Post by jdmcowan on Feb 21, 2006 14:51:48 GMT -6
Just to have something to post, I thought I would fill you all in on my ski weekend.
We were at a place called Shanty Creek. A pretty typical midwest ski/golf resort. My parents have a condo there and we usually have mini family reunions there once in the winter and once in the summer.
I was a little worried about the trip up there since it sort of looked like this might be the coldest weekend of the winter. But it didn't turn out to be too bad and my winter gear was comfortable enough.
We decided to drive instead of fly and the drive up there was terrible. Half way up it started to snow. The roads themselves weren't too bad, but there was a lot of blowing snow and no road lights. There were a couple of times when I considered pulling over because it was so difficult to see the road. Every time a car passed a mini blizard was pulled up behind it and I would lose all sight of the road for a few seconds.
Saturday was a cold, but other wise beautiful day. I spent the morning skiing with my sister. I can ski a little better than her, but it was nice being able to talk on the lifts and all. She just got engaged on Valentine's Day.
Then in the afternoon my 13 year old cousin arrived and went snowboarding. Her mother (who did not come along) asked that someone accompany her on the slopes since it was only her second time ever, so I went along with her for most of the afternoon.
Sunday it was much of the same. I accompanied my cousin again in the morning. My 8 year old son, David, had taken lessons on Saturday and on Sunday morning. I asked his instructor what runs he was ready for and he suggested a couple. So for the afternoon I took my son out on the slopes. I disagree with his instructor. It turns out my son is a speed demon and either couldn't or wouldn't contain his speed to a safe level. It wasn't the speed itself that worried me, but the fact that my son would be going fast enough that he could no longer control his turns in case of emergency.
After 2 days of hanging with lower level skiers, I was dying to tear up some slopes on my own. I finally headed over to a black diamond on Sunday evening and to my delight found that I was the only one there. The black diamond was pushing my limits and I'm not sure I would have been smart to ski there if it was crowded, but it was a lot of fun having it all to myself. I went out for a little more Monday morning before heading home and had the same experience. It was a nice way to end the weekend.
For the finale, when we finally drove back into Chicago Monday evening, we headed to The Melting Pot downtown and gave David his first fondue experience.
My next trip is to San Antonio at the end of March to meet the sword master that has accepted me as his student.
Jeremy
We were at a place called Shanty Creek. A pretty typical midwest ski/golf resort. My parents have a condo there and we usually have mini family reunions there once in the winter and once in the summer.
I was a little worried about the trip up there since it sort of looked like this might be the coldest weekend of the winter. But it didn't turn out to be too bad and my winter gear was comfortable enough.
We decided to drive instead of fly and the drive up there was terrible. Half way up it started to snow. The roads themselves weren't too bad, but there was a lot of blowing snow and no road lights. There were a couple of times when I considered pulling over because it was so difficult to see the road. Every time a car passed a mini blizard was pulled up behind it and I would lose all sight of the road for a few seconds.
Saturday was a cold, but other wise beautiful day. I spent the morning skiing with my sister. I can ski a little better than her, but it was nice being able to talk on the lifts and all. She just got engaged on Valentine's Day.
Then in the afternoon my 13 year old cousin arrived and went snowboarding. Her mother (who did not come along) asked that someone accompany her on the slopes since it was only her second time ever, so I went along with her for most of the afternoon.
Sunday it was much of the same. I accompanied my cousin again in the morning. My 8 year old son, David, had taken lessons on Saturday and on Sunday morning. I asked his instructor what runs he was ready for and he suggested a couple. So for the afternoon I took my son out on the slopes. I disagree with his instructor. It turns out my son is a speed demon and either couldn't or wouldn't contain his speed to a safe level. It wasn't the speed itself that worried me, but the fact that my son would be going fast enough that he could no longer control his turns in case of emergency.
After 2 days of hanging with lower level skiers, I was dying to tear up some slopes on my own. I finally headed over to a black diamond on Sunday evening and to my delight found that I was the only one there. The black diamond was pushing my limits and I'm not sure I would have been smart to ski there if it was crowded, but it was a lot of fun having it all to myself. I went out for a little more Monday morning before heading home and had the same experience. It was a nice way to end the weekend.
For the finale, when we finally drove back into Chicago Monday evening, we headed to The Melting Pot downtown and gave David his first fondue experience.
My next trip is to San Antonio at the end of March to meet the sword master that has accepted me as his student.
Jeremy
