Last Few Photos…For Now
Jan 2nd
Aiden and Mallory enjoying one last run of night skiing before returning to the real world…
Backcountry Day!
Dec 31st
After a morning on the lifts (finally, Vista opened) and getting our first up-close look at the new windmill, we spent the afternoon in the backcountry with the kids. It started off lovely, though the sun was already setting. We finished skiing a narrow, powdery, virtually untracked run down to the S-curves where car was waiting for us.
On the ascent (Bryant):
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Mal and Aiden prepare to ski out:
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Mal begins the backcountry run:
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Mallory negotiating the backcountry in the dark:
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Aiden gives the thumbs up at the end of the day:
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Sunshine and 13″ of new snow…
Dec 30th
…makes Drew happy. Here he is pictured showing off for the Bolton Valley website guys, who were looking for shots to put on the site. This is from this morning, just off the Wilderness lift.
The Twighlight of my Ski Instruction Days
Dec 29th
When my five year-old pointed her skis downhill in the dark and snowy night at Bolton Valley tonight and essentially straight-lined the intermediate trail called Beech Seal, I felt like I’d reached ski-dad Valhalla. It’d stepped out of my role as hands-on teacher and into a new role: proud observer. I was hoping it might happen this season at some point. I just didn’t expect to see it so soon.
My career teaching my kids to ski began 7 years ago when we first got our son on a pair of Kid-Skis. Since then it’s been season after season of: (1) a variety of devices aimed at keeping young skiers in control or close to their parents; (2) trips to the bathroom, (3) powder days ending way too soon; and (4) coin flipping for kid duty.
Today, it became evident that those days are nearly behind me.
We got out on the slopes at about 11am or so, and on our first run, things didn’t look great. Our son Aiden did just fine and looked like a pro featuring his Osprey backpack (courtesy of Murph and Yves). Our daughter, Mallory, took a run or two to get re-accustomed to skiing, and the new gear took some getting used to as well. After a few runs, everyone seemed to have their feet back under them. The first sign that we’d reached a new rung on the ladder came when both of them announced that they fully intended to head back out immediately after our late lunch.
The second sign came when they gladly took on tougher terrain in the form of the aforementioned Beech Seal.
The final sign came on the last run of the night, when Aiden happily bounced in the tracks of his uncle and Mallory pointed her skis downhill and ripped through the new powder with ease.
Kids, As a Blessing
Dec 28th
Things are not going well at all here on our annual family ski trip. In fact, from a skier’s point of view, it’s been the worst 36 hours imaginable. First, there’s the weather. It rained the night before last. Hard. All night. The warm air, fog, and rain showers continued through most of the first part of the day yesterday. Then, of course, temps dropped below freezing and everything froze up. Last night, just before bed, I checked the snow report here at Bolton Valley, and we’re looking at 4 lifts and 13 trails. One of those lifts is the rope tow. So we’re really looking at 3 lifts and 12 trails. The two lifts with access to decent terrain (Vista Quad and Wilderness) are closed, for different reasons. For wilderness, it’s because there’s no snow on that side of the resort. For Vista, it’s because the 3 year-old lift is down for maintenance for the second time in a week. Timberline, the last respectable lift, is running with 3 trails. One trail is the one to get over there, another is the trail to get you back. So, there is essentially one trail open. This, of course, is a very bad scenario when you’ve been waiting since a near-death experience last spring (on the ascent, mind you) at Tuckerman Ravine to ski again.
To every bad story, there is an upside. And to this one, there are actually two. First of all, we’re looking at a fairly decent storm headed our way, which could bring as much as a foot of snow (I’ll take 6″ gladly), so the conditions should shape up pretty quickly. Second of all, and more importantly, I’m blessed to have a seven year-old and a five year-old who love to ski. There is just enough terrain open to ensure that they have a fun, exciting first day of skiing. Both of them are on new-to-them gear setups (with significant ski length jumps in both cases), so a day on the easy stuff is probably best anyway.
So today is all about keeping one eye on the kids and the other on the skies while I wait and hope patiently for a speedy recovery for the Annual family Christmas Trip.
Day One Calls For Rain
Dec 27th
Tomorrow is our first ski day of the season, and we’re going to be just a few degrees north of snow. Instead, we’re keeping our fingers crossed and hoping that whatever “wintry mix” falls tonight doesn’t do too much damage.
In the meantime, we’re enjoying a Magic Hat, streaming Pandora (80’s party music?), and trying to come up with reasons so not worry too much about the possibility of rain.
Despite my concerns, we’re still managing to enjoy ourselves. Enos is alternating between poking the fire and watching the outside temperature tick upward toward 31. Drew is talking bluegrass, resorts traditionally opening too early, and fan-style snow guns with Kurt.
Greatest Customer Service
Dec 23rd
When I stood at the ski shop just three days before Christmas realizing that the skis I’d come to pick up for my seven year old son were missing from the shop, I was a bit disappointed. When I left 90 minutes later, I was beaming.
There is a small, family run ski shop in Raynham, MA called Crossed Sabers Ski and Sports. I’ve been a customer there for about 20 years, and have a very good relationship with the owner and his employees.
Last night, I had an experience at Crossed Sabers worth sharing.
I went to the shop last night at about 5pm in order to pick up a few pairs of skis that had been tuned and prepped for the coming season. In addition, I needed to pick up a pair of used skis and new boots we bought for my seven year-old son, who had outgrown his previous pair. We have a tight budget for kids’ ski gear, since it is so expensive new and seeing as they only get a year or two out of the stuff–if you are lucky. So, we’d budgeted a total of $150 on a new setup for our son–$100 for the new boots and $50 for the skis and bindings.
When I went to pick up the gear last night, it turned out that the new kids’ setup was nowhere to be found. They had no tag, no record of the transaction, nothing. The skis were simply not there. I called home and got the tag number from my wife, which led us to be able to find the boots in the shop, but the skis were most definitely gone. After some sleuthing, we determined what had happened. The skis were never tagged as sold, so they were eventually returned to the sales floor, and sold to someone else. No big deal, stuff happens.
The problem was that it was December 22 at 6pm, and we had Christmas in just a few days and our annual ski vacation to Bolton Valley the day after that.
The solution was more than I could have asked for. I walked out of the store with a brand new pair of skis, boots, and bindings for essentially the same price that I’d agreed to pay for the used equipment. The owner was more than apologetic to me (and took personal responsibility) for the mishap, and sent me on my way happier than I could have expected.
I was so happy with his offer that I actually spent some time looking for <em>other stuff to buy</em> in the store before leaving.
This is how you make customers for life.
Adirondack Mountains in the Background
Dec 22nd
One of the best things about the view from the top of the Vista Quad is the view across Lake Champlain to the rugged peaks of the Adirondacks.
Weather Forecast: Bolton Valley
Dec 22nd
The weather forecast for Christmas Week in Bolton Valley is looking really great:
Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 29. North wind around 7 mph.
Thursday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 11.
Christmas Day: Sunny, with a high near 30.
Friday Night: A chance of snow showers. Cloudy, with a low around 24. Chance of precipitation is 40%.
Saturday: Snow likely. Cloudy, with a high near 33. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Saturday Night: A chance of snow showers. Cloudy, with a low around 21. Chance of precipitation is 50%.
Sunday: A chance of snow showers. Cloudy, with a high near 25. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
Sunday Night: A chance of snow showers. Cloudy, with a low around 9. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
Monday: A chance of snow showers. Cloudy, with a high near 18. Chance of precipitation is 40%.