The bus starts at 5.00 am. in the morning, which was not very encouraging - but considering that 4 hr driving to Tahoe (nearest ski resorts for us in bayarea) and a day trip its just logical. As usual being worried i won't wake up i had asked both swapnil and bob to call me (just to be on the safer side ;-)). Both of them promptly called me around 4.00 - ofcourse i was sort of half sleep-half awake entire night sleeping for hour or so and checking the clock.

The bus started promptly at 5a.m missing only one person (my colleague steve spence who as the organizer suspected the alarm didn't go on). It was a comfortable bus and some good vacant seats (only 38 in the trip). Me and swapnil occupied one pair and bob, ravi in the one after us. Ravi and Bob started having discussions about processes in IUM and what not, probably they shd count that time against work :-). Although there was a suggestion as a courtesy to who are trying to catch up their sleep not to speak (unless its very low) until sun comes up - ravi was not bothered (who cares about rules anyways was his comment ;-)). We stopped for breakfast at Wendy's and all four of us had biscuit and eggs. Even i slept for an hr or less after breakfast and woke up to see Snowy mountains on both sides - was beautiful. We arrived uneventfully just after 9.20 a.m at sugar bowl ski resort - our destination for the day. The organizer got our tickets after 15 minutes. It took nearly an hour for us to get out of the rentals (ski boots, skis and sticks) - in which they made us fill out the form - with so many legal clauses of how for everything (including if we're dead - whether because of our mistake or theirs) sugarbowl is not responsible. The ticket even advised that ski'ing is a dangerous (??) hobby (more like warning in cigarrette packet and nobody cares). The guys in the rental counter was bottle-necked at one point where they were entering the code of ski boots into a computer (jesus h christ!! a woman called them bunch of clowns reflecting the feeling of everyone in the queue).

once we got the ski's we went to rent locker - i didn't realise that once u open it u've to put money again, i put my bag with my ticket and ticket-holders (for all of us) inside and locked it (it didn't work had to ask the guy in counter to help - he cursed that this is the worst investment he made in life). Then later realised abt the ticket in the bag, didn't have quarters again to lock the locker, so u get the idea - the day didn't really start well. It got worse when we found out the 10'0 clock lesson which we were late by 40 minutes either didn't happen or its too late to join (nobody was around). 1'0 clock was the next one. ravi and swapnil having done ski'ing once were doing something and bob offered to take me up - i having never put ski in my life grabbed his pole too hard and moved too fast and fell down badly twice. Thats the start of the falls i had that day which would be in few tens by the end of day. Bob took few pictures of me in the snow while my digital camera which i brought was sleeping in the locker (i could have never managed with it anyways). Swapnil and ravi took the lift to next level and started ski'ing from there. I could hardly get the lift itself first without falling every few seconds. Then finally joined ravi at lift, but could not make it fast enough i asked him to go alone and then i ventured on my own (now i realise how stupidly i could have done that) - but surprisingly i managed decently to get on the moving lift and got down from the other end ski'ing only falling (ofcourse) at the very end. Later it seemed like i did lot better first time without knowing anything in lift, because after that i was total disaster while getting down, even once while getting in the lift. The first trip from the next level to down on my own again as expected was totally useless, too many falls, probably only couple of stretch of ski'ing. by the time i got down it was time for lunch then for the class.

Lunch we arrived very late and we know we're going to be late to class again. I was already tired and ravi brought my lunch (a chicken burger at inflated price i guess). ate it fast and left remains and we guys ran for the class. some resort employees helped us finally to get an instructor named kelly. She was very nice and helpful. gave us some tips, but assumed we can ski to some extent (even though i was first timer), my morning experiences helped me little to get along - while rest (mike another hp guy along with swapnil and ravi) were advanced. She took us through easier routes, taught us how to ski with skis in wedge shape itself from the beginning. This is when i did some ski'ing and felt like finally i'm doign something. Ofcourse i fell lot of times again, but stopped also few times surprisingly using some pressure, some wedging, some help at slopes etc. I could get up also sometimes on my own, but was too tired to put ski's back many times, kelly helped me a lot in those. she enquired abt whether we are married and when i said ravi and swapnil are - she asked why they didn't bring their wives and whether its a boys game. also asked whether i'm picking things on them to use against them (with their wives). she explained me how to get in and out of lift and i was miserable. The entire day i was clumsy and awkward. Balancing is something i was never good at and not being atheletic or that sort it was obvious to me its going to take little longer to me to do ski'ing than normally it takes for others. I had fun though at afternoon, but after 4/5 trips kelly said probably i should stop for the day - around 3pm (when swapnil and ravi went to even higher level with bob - they learned turning and all from kelly - i was least bothered abt that - being interested only in getting to keep ski's in my legs). I wanted to do more, but was too tired to put skis again on my own after kelly left. On my way down found it hard to get down the steps with those ski boots (man they weigh few tens of pounds). Finally managed to return my stuff, once i took my ski boots i felt like my legs are floating in the air. Took lot of time to gather my stuff around, returned to bus, took my digital camera - started taking some picture (otherwise whats the point of bringing it so far).

Return trip i was damn tired and hurting everywhere (i didn't realise that i had a muscle pull in my neck until next day which is paining me still as i'm writing this - 2 days later). But most funny thing is even though i could move my fingers around they had no energy - so could not open a cereal bar cover and as such. we stopped for dinner at burger king and had a movie screened for us (Bourne Identity - was decent). Exactly when the movie was over we arrived at hp cupertino site. Ofcourse my neck pain continues still ;-).....