My family started skiing about four winters ago. My husband had never skied before, and my kids were little — 6 and 4. When we started, I had taken about 15 years off from skiing. For the last four years I have been chomping at the bit to really open up and ski, but I have spent most of my time skiing somewhat slowly behind my kids and husband on en endless series of greens and blues , making sure they were mostly upright and happy. We have faced every kind of crazy condition — negative 15 degree temperatures, upper mountains closed due to wind, overflowing rivers forcing us to evacuate our rental house, getting snowed in and being unable to ski, mountains that are sheets of ice and slurries of slush, crazy crowds and horrible lift lines.
Finally this weekend, the ski gods truly cooperated.
Although it was Presidents’ weekend and the lots were full, the trails never felt overcrowded and the wait at the lifts was never more than 5 minutes. The conditions all weekend were fantastic. Cold, but not too cold. A minor patch of ice or hard pack here and there, but mostly real skiable snow. My older son, now almost 11, has suddenly turned into a beautiful, fast carver and while his little brother was in snowboard school, he and I spent the entire day together speeding down blacks and double blacks and having great heart-to-hearts on the chairlift. We took a joint private lesson with an amazing instructor who instantly improved our bump game, took us through a beautiful hidden cutaway through some trees and taught us to ski backwards.
Then, yesterday, we arrived at the mountain early and were surprised by falling snow and several inches of pure, beautiful powder. Our whole family cut first tracks together on a picture-book beautiful old-school New England trail. Total magic. Mid-morning, my older son and I headed to the top of the mountain and took a lightly skied-upon double black that was perfection (well, after you got past the complete sheet of ice that took out a couple of unsuspecting snowboarders). The fresh snow was just starting to be organized into mounds — not yet bumps — and so the entire run consisted of bouncing from cloud of powder to cloud of powder, with enough slick surface between to get some speed.
The morning was so good we decided to head home after lunch. We knew the conditions could not be maintained as the day wore on and we wanted to end on a high.
It’s weekends like this that keep you coming back.
Finally this weekend, the ski gods truly cooperated.
Although it was Presidents’ weekend and the lots were full, the trails never felt overcrowded and the wait at the lifts was never more than 5 minutes. The conditions all weekend were fantastic. Cold, but not too cold. A minor patch of ice or hard pack here and there, but mostly real skiable snow. My older son, now almost 11, has suddenly turned into a beautiful, fast carver and while his little brother was in snowboard school, he and I spent the entire day together speeding down blacks and double blacks and having great heart-to-hearts on the chairlift. We took a joint private lesson with an amazing instructor who instantly improved our bump game, took us through a beautiful hidden cutaway through some trees and taught us to ski backwards.
Then, yesterday, we arrived at the mountain early and were surprised by falling snow and several inches of pure, beautiful powder. Our whole family cut first tracks together on a picture-book beautiful old-school New England trail. Total magic. Mid-morning, my older son and I headed to the top of the mountain and took a lightly skied-upon double black that was perfection (well, after you got past the complete sheet of ice that took out a couple of unsuspecting snowboarders). The fresh snow was just starting to be organized into mounds — not yet bumps — and so the entire run consisted of bouncing from cloud of powder to cloud of powder, with enough slick surface between to get some speed.
The morning was so good we decided to head home after lunch. We knew the conditions could not be maintained as the day wore on and we wanted to end on a high.
It’s weekends like this that keep you coming back.
