I have to say the Tribe had a very uneven season this year. I had high hopes after the early season snow - we all had gear that fit, including new base layers for our growing kids; we bought new skis (lightweight men's, ha) for our oldest DS, and I even convinced Dad of Redheads to take a ski vacation in NH over the holidays...
In reality, the trip to BW was "meh." Even after the early snow, it warmed up over Christmas, and by the time we were there, there wasn't as much open as we had hoped... and then it all froze when the temperature dropped, and our kids hate being cold. Lots of whining and we even canceled what would have been a day at Cannon... also we tried the adaptive at BW, and had our first experience with the type of program where they ski with your child for a few hours - give them back to you - and then take them again in the afternoon. Not that I have a problem with that in theory, or that we minded having DD with us for the midday - but it felt like we wasted a lot of time getting to her at the right time and so on. And since we were tied to that schedule, we also ended up stuck eating in the Lodge at its most crowded time - which wasn't much fun, LOL.
Then, kids lessons at our local hill - blah, blah... DH had his annual conference in Vail which fills his cup for the year leaving him loathe to put the effort into driving for weekend trips to the Catskills or Poconos... for the 3rd year our school only gave us 4 days over president's weekend for the February break (not that I would mind, but that used to be an entire week, and 4 days on the most crowded weekend of the season isn't worth our $$ and time to hit VT or wherever)...
We did take a "weekend" at Jack Frost to ski with the Boy Scout Troop - but if I'm going to spend $$ for a weekend, I'd rather it were Elk... and even that trip ended up with mixed results when DS's new skis were stolen. yes, stolen. Urgh. And that was at the end of February when it's almost easier to let that just end the season rather than trying to decide whether to rent or look for another new pair!
We did take a last-minute trip to Okemo during April break - we've been lucky for 2 of the last 3 years it's been an early enough break to catch the end of the season in VT, but that's not a given by any stretch. Also, as far as our kids were concerned, they'd written the season off by then and didn't really even want to go! Anyway, Okemo was great, even if the ski school was closed and we had to ski with DD for the entire trip. It was our first time doing that, and we were a little skeptical about how that was going to pan out... to our pleasant surprise, having her with us didn't limit our choice of trails at all (at least, not at Okemo); she pretty much went down anything without significant complaint or fear. She was slow, leaving me or DH to trade off skiing slowly behind her while the boys had to wait at the bottom - but still, it was like seeing light at the end of the tunnel.
DH is ready to break the bank to take the kids out west next year, but that'll depend on when and how long we feel we can take the kids out of school. Our district really ends up punishing you for that - but if we only get 4 days in February, a trip out West wouldn't work at that time, and by April, it's probably risky.
Anyhoo - all the gear is washed to be put away, and I have to make a trip to return the rental boots and skis. So, an ambivalent adieu to this year's season from the Tribe of Redheads!