" I love snow"

Several years ago, my family and I went on a trip to Lake Tahoe.  It was the first time that we would go to a place where there would be snow, and that was very exciting for us.

The trip was planned many months in advance since it is not easy to find hotels located close to the ski resort.  Sometimes, there are no rooms available or they are too pricey.

Making arrangements was very amusing.  We bought all kinds of clothes that commonly we do not have at home, since the climate in Guatemala is nice, mild and does not allow us to wear it.

I was 11 years old then and was looking forward to see the snow, do ice-skating and especially to play with the snow making a snowman as I had seen in the movies.

First, we bought coats, thermal clothes, boots, gloves, caps and all the equipment we believed would be necessary for the cold weather so as not to freeze.

My parents also got in touch with people in the places that we would visit, since first we decided to go to San Francisco where we would join another family to drive by car towards the lake.

My mom checked every day the weather forecasts to find out the dates with more probability of snow, because we were eager to experience the snow.

It was August already, and we could hardly wait for November to come, as our trip was scheduled for that month.

My mom told me that they were expecting the first snow would fall in late October, and we were so thrilled since we would be coming into the lake in the beginnings of November, so the snow would be there.

In the twinkling of an eye, November came and we finally we went away on the trip. We came first to San Francisco where we spent a few days and where we joined our friends.

Being there, I felt a little disappointed because we were told that it had not snowed in Lake Tahoe.  I felt sad because we would be missing the snow.  We traveled around California during the next days.

Finally, the day came when we got up early in the morning, loaded the car and prepared for the trip that was going to be rather long, since we were 196 miles away from Heavenly Valley where our hotel was located.

When we arrived in Lake Tahoe, we found out that there has been no snowfall yet. We became very sad because we did not know if we were going to have the opportunity to see the snow, and worst of all, to ski.

We spend the first day visiting the town where there were shops, restaurants and an ice skating ring.  This is where I did ice skating for the first time and tried what this sport is about.  I was very happy to share the fun with my sisters and the Moreno’s daughters, the family we joined for the ride.

In the night I was tired and a little sad because we had planned to go skiing to Squaw Valley the following day but there was not enough snow in the valley.

After dinner, we got together in one of the hotel rooms to chat and play. We were very anxious because a waiter in the restaurant told us that they were expecting a big snowfall that night and we did not want to miss it.

Late that night, sleep defeated us.  It was midnight when we went to bed, and there was still no trace of snow.

The following morning, very early, about 6, mom woke us very satisfied for it had snowed indeed.

I felt impatient and was eager to go skiing, so we all got ready in a hurry and packed the winter clothes that we would be wearing in the ski resort.

On Squaw Valley, we had to rent some special ski equipment. There were many shops specializing in the sale and rental of this equipment, so it was not difficult to get it.

Dressed up with the equipment, we walked to the cable car that would take us up to the top of the ski center.

On the way up, the guide told us that Squaw Valley had hosted the winter Olympic Games in 1960 and that ever since that year the place had become a very famous site for skiing.

He also told us that there was a special school where some instructors helped the children with the first skiing lessons.  This made me happy because I had never skied before.

When we reached the top, we had to put on the clothes and the special boots.  We looked very funny like fat guys lined with layers and layers of clothes and we could hardly walk!  The boots were very heavy and forced us to walk bending our knees.

At last, we got there!  We were so happy... not only for the incredible place we were visiting but also for being so lucky to have enough snow with perfect conditions to ski.

There, we spend the happiest day.  At first, we believed that learning to ski was going to be a very difficult task.  Fall after fall we began to improve and by the end of the day, we had already achieved to ski.

I have never thought before this experience about the importance of having favorable conditions to practice skiing.  Snowfall made it possible for our family to enjoy this wonderful and unforgettable experience.