In my latest post for Snow.com, I write about an awesome contest that Heavenly Mountain is launching today, November 7,  just in time for the start of the winter season.

Now that we’re measuring our snow in feet in Tahoe, and our overnight lows in Reno have been consistenly in the 20′s, many of us are dreaming of another epic winter.

Heavenly Mountain has been busy making snow and grooming for the November 18 season opener. Yes – only 11 days until first chair!

The promotion will give away 130 awesome prizes which include:

• 30 $100 Helly Hansen gift cards
• 30 Smart Wool socks
• 30 $250 Maui Jim sunglasses
• 30 Oakley goggles

To learn more about the contest, check out my post on Snow.com or head to Heavenly’s Facebook page!

I’ve never been this excited about autumn. This was taken November 2010. The changing leaves in Reno are gorgeous!

Photo Courtesy of Tara Llanes

I don’t believe anything in life happens by chance, even the crummy stuff.

A couple of months ago I became a contributor for the Buzz section of Snow.com, writing about Heavenly Mountain Resort and Northstar-at-Tahoe. Although my schedule is already packed with a full-time job, consulting gig and family, I managed to make it work, and it’s been well worth the extra time! I’ve learned about areas of each mountain resort I might not have known about otherwise.

I submitted my last entry for the month of September last night, and it is by far my favorite. Had I not been allowed to contribute to Snow.com I may have never heard about Tara Llanes, let alone been given the opportunity to chat with her directly.

She is amazing. Although I only spent a few minutes with her on the phone, I will forever be impacted by her positive energy. For fifteen years she competed as a professional mountain biker, winning both silver and bronze at the World Championships and winning the X Games. In 2007 she suffered a terrible accident that left her paralyzed from the waist down.

For the last four years she has worked hard every single day in physical therapy to someday walk again, even though her doctors said she never would.

Meeting people like Tara Llanes and Reno-local Grant Korgan bring tears to my eyes. They’re faced with such an incredible obstacle but face it gracefully and with such tenacity and vigor. It makes me wonder – if I went through the same experience, could I be this strong?

To read more about Tara Llanes’ event this weekend at Northstar-at-Tahoe and about her road to recovery check out the official snow.com blog.