"I've got to be crazy! I'm on a pilgrimage to see a moose! Praise Marty Moose!"- Clark W. Griswold, National Lampoon's 'Vacation'
We haven't made it to Wally World, yet, but I now know where Clark was coming from. The highlight of our ski season has without a doubt been our relationship with new friend Mogul Mouse (although his good friend 'Billy Bob Bear' is running a close second). The kids absolutely LOVE him. Any afternoon that we remain on the slopes until 3pm or so means a chance to hang out with MM and BBB for apres' ski. For those who have been out to places like the Mangy Moose Bar in Jackson, WY or the Pickle Barrel Nightclub in Killington, you'll have absolutely no idea what I'm talking about. ;-) But, if you've had hot chocolate and pizza with a giant mouse, we're on the same page. This weekend had the best conditions of the year, and we took full advantage. Lauren had a fantastic 'chick's day' at Sugarbush on Friday, we all had a pizza party with Mogul Mouse on Friday night, then a FULL day of skiing for all four of us on Saturday and another family half-day on Sunday. Sunday afternoon I got to ski some grown-up trails on my own -- had some tired legs but a great time.
Aside from their friendship with the characters, Ally and Ty continue to blow us away with their skiing. Not only are they learning quickly, they are also REALLY into it. Pretty much the first question each morning is whether or not we can go skiing today. Their aptitude and focus has been a blast to watch. I had pretty much envisioned a season of getting gear ready, getting to the mountain and spending no more than an hour at a time on the bunny slope. And that would have been fine, for sure. Instead, though, it's been the opposite. I think we were out for 4-5 hours on Saturday, and another 3 on Sunday. And, although we have made use of the bribe of hot chocolate and/or french fries, most of the time we haven't really needed it. Lauren pointed out yesterday what a great discipline this is for them -- it seems a little crazy to expect three year olds to be focused on one single thing for an extended period of time, but yet, there they are waiting in lift lines, controlling their speed, watching out for others and listening to instructions (sometimes). Yeah, I'm proud.
We gave up on the T-bar and magic carpet lift the first day, and have since been riding the lifts. It's a lot easier for all concerned, and we can now ski top to bottom without providing any assistance (except for getting on/off the lift) for Ally or Ty. We've started spending time on a new lift, and the fun thing about it is that it has a trail which leads to a little slalom run. I think I took turns in gates for the first time at about 17 years old -- Ally and Ty have me beat by 14 years! We've noticed that Ally is much more likely to make turns just for fun on the hill, where Ty won't turn unless there is an obstacle present. They love skiing the gates, and it turns out they are a great teaching tool, as well. Here are some pictures:
That's it for now... hope you're all enjoying this great snow as much as we are!
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