! such a terrible feeling. glad you found yours!
OMG. Did you find it?! I feel like I need to have mine tethered to me.
Oh.dear.LAWD!!!!! Woman – you never cease to amaze and I would have completely and totally flipped my shit if that happened!! My favorite was referring to Vegas’ “bat ears” LOL!!! We really need to travel together because I need stuff like this to happen to someone other than ME.
She didn’t think the bat ears thing was as funny as I did… whatever. 😉
Longest, most physically taxing day EVER? Did you find your wallet? Or did I miss that?
YES! The phone is the wallet. I have one of those card holder phones. Which is why I was doubly freaking out.
I would be so terrified to lose all of that when traveling! But so glad your story ends well. And 40 inches of snow, that’s so awesome, I have only seen snow once these year and am kind of missing it. But I honestly hate the cold so all is well.
The cold isn’t so bad when you’re snowboarding. I actually get really hot! But in general I’m with you.
OMG! Zipper and Velcro your stuff down girl! I can’t believe you found it — I need to get that Find my Phone App before I have drama (I leave my phone in the shopping cart ALL the time and have luckily found it or had it waiting for me at customer service every time).
BTW, I’ve skied Northstar before . . . it was so fun! Also, when I taught myself how to snowboard 10 years ago to keep up with one of my kids, after 4 days I felt like I had been in a 96 hour boxing match
I did have it all velcro’d!!! It was a LOT of digging out of snow. I’ll be storing my phone in my boobs from now on. I never lose those!
You taught yourself how to board?! I did it myself for a day and then had to get a lesson. It’s so much harder than skiing!
Man you are a good story teller- I felt frantic and exciting and relief paragraph to paragraph. Northstar sounds great… it makes me wish I was a good skier haha.
LOL! Why, thank you. 🙂
Skiing is way easier to pick up. You should try it again!
Oh my gosh, I would’ve panicked! Thank goodness for Vegas, she really kept it together! I drowned my iphone last year in Orlando and I legit cried about it. I also never cry about things, but something about not having that lifeline is just so upsetting. So glad everything worked out and I reeeeeally want that steak dinner now. And the pizza.
I definitely would have cried if I’d lost if for good. I have a passport, but it was at home. I don’t know how you fly home with no ID!
That is a lot of snow! Love the snow angels. LOL on the phone glad you found it. Mine fell in the toilet once but have never lost it 🙂
LOL! I feel like dropping it in the toilet counts as a loss.
YIKES, that is the really tough thing about powder; it’s so easy to lose things in it; BUT it does make for a really awesome pillow to fall down in; it sounds like you were blessed with an INCREDIBLE amount of snow. 47 inches of pow-pow sounds like the biggest amount of snow I’ve heard of in a long time; Colorado has been a bit dry, but I’m so thankful that God has provided some moisture that we needed this year. He is so merciful.
I heard that CO was a bit drier. Though, let’s be honest, Colorado always rocks!
Ha! When I went to Tahoe back in September of last year, I remember saying to myself that I need to go in the winter. However… Yeah, since I grew up in the snow, and used to competitively snowboard……… I kinda F-ing hate snow now. It’s just too fluffy and cold. However, I have met HARD ASS SNOW…. and that’s really all I can remember. Ha! That being said, Tahoe really does kick ass and there is some BOMB food up there! If I ever go again, I will not drive from LA to San Fran. NOPE. WILL NOT do that again! hahahaha!
How do you HATE snow?! I need to re-think our friendship. You need to come to Tahoe with us and teach me how to suck less. At snowboarding.
WOW! You are a great storyteller! Im so glad you were able to find your phone. My lil sister is always losing (No she gets madd when I say that, she MISPLACES) her phone so Im always using that find my phone thing! I have never been snow boarding but you make it look fun!
Thank you! I’d never used Find My iPhone, but I’ll forever be an ambassador!
