So...I have snubbed winter sports my whole life. They involve cold and wet...a combination I am not generally excited about. And I think I have read about and seen too many clips about avalanches. If I die in the back country in July from exposure or something, I will die doing what I love. If I die under a pile of snow...I will haunt skiiers for an eternity! (I am extremely clausterphobic) Skiing also involves speed (particularly down hill)...another thing I am not naturally drawn to and can be expensive (and there are soooo many people on those slopes!).

Hiking/backpacking is a great outdoors sport for me... while I am slow...I am determined and have endurance. Generally hiking/BP is close to free, warm spring-Fall and very fullfilling. But a taste of unusual, local snow has me checking out a ski bus (involves cookies and hot cocoa after all!) So now I am looking at snowshoeing with a moderate amount of both excitement and wariness! It sounds like hiking...in big shoes?

I am assuming I can just do this? I do not need some sort of lesson? How do you travel without a path (I haven't done off trail on any of my adventures and I am still hopeless with a compass. I am very naturally gifted with map reading/direction, but snow is a whole other thing.) Are there indicators sticking out of the snow or something? I am now romanticizing hiking up a hill of snow (though it sounds kind of hard) and hearing the sounds of winter quiet that someone had mentioned on here recently. I might be able to take the plunge (so late in life!). This would only be a day trip to get a taste...so no camping (unless someone had a really good idea about that for a winter beginner). I need to take the bus because I also don't know how to drive in snow. Man I sound pathetic!

Any ideas about snowshoeing, cross country skiing, gulp, resorts in Tahoe (California) would be appreciated. The ski bus goes to Kirkwood, Northstar, Sugarbowl (man that is a whole snow town!) etc. Since I may end up not embracing a winter sport, I am cool with other things to do should I abandon my plan mid way. At least some sort of restaurant/cafe should be an option as I will have to wait until the bus is ready to go back. How to best avoid avalanches would be helpful. I would probably pull the cord on that emergency gizmo mentioned in another thread if a pile of snow fell out of a tree on me! hahaha!

Please excuse my complete ignorance on this topic. I don't want to be the idiot that has a SARS team trying to find me! I am ready to have an adventure...and tired of waiting for Spring!