Wisetrips Travel Blog

In November 2017, we considered skiing at Whistler/Blackcomb  but realized the cost was too high. However, while drinking coffee at our favorite Philz Coffee, I was perusing a message from NorCal Snowboarders and noticed a planned Whistler ski trip, which was really inexpensive. How did NorCal manage to keep prices so low?  Inna and I looked into it further and discovered we could book an Airbnb in Whistler at a sign…

I have always liked the entrees and desserts at the Plumed Horse - a Michelin 1-star restaurant in Saratoga. When it was time for Valentine's Day, I reserved a spot for my wife and me. The Plumed Horse prepared a special Valentine's Tasting menu for $225 per person (quite a steep price). When we arrived, we were quickly seated at our table and provided two complimentary glasses of Francois Lecom…

With a reported total of 16 inches of fresh snow at Lake Tahoe on Wednesday, January 24, and Thursday, January 25, Alex and I decided to try snowboarding at Northstar and Heavenly on Saturday, January 28, and Sunday, January 29. We woke up around 03:50 on Saturday, January 29, and quickly dressed for the 4-hour drive to Northstar (from San Jose). The traffic was pretty light, and we arrived in Tr…

Since I purchased the Epic Local Pass from Vail Ski Resorts for Alex and me, I was eager to snowboard at one of the accessible ski resorts ( Heavenly , Kirkwood , or Northstar ). Although the snow conditions were not very favorable, I decided to try snowboarding at Heavenly anyway. I booked a room for one night on Saturday, January 13, at the conveniently located Blue Lake Inn in South Lake Tahoe - a short walk fro…