One of the best things about being a chiropractor at Tahoe City Chiropractic is being able to help others get the most out of their active lifestyle. When I first talked to Dr. Tim about joining the practice, I was excited to meet the community and offer my unique approach to natural, drug free pain relief in a professional setting. As an independent, active woman I decided that the trip down from Alaska to Tahoe should begin with adventure so I planned a 5-day, 3,000-mile trek on the Alcan (Alaska-Canada highway) that ended on April 8, 2019, when I arrived at my final destination of Lake Tahoe, California.
The weeks leading up to my departure were dry, beautiful and as “spring-like” as Alaska gets in April – nearly convincing all of us that summer was arriving early. As the ironic weather gods would have it, my 5:00 am departure in early April began with a snowstorm and never let up until I finally hit the Washington state border…where I was greeted with torrential rain and hail.
For the last 6 winters I’ve come to Tahoe, visiting friends and seeking the white, powdery snow that I’ve enjoyed since childhood while growing up in St. Paul, Minnesota. I started skiing at the age of 5 on hills with man-made snow, and my family and I made yearly winter pilgrimages out to the Colorado Rockies. It was these trips that prompted me to attend the University of Colorado. It was also these trips that inspired me to eventually move to Alaska, where I assumed snow covered the land for most of the year.
The latter may be true if you reside in or near the incredible Alaskan mountains. However, living in Anchorage not only brought NO snow, but it brought a lot of rain, darkness, and of course, cold. But where was the snow? A few years ago, one of Alaska’s two ski resorts failed to open altogether and the other had to close mid-season due to lack of snow. While the Alaskan backcountry shows off wonderfully in professional ski videos, it is mostly inaccessible for the rest of us. I lucked out with an opportunity to take my first heli trip out to Haines, AK only to have the worst snow conditions in 30 years. Without the snow to play on or reflect the moonlight, brightening the skies, all you’re left with is a really cold, dark and depressing winter day that lasts 8 months.
Alaska is a great place for backcountry skiing and snowboarding but its landscape and geography make it unforgiving as a commercial ski mecca such as Tahoe, Utah or Colorado. But one thing is obvious to anyone who has spent multiple winters in Alaska – there is much less snow. After 6 marginal snowfall winters in Alaska and a continuing downward trend, I decided to leave and seek out some real snow.
When I heard some subtle grumblings around Tahoe after the couple of snowfalls we have had so far, I silently celebrated internally. My goal this season is 80+ ski days but I’ll be happy with 25. I know there have been some down snow years in Tahoe but believe me, they are far better than what is happening up in AK. In Alaska we call newcomers “cheechakos,” and I am proud to be welcomed to and embrace the Lake Tahoe area as a cheechako. I came for the snow, and I’ll stay for the sun. I look forward to catching some of you on the chairlift, taking some turns, or enjoying some après-ski!
