Family Ski Trip to Snowshoe Mountain, Part 2

by Elena on January 12, 2012 in Travel

There has been a lot of traveling around these parts lately.  I traveled over to the wonderful Project Marriage community to talk about saying “I do” to protecting my marriage from germs.  I also shared the first part of our ski trip adventure….aka, the road trip to Snowshoe Mountain. Even today, we are traveling back in time, to four days spent atop Snowshoe Mountain….braving rain, wind, snowboarders, and packed restaurants.

After a long road trip zigzagging through the mountains, we arrived at the resort in time to pick up our ski rental equipment, unload the car, and settle in for a night of rest before braving the slopes the next day.

We are a Family that Likes Lessons

Although Principessa scoffed at needing ski school, we enrolled in lessons long before we had ever arrived on the mountain. Two weeks prior to the trip she claimed that after having been skiing twice in her life, she knew how to do it and did not need lessons.  Rocket and I believe in lessons. We still take them for at least two hours on the first day out in a season.  (You might also read into this, we loose all of our confidence and become scaredy cats and need to build ourselves back up before braving the mountain on our own). Once we got to ski school, we had to pick between a red lesson or a yellow lesson for Principessa. The red lesson is for beginners that are still working on stopping. The yellow lesson is for those that are ready to learn to turn. The once, “I don’t need lesson” girl suddenly, standing atop the very high mountain self selected her own group….the red one (which of course was appropriate).

Rain, Wind, and Snow

The lessons went well for all three of us on the first day…but by lunch time we had all had enough of being out in cold wet rain.  Retreating back to our condo for a trip to the hot tub overlooking the mountain was at the top of our agenda as was some family game time (aka, time for me to use the wireless in the lovely Hearth Room in our lodge to get some work done).

We did ski together, all three of us, down a real slop on the afternoon of the second day despite the bitter cold from the whipping wind (and new snow). Principessa was so excited to show us what she had learned, and was convinced she could go down a “real slope.”  Here is the thing about taking a child down a “real slope” for the first time, amidst a sea of other skiers and snowboarders. What had taken Rocket and I twenty minutes, took the three of us an hour and a half.  Because although she was making great progress, Principessa was still working on the idea of turning, so there were a lot of “J” formations having her ski a short distance to me, stopping, and then starting over.  Also,  I should note….stopping constantly like that, is an entirely different workout on your legs. My calves…my quads…made themselves known very loudly that night and the next day.

A New Day

By day three, the sun had come out and Principessa was becoming more confident after three mornings in ski school …even moving up to the yellow group on the last day. So confident that instead of one run for an hour and a half, we did three runs all together as a family. There was even time to have a snack at the BoatHouse at the bottom of the run, overlooking the newly frozen lake.

Enjoying Snowshoe Village

Snowshoe village is a cute area, filled with condos, ski shops, and restaurants.  There is apparently even an outdoor pool area with slides but we never made it there (quite possibly because we never told Principessa that such a place existed!) We had chosen our condo, Soaring Eagle, on the south side of the mountain so that we could ski in and ski out. But when you have a child that you are bringing to ski school in the village each morning, there is no ski out. And when there is not enough snow for the lift near your lodge to be open, there is no ski in. Instead, we has to partake in “bus in, bus out” each day. The lodge itself, especially the common areas like the Hearth room and the outdoor hot tubs, were very welcoming and made up for the lack luster condo unit.

I had read about the restaurants being packed both at lunch and dinner, and wow, those Yelp reviewers were not kidding. We did alright at lunch, getting there as soon as ski school ended just in time before most people came off the slopes. But dinner was something else.  We stayed in and cooked twice, not wanting to brave the crowds but did venture out. Our favorite restaurant in the village was The Junction.  The fries were tasty, the burgers juicy. They even had some very tasty warm adult beverages that we partook in during lunch and a decent wine menu. We even waited almost forty minutes on our last night to eat there (though if I am being honest, I did suggest we take the bus back and I cook).

Coming Home

Admittedly, although our legs were all tired after three days of skiing, a part of me was sad to come home. We grew a lot that week. As a family and as skiers.  Seeing Principessa take the mountain with such confidence on that third day made every bit of aches and pains in my muscles, worth it.

So much so….that we are already thinking about our next ski trip. This time we are thinking of venturing west. As in Colorado or Tahoe or Sun Valley, Idaho.  Although it means waiting another year to get back on skis, we are looking forward to more snow, longer runs, and a decadent ski lodge to soothe our tired selves each day.

And yes….there would be outdoor pool time (because Principessa has seen the pictures online of the places we are exploring and of course noticed those images first!)…..and probably a lot of ibuprofen and heating pads.

xo

Elena

Disclaimer: This trip was sponsored by the bank of “family fun and trip savings”….as in…our bank.

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