It’s not often a girl has a relationship with a mountain that spans 3 decades. As a child I spent many hours in Tahoe on Northstar mountain with my family. In a way I grew up along side this resort. I have seen it go from a mountain with chair lifts to a destination resort complete with a village, fine dining, hotels, shops, ice skating rink and new traditions that make family travel so much fun.
I learned to ski as a five year old on these slopes, tried my hand at snowboarding as a teen, and perfected my turns as a twenty something trying to impress her soon-to-be fiancé. It was only a matter of time (and getting at least one of my kids out of diapers) until I introduced them to my most favorite past time.
My fondest childhood memories consist of time spent in a cabin with friends and skiing with family. I had been looking forward to this day for a long time…5 years to be exact. Visiting Northstar with my own little family and teaching Waylon to ski was one of the brightest highlights of 2016 for me. Our trip to Tahoe last week came just in time for me to check some things off my bucket list.
I’m not gonna lie, my 5 year hiatus had me a little nervous, but for lack of a better phrase, it was like riding a bike. Skiing again brought back so many good memories and allowed us to make new ones with our children. It was Waylon’s first time in the snow and we have a feeling that he found his element here. Zeke loved running around the village eating treat after treat and Sam discovered that he missed his calling as a male figure skater…he surprised us all with his ice skating skills!
Here are some of my favorite moments from out Tahoe trip with Northstar California.
Talk about family friendly! Gone are the days of lugging everyone’s gear. I distinctly remember whining to my parents about holding my skis ha ha. These oversized wagons were so helpful and made our experience teaching Waylon how to ski that much better.
The first day on the mountain we enrolled Waylon in ski school. I can not recommend this enough. If you want your child to learn how to ski or snowboard then ski/boarding school will set them off on the right foot. He had so much fun and is still talking about to this day!
My sweater and snow jacket are from Obermeyer and Waylon’s helmet, pants, and jacket are from L.L. Bean.
He was so proud of himself for learning to click in and out of his skis.
Our littlest, Zeke, always has food in his hands cause it’s his favorite thing…. complimentary marshmallows roasted over a fire at 3:00 in the village was right up his alley! Also this Hazel Village jacket is my favorite; I found it a week before we left for our trip in one of my favorite online shops Noble Carriage.
Sam and I were actually able to squeeze a date night in at Tavern 6330 and it was so good. Chef Chad Shewsbury is at the forefront of his craft and can make a beet salad that will change your life.
These boots by Keen Footwear were so great. They were easy to slip on and off not to mention durable, water-proof and warm. We all wore Keen boots on this trip and it was one less thing to worry about when traveling with kids especially in a colder climate.
This outfit kills me! Hat: Rylee & Cru, Sweater: Little Cottonwood, Boots: Keen Footwear 
Before leaving on our trip it was a necessity to get Zeke a new carseat since he had outgrown his infant one. During our 20+ hours on the road there and back, I felt much more secure with him in this Boulevard ClickTight ARB model from Britax and he was so happy to be riding in a carseat that fit his toddler body.
By far my favorite hat on him ever…c/o L.L. Bean. 
Can you tell I’m in love with this hat and jacket? Yep love it! I’m just waiting for colder temps in San Diego to break it out again, c/o L.L. Bean.
*Special thanks to Northstar California Resort, L.L. Bean, Obermeyer, Britax, Bumbleride, Keen Footwear, and Nana and Papa for helping us with childcare!
