Family Ski Day!

Sage on the lift

Sage practicing her reverse snow plow

Jake and I are determined to teach our kids to ski.  We live so close to so many resorts it would be sad if they couldn't ski.  Plus, let's face it, winters here never end so you have to do something fun.  Teaching your kids to ski shouldn't be that hard, right?  Wrong!!  It is way harder than it sounds, let me tell you.  But we will not quit!  (A side note here:  teaching your kids to ski is not hard for everyone.  We, however, seem to be handicapped in this area)

So, this is how skiing goes in our family.  Jake grew up skiing and snow boarding.   He's amazing and loves it.  I did  not grow up skiing or snow boarding.  I'm trying to figure it out, but almost every time I've skied I could also tell you a story of some mishap.  Zack has had a bunch of lessons this year and has gotten pretty good.  I will admit that he gets down the mountain faster than I do.  He loves to go through trees and off jumps (little ones mind you).  Kate is more timid, but determined all the same.  The important part is that she loves it.  Sage is going to be our extreme skier I think.  The faster she goes, the more she giggles.  We really need to get her a helmet....

We're making progress, you see?  (well, everyone but me)  So this year I signed Zack and Kate up for ski lessons so that their times overlapped.  Kill two birds with one stone I thought.  Ends up that its not so easy.  Here is an example of a day of skiing with three kids:

We have passes to PCMR, and their parking is limited.  Very limited.  No worries, you can park at the high school and ride a shuttle.  No problem, right?  Wrong again!!  This past Saturday was Sundance.  That means Park City is packed with people.  That's ok, we plan ahead and leave really early.  The PCMR people told us a shuttle would be running to the high school.  So we parked at the high school and waited, and waited...  It finally became apparent that no shuttle would be coming, so Jake dropped me off with Zack and Kate.  We waited in line and got Kate's rentals, then ate lunch.  Got Kate geared up and into her class.  Deep breath, first one done.  Now to get Zack his gear.  Done and done.  So Zack and I manage a couple of runs before his lessons start.  During this whole time poor Jake and Sage are driving around, trying to figure out where to park.  Finally, two hours later (they did take a break for lunch), they were able to join us at the resort.  I get Zack to his lessons and rush to meet Jake and Sage.  Jake runs to the bathroom and right after he gets back Sage says she needs to go.  Of course.  Jake runs off to take her super fast while I wait, and wait, and wait.  Finally they get back.   What took so long?  Jake's nice Oakley glasses fell into the toilet while he was helping Sage go to the bathroom.  Awesome.  So we re-group to get some skiing in.  Make it down a couple of runs and then its time to get Kate from her lessons.  Kate's tired and doesn't want to ski anymore so Jake and Sage take off without us.  I put my skis in the rack along with my poles and Jake's poles (he doesn't use them when he has Sage) and Kate and I head downstairs to return her gear.  Fifteen minutes later we're back, but my skis are gone.  Yep, gone.  Are you kidding me??!!!  My poles were there, but the skis and Jake's poles were gone.  This might make sense if I had really nice skis, but I don't.  They're awful and ugly.  So I look all around and think I find them in another section of the racks.  So I take them and we head off to pick up Zack.  While we're waiting for Zack I look at my skis more and realize that they're really not my skis.  So Jake collects the kids while I walk back to the ski racks.  My skis are still gone.  Seriously.  So I head to the lost and found to tell them I took the wrong pair of skis.  The girl whose skis I stole had already been to the lost and found, so she got her skis back.  Unfortunately, she didn't have my skis.  Where in the world did my skis go??!!  I hope whoever took them breaks a leg or something.  Grrr.  So I finally tromp back to the car and we head home.  I think I walked like a mile in ski boots.  My feet still hurt.  Note to self:  Get new boots when you get new skis...

If you could see into the car on the way home, this is what you would see:  Three kids in the back seat totally happy with their day of skiing, completely unaware that anything had been difficult.  But when you look in the front seat you see two exhausted parents wondering if this is really worth it.  One of us in tears due to lost skis (that was Jake not me).

I would like to go back to the fact that the kids were happy, thus, success.  At least that's what I tell myself.

The moral to this story?  (there are many really)

1. Don't schedule ski lessons at the same time.  Its harder than it sounds.
2. Don't schedule ski lessons during Sundance.  There is no parking.
3. Forget about wearing ski boots until you're actually ready to ski.  Way to painful.
4. Don't put your sunglasses in your pocket when you go to the bathroom.
5. Keep your skis with you at all times, even if they're crappy and ugly.