And so it begins…

Ready to tear it up!

A hard earned hot chocolate after a cold day on the hill.

Yesterday the kids started ski school at Pebble Cr. This is Ethan's second year in it but Madi's first. We didn't really get a chance to watch Madeline's class but from the sounds of it she had fun and was eager to have dad take her up the chairlift after class was through. I've never skied with a little one before so I was kind of winging it. Aside from nearly choking Madi to death with my ski pole on the initial go, things worked out great and we had a blast. She was more stoked on the chairlift ride than anything else, go figure.

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Death of the Edgie Wedgie

Yesterday Ethan and I, accompanied by his granddad Jeff and my friend Rick Williams (who happens to be an all-around bad ass.)

Kind of lousy weather paired with marginal snow conditions made for quite a day on the slopes. We all had fun though but the big accomplishment for the day was when Ethan's tip holders (Edgie Wedgies) broke and he was forced to take a run without them. He was very apprehensive on the lift ride up but aced it on the downhill. It's a step up to the next level for him and we're proud of him for trying something he thought was impossible for him.

Ethan and Madi start ski school next month and I can't wait to see their progress. I gave a feeling Madi is going to pick it up very quickly as that girl has a lot of athletic prowess and balance…even for a 4 year old!

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Sunday Skiing

I took Ethan up to ski at Kelly Canyon today. This was his first time up there (his 4 week ski lessons were previously at Pebble Cr.) and he crushed it.

Runs like Slithery Dee, Ernie's Exhibition, Upper Bowl and even The Face were no sweat for him. Pretty rad for a 6 year old with no poles and only his 5th time skiing. Plus, only one fall all day to boot!

As we soaked up the sun on our multiple chairlift ascents and talked about boy things (boogers, farts, etc.) I kept watching a few different parents teaching their kids how to ski (3-5 yr olds). A couple of parents were using the leash systems as they skied behind their kids while keeping the little nippers speeds in check. Not sure how I feel about the effectiveness of the leash system. None of the instructors at Pebble Cr. used those systems while teaching the kids while Ethan was in ski school. Mind you, he was one of the bigger kids in his class but there were kids as young as 3 in his ski class and they seemed to learn just as fast as he did just skiing on their own sans the leash thingy. Whatever, I guess.

For Ethan, learning at Pebble Cr. was the right choice. The instructors there were mature, patient but firm in keeping the kids on track. Plus, with Pebble being steeper, Ethan found Kelly's to be a breeze.

Skiing The Face…pretty rad, my boy.

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