Whistler Part 3 - Skiing

 I knew going into skiing at Whistler that it was going to be a challenge for me. From the research I had done, it was anything but a beginner mountain, but I was hopeful that there would at least be something I could do.  I think what was most surprising though is that Peter and his mom had lots of experience skiing and they still had a challenging time finding runs they felt comfortable on.  The runs themselves are quite challenging and steep in general, but also we accidentally booked this trip over a US holiday week when the state of Washington had the entire week off of school.  They refer to it as American week at Whistler.  Oops!  The mountain I think in general is crowded but on this particular week I think it was even more so.  It was difficult for everyone, but I think particularly for me to get comfortable at my skill level to be on the crowded runs.

Our first day on the mountain conditions were great, but as the week wore on, there was no fresh snow, lots of ice, and blowing in fake snow.  Our last day, while beautiful was quite icy.  I think all of these things presented some unique challenges. We spent a ton of time at the bunny hill which was actually a really nice bunny hill!  We also did do quite a few of the green runs after all and Peter spent a whole afternoon off on his own exploring the mountain.  Most of the green runs I only had the nerve to do once, but I still had a blast and I think improved a lot on this trip. I think I will be much more prepared for our local mountain and the ease of it next time we visit!  And regardless of how cold or crowded it was, the weather was gorgeous for sightseeing up there!

And the mid mountain lunch was amazing! 

  

I am still very excited to keep practicing and improving.  I still get super nervous before we head up the mountain each time but at the end of each day I am bummed it is over.  We hope to ski at least a few more times before the season ends here and look forward to learning more and maybe getting the kids started up in the coming years! I am so happy I gave skiing a try just a little over a month ago and have come along ways I think!  It is going to be a fun new hobby for sure! 

Whistler Part 2 - Fun with the Kids!

This trip was two fold, we definitely wanted it to be a family vacation but at the same time we also wanted to spend time skiing. I think we were able to balance our time pretty good and we can't wait for the day when the kids can join us on the slopes. But we still had a total blast hanging with them and doing the things they could do! 

In addition to our first day at the tobaggen hill, the kids begged to go back and we had a gorgeous, almost warm day when the runs were extra slick from a bit of ice over! It was a blast! 

And we finally got this girl ON a sled and she loved every minute of it and begged for more and more! 

Our little princess had one request to make her dreams come true and that was to ice skate!  

LB and I found something more our style while the rest skated! 

Another fun time was at the tube park. The girls were too little but the boys had a blast! 

The girls had a little fun on the sidelines too! 

Yes considering how much the kids are still talking about Whistler and wanting to go back for more fun, I think they had themselves a pretty good time too! 

Whistler Vacation Part 1

We are just home from a fantastic vacation!  Peter snuck me off to Whistler for my birthday last year, and as often happens when we are away from the kids we instantly thought it would be a place the kids would love!  I think it took about a week after we came home before we had bought ski passes (they were on an amazing sale) and had booked a VRBO for the next year! So this has been a trip in the works for quite some time!

We woke the kids up at 5 in the morning to load into the car for the long drive. The kids were so excited! 

We got a good 3 hours of driving in before we needed to stop for breakfast and then the driving continued. The kids did a good job of napping along the way! 

And when they got bored with their kindles and movies and music, we  moved on to car card games.

Finally we had crossed into Canada and had lunch at the amazing fish shop that Peter took me to last year!  Yum! 

And back in the car for the last bit of driving! The kids really did do great but were so happy to be there! 

Finally Whistler was in sight! 

After a night of rest we were off on our first day of fun! 

The guys headed off for a fun form of sledding called baseboarding while us ladies had fun at the sledding hill with the kids! 

LB was quite the little daredevil baby! 

Goober girl was afraid to sled so she spent her time sliding the sled down the hill, then herself sliding down the hill to retrieve the sled and then doing it all over again.  She was having her own sort of fun though! 

Needless to say, that was enough to wear us all out for the day! 

In the evening we checked out the village and the kids had fun at the little snow castle! 

And we introduced the kids to a favorite -  poutine! 

And hours of games in the evenings.  

Fun memories were definitely being made!