I can safely say it has been 20 years since I've been down hill skiing. Thankfully, it's much like riding a bike in that you don't forget once you've learned. I loved skiing when I was in my teens and I hope this turns out to be something the boys enjoy too.
Josh took a week off from work this week and we decided to take the whole family skiing at Mt. Baker. Our day started at 6:30am and we were out the door about 7:30am. We made it up to the lodge around 9:15. Getting 5 people fully outfitted with rental gear took some time. We stood in line, filled out paperwork and waited some more. During this time Josh realized a very important item he forgot... his big winter jacket. Ooops! We were bound to forget something trying to get 5 people out of the house on our first ski trip. He was fine though, he had polypropylene as layer one, a long sleeve as layer two and a fleece pullover as layer three. The rental staff even gave him a free rain pullover. He was plenty warm.
Finally, about 10:15 we were outside and working on getting the boys into their skis. Before I go any further I want to thank Michelle B. for all the helpful tips. I was prepared for everything, down to the height and weight of my boys. I am so thankful for the info she shared with me. And a big thank you also goes out to my Mom who stopped by my house at noon to let the dog out and play ball with her.
Our time on the mountain had it's ups and downs. It started out with excitement but switched to frustration which hit it's peak right before we were scheduled to have a lesson that would last an hour and a half. Josh and I made the decision to get the boys in the lodge and get everyone fed before we went any further. This helped tremendously and spirits and enthusiasm came back.
We made it down the first big hill with much effort. We had to go down if we were ever going to ride the chair lift. Frustration raised its head again. Since we missed our lesson, everything had to be learned on the fly. The 6 year old had it easy. His skis were short, he didn't have to hold any poles and I skied behind him with my arms under his. It worked well and he was a happy camper. He loved it. The 11 and 8 year old had to do it on their own with only the basics. Our first trip up the chair lift had everyone in good spirits again. Thankfully for those helpful tips again - I knew just how to tell the chair operators to slow it down for us as we got on and off. It took a long time to ski back to the lodge and we all felt it was time for more rest and snacks.
After being refueled the boys were ready to give it another go. Amazingly, everything clicked for them and they took off ready to conquer the mountain. They were awesome and so proud of their own effort. They could see how fast they improved. Josh and I were proud of them too. Our second run down was 4 times as fast as that first one and the 3rd one even faster. We didn't alter our route, the boys just stopped falling and flailing. They had found their need for speed and pointed their little skis down the "green" coded slopes and took off. Little one was only disappointed then because the run had then become so quick and our day was over.
Yes, we only made it up the lift 3 times but we ended on a good note. When asked if they would like to do this again the boys' emphatically answered "YES!" And then Mama smiled.
