Holidays: No wonder they call it Heavenly

0 Comments | Sunday Mirror, Jan 16, 2000 | by TONY DURRANT

LEARNING a new skill can be frustrating ...but learning to snowboard is, quite literally, a pain in the backside.

With both feet strapped to the board, every tumble results in a buttock-jarring thud on to the piste.

Luckily, help and advice was at hand in the shape of Susan, my Texan instructor, whose enthusiasm and forthright advice was typically American.

"Remember what I told you about the best position for balance," she said, sticking out her nether regions with a flourish. "Don't you British call it 'going to the loo'? Well, you don't go down as far as if you were going to touch the porcelain but you do adopt a semi- crouching position. We call it the poopy squat."

She was serious, not the trace of a smile. I turned away to hide my laughter and admired the view, which was stunning.

Below me lay Lake Tahoe, its blue waters surrounded by the snowy peaks of the Sierra Nevadas. It was why the resort is called Heavenly.

The landscape was bathed in sunshine - the locals boast that they have 275 sunny days a year. Combine this with 35ft of snow and it's a snowsports paradise.

When I returned my attention to the beginners' class Susan had stopped sticking her bottom out and was wrapping up the lesson.

Her friendly, no- nonsense approach to instruction is typical of the staff at Perfect Turn, the ski and snowboard school at Heavenly.

After Susan's lesson I had almost mastered the task of gently turning, or "carving", the board.

That afternoon I left the nursery slopes with Michael, snowboard guru by day, pizza delivery man by night, and headed up the mountain.

I was privileged to get one-to-one instruction, which also meant I couldn't hang back, rub my bruised rump, and take it easy.

Michael had never heard so many Anglo- Saxon swearwords.

But after one day I left the slopes with confidence. I could string a few turns together.

That night I ate a Desperate Dan-sized piece of cow in a steakhouse and then drank beers in an "Irish" pub.

There will be a day on your "learning-to-snowboard-holiday" when muscle soreness will sway you to stay clear of the slopes for something less strenuous.

That's the day to take a spin into Nevada and see Reno or Carson City.

But on Heavenly's long, almost flat runs, state borders are marked by a simple sign nailed to a tree.

As I coasted along the appropriately-named Skyline Trail in my cool Quicksilver gear on the California side, finally realising that boarding isn't impossible, the view opened up.

Thousands of feet below was the baked earth of the state of Nevada.

Looking down at it from the snow was an exhilarating experience...one I will remember long after I manage to sit down without wincing.

SKI FACTS

-THE highest point at Heavenly is 10,100ft above sea level and the base is at 6,500ft. The area has 82 ski runs, 27 ski lifts over a total skiing area of 4,800 acres. Beginners' runs make up 20 per cent of the total, intermediate runs 45 per cent and advanced runs 35 per cent.

-A SIX-DAY day learn-to-snowboard package at Perfect Turn starts at pounds 175 per person, including two hours of instruction a day, lift tickets and boot and board rentals. You can also get the same tuition on a pay-per-lesson basis.

FACT FILE: SEVEN nights B&B with Ski Safari (020 7740 1221), including direct scheduled flights, car hire and hotel accommodation, based on two sharing, costs from pounds 549 to pounds 875 per person.

-IF you opt for self-catering the price range is much the same, based on a three-bed house with six people sharing.

-THE above prices are based on flights to San Francisco, a three- hour drive from Heavenly.

-THERE are connections to Reno, and a regular shuttle bus to Heavenly, or direct connections to South Lake Tahoe.Cup of coffee 35 p

3-course set meal pounds 7

Bottle of house wine pounds 10

Bottle of mineral water pounds 1

Bottle of beer pounds 2