Winter Essentials
Winter has finally arrived here in Truckee! We’ve gotten more than 2 feet on the mountains with another 5 feet in the forecast. Living in Tahoe is in general pretty awesome, especially the winter, especially when the snow is deep, fresh and fluffy. But when you live somewhere the winter can last from October until June, the weather can start to drag. There are a few things I’ve found that help make the winter more bearable.In honor of the first real storm of the season, here are a few of my winter favorites.
Winter Essentials // tahoefabulous.com
Tahoe Daily Snow: This website, part of the Open Snow network, which “was created by a team of local weather forecasters who are life-long skiers and riders. During the winter, our forecasters write "Daily Snow" updates that will point you toward the best snow conditions. You can also use our mountain-specific forecasts, cams, and snow reports to find the best snow.” The best thing about the Tahoe Daily Snow is that it shares the long range forecast, and the author Bryan Allegretto explains some of the science behind forecasting for weather nerds and powder seekers alike.
Tahoe Daily Snow // tahoefabulous.com
Outdoor Winter Hobby: If you’re going to live somewhere that gets a lot of winter, you can’t just look forward to summer. You’ve got to find something that you like doing outside. Obviously snowboarding and skiing are big ones (here’s a link to my favorite gear to get you started snowboarding and here’s a link to my friend Kristen’s tips for adult beginner skiers). If you’re not into either of those, there are a ton of other options. Consider snowshoeing, cross country skiing, backcountry ice skating, skijoring, or basically anything that will get you outside in the winter.
Snowboarding Gear for Women // tahoefabulous.com
Donner Summit Canyon Snowshoe // tahoefabulous.com
A Good Insulated Mug & Something to Drink: A hot beverage helps me stay warm and happy on cold days. I'm a big fan of the Klean Kanteen wide insulated bottle when I want to be able to throw my bottle around and know it won't leak and the Klean Kanteen insulated tumbler for easy drinking. My drink of choice is a dirty latte made with coconut milk, Trader Joe's Chai Latte mix and an espresso blend from Verve Coffee Roasters.
A Workout Routine: Winter days are short, so it's hard to get out and be active after work. I can't wait until the weekend to get my endorphin fix, so I need to do something. I have a gym membership at a place with a good weight set up, so I generally focus on weight lifting during the winter. I learned weight lifting through playing sports though out high school, and I did some personal training a few years ago as a refresher so I'm pretty confident in my ability to lift safely on my own. In the past couple of years, I've followed/adapted Strong Curves, The New Rules of Lifting for Women, and PHUL. If you're new to lifting, the Reddit XX Fitness community is awesome, supportive and informative. I've also loved taking spin and weight lifting classes in the past.
A Library Card: There's only one thing I disagree with Leslie Knope about: libraries are amazing. Even in the small town I live in, our library system is awesome and has tons of books available. I read on my Kindle 99% of the time, and my library has lots of e-books available. For 2019, I'm trying to spend less time aimlessly scrolling the internet in bed at night, and e-books from the library have been really helpful in achieving this goal. A few recommendations for this year: The Power by Naomi Alderman, An American Marriage by Tayari Jones, and CIRCE by Madeline Miller.
Winter Essentials // tahoefabulous.com
Battery Packs: When the power goes out, it's nice to have something that you can use to recharge devices. We have the Goal Zero Yeti 150 Portable Power Station that we mainly use for camping, but it's come in handy during stormy weather. Smaller rechargeable power sources like this one are nice to have, and it's great to have something like this AA battery power bank for when the power outage lasts for a few days.
Indoor Hobbies: When the weather gets too bad, I need something to do inside or I go stir crazy. In addition to reading and working out, I've spent the last couple of winters practicing water colors, doing basicsewing, and I've recently gotten into bullet journaling.
A Go To Comfort Meal: There are a few hearty meals that I find myself craving in the winter: Red Curry Chicken from Cravings: Hungry for More by Chrissy Tiegan, Onion Jam from Lodge Cast Iron Nation, Lasagna Soup from A Farm Girl Dabbles, and Sag Paneer from Martha Stewart's Slow Cooker with homemade naan.
Winter Car Kit: Having a winter safety kit in my car makes me feel a lot less stressed out about driving in the snow. You can buy a pre-made emergency kit, but I always have at least tire chains (Be sure to practice putting them on some time when you're not on the side of the road in a snow storm.), fingerless mittens that I don't care about ruining, a foldable shovel, and a piece of flattened out cardboard (for kneeling on). For non emergency car accessories, I love my mitt windshield scraper and lock de-icer. Note: store your lock de-icer outside of your car.
Manini'owali Beach Hawaii // tahoefabulous.com
Plans for a Warm Weather Vacation: They say that planning a vacation is almost as satisfying as actually taking one, and dreaming about (and doing comprehensive spreadsheets for) a trip to a warm destination has gotten me through many long Tahoe winters. Some of my favorite trips include the Big Island, Hawaii, Raja Ampat, Indonesia, and Mendocino, California.
Currently, Greyson and I are trying to decide between the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica and the southern end of Baja, Mexico for a fall trip. Any recommendations?
Raja Ampat // tahoefabulous.com
Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I receive a small percentage of the sale as compensation – at no additional cost to you. I promise to only recommend products that I use and enjoy!