This is a quick pop in to share some photos of us having fun in the Colorado snow. So far there has been lots of glove carrying, hats to counts, bibs to keep up with, helmets to buckle and feet to get into boots and on skis. Not to mention the snacks to have on hand, lots of extra water drinking (because of the altitude) and a toddler who is now plain wiped out. Vacationing with three kids is always a lot of work. But it sure is worth it!
The girls are having a blast. My sister-in-law is a kids ski instructor here at Snowmass, one of the world’s (I’m not exaggerating) greatest ski resorts. The first two days the kids skied with her, getting in some private lessons which was a real perk and a boost of confidence for their little ski legs.
My six-year-old niece (in the blue pants) has been a good helper too. That little whippersnapper of a skier has been at it since she was two and can ski the whole mountain with her parents! If you’ve ever been skiing, fallen right on your butt with your skis going in the opposite direction, while a little kid about three-feet-tall goes whizzing by you – that is my niece. Here she is explaining some moves to my five-year-old who was on skis for the first time that day.
They have a great set up for beginning kids at Snowmass, from ages three and up, to learn how to ski. It’s a small hill, just outside the kid’s Tree House area where the kids ski school gathers for lunch, hot chocolate and a general indoor place to warm up. But so far at the bottom of the mountain with the sun shinning, it’s been really warm here – relatively speaking. Which explains the lack of gloves and coats in some of these pictures. We’ve been lucky with bluebird days. Snow is coming tomorrow. Which will be fun too!
My toddler was begging to be part of the gang, saying, “I want to go keying (meaning skiing) too.” We put some ski boots on her and let her walk around but we haven’t actually gotten her on skis – not yet at least.
Yesterday the kids graduated to real ski school, going from 9:00-3:00 with a different teacher other than their aunt. My seven-year-old mastered the chairlift and hit the green (beginner) slopes. My five-year-old had a teacher who took them up the gondola to another kid’s ski area and our toddler had a blast in the daycare area. She walked right in on her own and did not even looking back.
I’m not sure what it is about the Snowmass Village, but I’m pretty sure the snow has some kind of magic happy dust in it. I do know that my seven-year-old’s sweet little teacher from Argentina had something to do with it! The staff is amazing all around, and comes from all over the world to work the winter season here. If you can ever swing a ski vacation, this is the place to go!
While the kids were at ski school – me, my husband, my brother and my sister-in-law went straight up to the top of the mountain and enjoyed a day of grown up skiing. Having these long-time locals as guides was the best perk while navigating such a huge mountain.
My last run of the day included skiing with my oldest daughter, which was great fun! We were on the last lift up because she didn’t want to stop skiing. I’m envisioning her begging us for her own plane tickets by the time she’s 10 so she can go ski with her cousin.
I downloaded a nifty ski tracks app on my iphone half-way through the day (while skillfully trying not to drop my phone from the chairlift and way down into the snow). I learned we skied 15 miles yesterday on our last 6 runs of the day, and I hit a top speed of 34 MPH. Whoo hoo, I’m a real dare devil let me tell you! Not really. I play it safe. It’s always in the back of my mind that caring for three kids with a broken leg would be a real hassle.
On the home front, neighbors have been sending us pictures of our renovations in process and of our garage being rebuilt. And the pet sitters say there have been all kinds of nosy neighbors taking the long route walking their dogs to check out the action happening on our garage. So yes, The Brown House is in good hands.
And incase you are wondering, so is that vintage pram I blogged about last week. It is safe with a new mama, who homeschools a whole slew of kids in the Smoky Mountains, breastfed an adopted baby and walks two miles a day to the mailbox with her clan of young’ins. Sweet! I love the ending to that story and that the pram will live on with lots of glory.