That is so crazy you were able to find your phone after all of that! I would totally be the person panicking beyond all reason. Good think you had someone there to keep you sane. 🙂 I once lost my phone, presumably in the snow, over 7 years ago and it still haunts me to this day. Find my iPhone wasn’t a thing back then, sadly!
Oh yeah… 7 years ago I would have been done for. Of course, back then I didn’t have a wallet case and phones were cheaper. The price we pay for convenience…
Wowsers! Looks like the winter we are having in the east coast in northern New England! And yes my car at one point looked buried as yours! Looked like a great adventure though and I am really glad you found your phone! THAT is frustrating and I too have my id and credit cards in my phone case. Ugh a curse and a blessing I think.
It really is a curse and blessing! I’ve gotten really lucky with good Uber drivers too. I should probably have the thing surgically attached. LOL!
That sounds so awful! I’m glad it ended well at least! I’m always so scared of losing my ID when traveling…I don’t know how you could ever get back!
So happy you found your phone, actually incredible that you did! What an adventure! So much snow out there this year!
I’m a skier, not a snowboarder, but I’m definitely chicken with the bigger trails. You make all the falling seem fun!
In that much powder… nothing hurts! Falling is ACTUALLY fun. Crazy, right?
OMG you are crazy!!! I love it. Glad to see you had a good attitude about it. I probably wouldn’t have so much. My phone is like my life.
I was teetering on the edge… SO lucky to be married to my voice of reason.
We got the north end of that storm in Boise over the weekend. Luckily I peaced out and headed to Southern California before it got worse. I’m so over snow drama this winter. We’ve seen too much of it. Glad you found your phone. I’m a basket case when I misplace mine so I can only imagine what was going through your mind as you were searching for it.
Ha! There was definitely no snow in Anaheim! That’s the first expo I’ve been in where I was actually sweating.
that was quite an experience. i would freak out too if i lost my phone and find my phone is incredible (and vegas of course),
Especially Vegas. 🙂
Gosh its been ages since I went snowboarding but I can relate to your story! Trying to get out of thick snow is the worst…and scary if no ones around! Sounds like such an awesome time though!
Having no one around is really scary. I was like… what if I really get STUCK?!
Geez I would have reacted the exact same way. All that adrenaline from the panic must have floored you later! Good food is the perfect way to calm down… And booze obv.
So true. That adrenaline is a real thing. I don’t think I’ve ever slept so hard!
That is a crazy day and story (stories!)! Wow! And I cannot believe the amount of snow Tahoe’s gotten…nuts! Good for you guys for getting after it. The food looked awesome, snow great, and way to go to Vegas for her quick thinking!
It the most I’ve ever seen by far! We were going to try to get up to Whistler… but this is just so close.
Oh my gosh there would have been tears and i would have been a ball of stress, so glad you two were able to find it – woohoo Vegas!
Oh, I was panicked. Vegas handles me well. Thank god!
Champagne ski lessons are the stuff dreams are made of.
I’m so proud you finished the puzzle. Woot, woot.
I’m thinking of developing a puzzle habit. Thought I think they’re more fun with wine.
I know you were panicked and rightly so, but I sometimes wish I would “accidentally” lose my phone for an extended period of time. Love to tag along on your travels (and travails)! 🙂
HA! I would have been tolerant of that if it didn’t have my ID and cards in it.
OMG! That’s why I don’t keep my cards with my phone! I had a close call once and promised to never do it again! In other news, you’re really making me change my mind about snowboarding – I want to do it, even though I’ll probably break my neck!
I’ve been SO good about it. Until now. I think I’ll keep them seperate next time I’m in that much snow! But yes, you should try boarding. Or skiing. Skiing is MUCH easier to learn.
I loved this story so much when you told me about it, I shared it with my hubby. He couldn’t believe that you actually found it unharmed! Looks like quite the winter wonderland!
Have so much in France my friend!!! Can’t wait to hear all about it.