I know that spring can be the best time to get boards out and spend a day on the slopes. The warmer temperatures, higher sun, gentle spring breezes and tons of snow that is still left at the three resorts in Maine, Sunday River, Saddleback and Sugarloaf have all the ingredients that spell fun.

Headed west
So why am I headed to western slopes when I could be enjoying all this fun back east? Well, it's a mixture of business and pleasure. I haven't skied in the Lake Tahoe area for about four years now and I'm sure that a lot has happened around the High Sierra resorts.

The pleasure part is that I'll be meeting up with family and attending a 50th anniversary party for my wife's brother and sister-in-law who reside in Merced, California. The party is scheduled for Harrah's in Lake Tahoe on Wednesday.

In the meantime, the business part is to check out how ski areas are faring around the Tahoe area. I hope to catch up with my photographer friend and get in some skiing at resorts such as Alpine Meadows, Squaw Valley, Mt. Rose, Heavenly and Sierra-at-Tahoe. Let's see, that's five resorts in five days. I may have to forfeit one of those days to get in a round of golf …. but then again, maybe I'll pass on that one.

I fell in love with the Lake Tahoe area more than a dozen years ago when I made my first trek to the Sierras. There is so much to do, that just skiing all the slopes in the region would take more than a week or two.

Resorts like the ones I mentioned above plus Homeward, Incline Village, Boreal, Sugar Bowl and Kirkwood are all in close proximity to the Lake Tahoe area. Further down the line is one gigantic mountain called Mammoth. It scores among one of my favorites.

My best guess is that it's the quality of snow, 'champagne powda,' where it's not measured in inches, but in feet; the majestic mountains, panoramic views and with exception of a few, many are not too commercialized.

I've taken turns at most of them, including Boreal, one of the smallest in the area, skiing there in late October, one of the earliest days I've ever skied.

With so many trails to ski and so little time, I plan to gather as much information that I can and pass the good news on to you eastern skiers. Who knows, you may want to plan your next winter get-away in the High Sierras.

It's amazing as I flew out of Portland, Maine, over New Hampshire, Vermont, Upstate New York and over the Great Lakes at an altitude of 37,000 feet. As I peered out the tiny window of our jetliner, thoughts ran through my mind about the vast land below. The Great Lakes on the maps look like rivers, but even at this high altitude, the shoreline disappears before your eyes.

Rugged terrain ahead
As we crossed the flatlands of the central plains, my thoughts were of the Donner party as they traveled west and encountered the unforbidden mountain ranges of the High Sierras. It's hard to imagine getting trapped in snow that reached over 20 feet deep.

The plains between Utah and the Sierras are still vast waste lands of nothing but brown barren land stretches for hundreds of miles to this day. Only a single road seems to be leading to nowhere.

How could Lewis and Clark, the Donner party snowbound in the Sierra Nevada range in 1846-47, and countless others who crossed this mighty country ever make it over the rugged terrain? Some made it to the pacific shore, while others with dreams they never realized didn't.

We'll keep you posted on our skiing trek.

Ski and ride safely. Use your head and don't forget to wear a helmet. It may save your life.