Rarely do I travel without my kids anymore. And when I do, even when it’s work related, I find myself consumed with mom guilt. Mom guilt. Honestly, I can write a book about it by now. But as Quincy and Coco are getting older, I’m starting to feel more comfortable leaving them at home with my husband, or their grandparents, for the occasional overnight jaunt. Recently, after a week long bout of rain, Orissa suggested that we head up to Tahoe to take advantage of the first legitimate ski day of the season! While the rest of the country has been riddled with frigid temps, Northern California has been desperate for snow this winter. Going up to the mountains for just a night seemed overly ambitious, especially when we were determined to squeeze in as much skiing as possible. But committed to be efficient with our time, thanks to UberSki and our very detailed schedule (created by two Type A personalities), it was a very productive 36 hours indeed.

Day 1 5:30am: Waking up only 4 hours after you’ve gone to bed the night before is no joke. But as we all know, the early bird gets the worm. The key is be equipped with the biggest thermos of coffee for the 3 hour drive – and thank goodness it’s scenic!

9:00am: We pull up to The Coachman Hotel. The recently renovated 1960s motel is the place to stay if you’re staying in South Lake Tahoe. It’s conveniently located near the lake, casinos and Heavenly Mountain Resort and the rooms are perfectly simple, fuss free and affordable. The communal lodge is my absolute favorite – it’s where you check in, have breakfast, play games, sit by the fire and order drinks. It’s the ultimate place to gather at all times of the day. The best.

9:30am: After a quick bite and change of clothes, we order UberSki to take us to the Nevada side of Heavenly. It’s a 15 minute drive and since we know the mountain is crowded today, having an Uber driver with a ski rack to take us straight to the lift from the hotel is a small luxury, not to mention, super convenient and a time saver. It also beats lugging all that cumbersome ski equipment up from the bottom of a parking lot!

10:00am: We’re on the mountain and ready to hit the slopes! Before we get our lift tickets, I like to schedule our pick up down on the other side of the mountain so that it’s just one less thing to worry about before everyone makes their mass exodus at the end of the day.  

1:00pm: Lunch and coffee break at mid mountain. So very necessary since we’ve pretty much burned off that breakfast at this point already. And we’ve been up since 4:30, so caffeine is a must!

3:30pm: We head back down to the base of the mountain and guess what? Our UberSki driver is waiting for us at the bottom of this gondola, ready to load up our skis and snowboard and take us back to The Coachman.

4:30pm: One of the best feelings in the world is taking a hot shower and slipping into a cozy pair of shoes after day of skiing. Sitting by an outdoor fire with a game of backgammon is a bonus. Pizza delivery and an early bedtime is a huge bonus.

Day 2 9:00am: Oh, to sleep in until 9. It’s a rare occasion! We start the morning with a hot cup of homemade chai from Freebird and head towards the lake. After a long walk, we indulge in the most scrumptious lunch at Sprouts.

11:45am: It’s time to head back to the hotel to pack our bags and change back into our ski clothes for a few afternoon runs before heading home. This time, we’re exploring another part of the mountain . . .

3:30pm: We head home. I get to make it back just in time to join my family for dinner and tuck my kids into bed. The best. I might be sore and exhausted from our ambitious midweek excursion but I had an absolute blast. Comment below if you have any questions about visiting South Lake Tahoe in the winter!

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE

Where to stay: The Coachman

Where to ski: Heavenly

Where to eat: Sprouts, Freebird, The Getaway Cafe, Basecamp Beer Garden, The Lake House

(photography by Andrea Posadas; this post was created in partnership with Uber, all opinions are my own!)