December has had NO SNOW to date, and we are running out of December days. This, combined with no snow  base. None. The ski areas are blowing snow the best they can, but it is totaling less than 6 inches of base. Squaw Valley is cringing with cancellations for what is usually the busiest two weeks of the year.

So what are people doing? Apparently they are ice skating. I met a few families at Serene Lake on Christmas Eve for some ice skating fun. Since ice skating conditions are rare in Tahoe in winter (very VERY cold temperatures with clear sustained weather) there typically isn't a huge market for ice skating, other than to pacify those family members who don't ski, and burn out on village shopping at Squaw Valley and Northstar, or those who enjoy the neighborhood rink at the Truckee Regional Park

My family and I hit up three Truckee sporting good stores to find skates. Not only did none of them have any skates, but one consignment store said that they had received 4o + calls the previous day inquiring about used ice skates. Whoa.

We went up to Serene Lake on Donner Summit anyway, parked the car in a neighborhood cul-de-sac, and gingerly walked out onto the ice. We saw our group of friends in the middle of the lake, which made my stomach drop. Did I mention that I am not used to walking on frozen ice? It is not something one does a lot when you are born and raised in California. There were deep cracks everywhere, but upon further inspection, the ice appeared to be several feet thick with aspen leaves, pine needles, and other preserved objects of fall frozen beneath the ice.

I felt as if I were somewhere in Northern Minnesota; several backyard games of hockey were taking place, with families figure skating and exploring different areas of the lake. The sun was shining and the air was crisp and clear; perfect ice skating conditions.