Steamboat Springs or bust!

Spring break for us was the last full week in March. Yes, this post is late. But, better late than never! We decided to take a break from Arizona and try our hand at skiing.

For me, it had been seven years and two children since the last time I skied. Honestly, I was pretty nervous about taking the little ones up. Below are several of my freak outs and anxieties -

Freak out 1: I'm older and a stay-at-home mama. Being injured will really mess up our normal life.

Answer: No injuries! I may be older but apparently my legs are a lot stronger than they used to be. Griff still skies faster than me but I can keep up and actually even ski better than I remembered.

Ski date.

Freak out 2: Will my gear which hasn't been used for seven years fall apart?

Answer: No.

Freak out 3: Skiing can be exhausting and requires a lot of gear. Are the little ones really ready? Am I ready for them to be ready?

Answer: The kids were totally ready. Steamboat is known to have one of the top rated learn to ski programs and we were not disappointed at all. Madelyn and Sawyer had a blast both days. And, while Sawyer wrapped up day number two in tears of exhaustion, they're ready to go again.

Sawyer riding up the magic carpet.

He looks so tiny!

Madelyn riding up the magic carpet.

Yesterday, we signed Madelyn up for the Epic School Kids Colorado Pack so we have an excuse to get a few days in next year, too.

Practicing turns.

After lessons on day two, Madelyn, Griff, and I rode up on the real lift and came down a real run...TWICE. She did great! That girl is so brave and so determined. Once again, I found myself wanting to be more like her and embody her spirit. Way to go, Madelyn!

Future Olympians.

You saw them here first.

Freak out 4: It is going to stink if it's cold. I've skied too many cold, windy days in January and February. It's tough on an adult let alone on little kiddos. So this one really freaked me out. 

Answer: Fortunately, the weather cooperated for late March and we definitely had Spring conditions. Mornings were cool but not cold and the afternoons were warm and slushy. Sawyer even skied one afternoon without his coat because the kid was HOT.

From our balcony.

There's a lot of brown but still plenty of white.

Lunch with a view.

In spite of it being Spring break, and maybe this is the beauty of Steamboat, it really didn't seem that crowded. Which was nice.

We stayed at the Sheraton Steamboat right at the base. Grammy and Grandad went with us but did not ski. We had separate rooms that were connected by a living room with kitchenette. The set up could not have been better. All we had to do in the morning was take the elevator down, pick up our skis at the ski valet in the hotel, and walk right out the door to the lifts. It was awesome.

It turns out that freak outs were unnecessary. Next time we'll stay longer and ski an extra day or two. What a trip!