Something New

Marc got some discount tickets to Schweitzer Mountain for this weekend so we decided to introduce the kids to skiing.

My boss wasn't using his condo so he offered it to us...what a deal! We started out yesterday by driving up early, eating lunch and taking naps...well, Marcus took a nap while the girls played at the condo.

Marcus' nap lasted a little too long for Olivia; she was dying to get outside and ski. Look at that great view out the condo window! Awesome!

We got a late start because our passes didn't let us ski until 3pm. First we went to check everything out. Marcus saw the chair lift and wanted to hop on and go up the mountain. A little too soon for that though.

As we sat there, Marc and I decided neither of us is strong enough skiers to try to teach the kids; we figured it would end in disaster for sure. We decided to go to the rental shop and see what else there was to do on the mountain.

They offered us a spectacular deal that we could not refuse. Private lessons for all three kids at a very reasonable price; including rentals! The kids got their gear and we met the head of the ski school. First thing he said was "we encourage the kids to carry their own gear"...and that's what they did. Marc and I were impressed already.

He started off explaining their gear to them

Marcus was the first to pop his ski on. They all put one ski on and then their actual instructor came to meet us.

He pointed out where they were going to go and told them to start off by going with just one ski. They actually ended up with two instructors for this group.

They told the kids to give Mommy one quick "cheese" and then they were off (without Mommy and Daddy...we were told they would do better if we were not there).

Off they went, they didn't even look back to see where we were. We did end up following behind after a while and hid so they couldn't see us. This is where my new camera came in handy...I definitely needed the zoom lens for this one.

When we first got there, Emma was already on her own. She was doing so well...I was shocked! She just dove right in. She was very good at following directions; she did everything she was told and caught on well. Ironically she did not want to even try skiing...I was so glad to see and hear her having so much fun.

Marcus did really well too. When we first got there we thought he was crying and screaming but he was actually growling like a bear. They taught them to crouch down and growl like a bear with their hands in front. It kept them on their feet and off the snow. So clever!

Marcus loved it. He was a little pro in no time.

Olivia was our little speedster. She was down the hill first almost every time. She did not listen as well as Emma, she just put her skis together and went blazing down the hill laughing the whole time. She was pretty much a natural.

They learned a lot of great things. They all did very well and Marc and I were amazed. We decided we were not going to ski this trip; watching this lesson was way more fun. We were so glad we decided to splurge a little and let them do this.

Here is Olivia on the "magic carpet". That is how they got up the hill.

Here is Emma; another trip down the hill.

I don't know if you can see it but Emma has a huge smile on her face and is having a blast. These two were so cute!

Another turn down the hill for Marcus. The lesson lasted an hour and they skied pretty hard the entire time. Marc and I were freezing since we were just standing the whole time.

We finally walked down to them as the hour was over. Marcus saw us and immediately started to cry. He said "I don't want to be done! I want to keep skiing". Sort of broke my heart.

This is Brian, the main instructor for the kids. We so appreciated everything he did for them. He was so great. We were told later that he is the expert with kids...he definitely was with ours.

Then we ate a quick dinner and they had a torch parade. The staff skied down the hill holding torches. It was quite a sight to see. Afterwards there was a huge fireworks show. It was spectacular. Marcus said he loved the fireworks but thought they were loud. We realized this was the first time our kids have seen fireworks. They all loved them.

We ended the night soaking in the hot tub and then off to bed. The kids slept pretty well and are even tired today. It was a great experience and they can't stop talking about it. I think we will be going skiing again sometime soon.



Here is a little video of the ski lesson. I was hiding from the kids and fell at one point, but overall you get to see what we got to see...so great!