Grant's Bday Snowboard Trip and Spencer's Skiing Debut

We hit Winterplace again for Grant's birthday snowboarding experience, and Spencer's skiing debut. We'd just been hit by a major snowstorm, so there was lots of fresh snow and groomed slopes. It was quiet with no snowmakers running!

The first thing we did was lock the keys in the truck. While Robert dealt with that, I set Grant up right away with a private lesson and he and the instructor hit lots of different trails. This is Grant's third time out and each time he seems to improve by an order of magnitude!

While Grant was busy, Spencer and I got our skis, and I'm happy to say there was no line this time...not like the last trip to Winterplace when it was over an hour to pay and get our stuff. Ugh. We had the "learn to ski" package because it saves you a little money and includes a lesson, but the ski school looked mobbed. Plus I figured I could teach Spencer faster myself, and indeed I was right. We took two trips down the beginner hill, and since it looked like he had the snowplow well in hand, we set off down some other trails. He had little problem with the chair lift and managed like a seasoned skier. The only issue seemed to be getting up after a fall - with skis askew, poles jettisoned, and a lack of understanding of the whole physics/gravity/downhill part of the equation. I'd try to bark instructions, "move your right ski parallel to the left; use your one pole to get the other; be sure your ski tips aren't pointed downhill...." That was not very effective, he just needs to figure it out.

We met up with Grant for a group run, then promptly lost Grant. After half an hour of searching high and low, I had the information desk folks issue an APB for Grant. I had mentioned my missing child to one of the lift operators, and some time later, who do i see but that lift operator walking up the hill with Grant! Phew!

So at that point, I sent Spencer and Grant out together and they enjoyed a few dual runs before we had lunch and all three set out again. The rest of the day was uneventful, but clearly Spencer is just as hooked as Grant. I think winter snow sports will be in our future. And it dawned on me, I'd much rather do that than wile away time at an amusement park. As Spencer said, it's all the fun without the motion sickness and you are actually DOING something. I'm all for that!

All in all...a successful (and exciting) day!

Grant and his instructor "Josh"