Spring break 2019 - Beaver Creek.

Having never been to Beaver Creek in the winter, I wasn't completely sure what to expect. I grew up skiing the Summit County mountains and have been to a few of the other Colorado ski resorts. And, we've been to Beaver Creek in the Summer and Fall. But, skiing at Beaver Creek was new to me. I knew it'd be nice but I had no idea. We stayed in the Village at the Beaver Creek Lodge. It's a property that Marriott recently acquired and it's just an escalator ride up from the front door to the lifts. Awesome! 

Also, can I tell you how much of a fan I am of the escalators versus the steps? Steps are, generally, no problem in shoes but ski boots - game off. Escalators? Yes, please.

We arrived on Saturday just in time for 3P cookies and FunFest. FunFest is a Saturday afternoon activity designed for kids. There are games set up all around the Village where kids can earn tokens for playing and can redeem the tokens for a Beaver Creek themed souvenir. Madelyn and Sawyer are not one to walk away from games and free stuff. So, after a few pictures with their favorite statues, games were played. Each kid ended up winning enough tokens to earn a pair of Beaver Creek touchscreen gloves. Cool!

Sunday was ski school day for the kids and a play day for Griff and I. The kids weren't super stoked to be going to ski school but we thought it was important for all of us. And, it was only for one day.

Griff and I had a fun day exploring and playing. We found the Candy Cabin but didn't venture inside. Griff tried his skills at the race course. While he didn't "medal", it was still fun to watch. I like to turn too much to want to ever do the races. Nice, big turns. Side to side.

Monday was family ski day. Yes, there was still some complaining, from someone who shall not be named. However, I think we're moving out of that phase. We didn't ski as much on Monday as Griff and I did on Sunday but it was so. much. fun. to be skiing with the whole family, all together. The weather could not have been more perfect. Even though it's Spring, the snow was still in great condition. The only slush we saw was at the very bottom.

We had a great day. Now, we're not perfect and our skiing wasn't perfect. There was Madelyn's dramatic tuck exit from the lift. We thought she was falling but then she just tucked into a little ball and rode it out. So fancy. There was also the jump in the trees that caught her by surprise and took all our breath away. I'm thankful she got stopped and didn't head off out of bounds, down the hill through the rest of the trees. I don't even want to talk about Assay, the shortcut run I took Madelyn and I down where she fell and I almost did, that was the worst little shortcut ever. She forgave me and I thought nothing of her yelling at me because that run stunk. But, before lunch, we all skied from the very top to the very bottom. And, Sawyer led us across some fun little bridges and along a skiway through a condo complex. I was so proud of our little people!

Monday nights, from 6-9P, there's complimentary ice skating in the Village. So after dinner, Madelyn and Griff skated while Sawyer and I sat rink side by a fire.

Photo by Sawyer

All in all, Beaver Creek was a blast. All the little touches - cookies at 3P and the after ski activities that are included in your visit - make it such a unique and memorable experience. I feel very grateful that we're able to do trips like these. And, I'm also grateful for my little family with whom I get to make these memories.

So long and thanks, Beaver Creek. See you next time!

Ski bunnies

The kids took ski lessons this December and January at Snobahn in Southglenn. It's an indoor ski and snowboard facility and is a really cool concept. We weren't sure how the skills they acquired skiing on a giant treadmill inside would translate to actual ski slopes but at least they wouldn't be cold or standing around in lines.

Our first venture out on the slopes as a family this year was to Loveland Valley. We drove up on the Sunday over President's Day weekend. It was small and we didn't stay all day. But, it was a good way to get some snow under our skis, so to speak.

Later that week, we joined Uncle Jerky, Aunt Sandi, Emery, and Camden at Breckenridge for some family skiing on Friday. The cousins had been in Breckenridge all week skiing. On a fun note, we also got to see Uncle Lee and Aunt Brittany at Breckenridge Brewery when we went in for dinner on Thursday night. Emery had hung up her skis the day before we arrived so she wouldn't be skiing with us. Her plan was to hold down a table in the Maggie so that when we needed a break, we'd have a place to sit.

Uncle Jerky, Camden, and Aunt Sandi. I guess the weather earlier in the week had been pretty darn cold. Fortunately for us, we brought warm weather because it was beautiful on Friday. Clear and sunny in the morning gave way to big, fat snowflakes in the afternoon. (I will say that the big, fat snowflakes caused an eastbound closure on I-70 at Silverthorne for a few hours during our drive home on Friday. So, that wasn't great but we did finally get home safely on Friday night.)

The Dude and I. I'm not sure if he's actually smiling underneath his face mask.

Kerkhoves and Andersons at the top of the Quicksilver chair. Missing Emery.

Three of four cousins stopped for a picture before heading into Ripperoo's Forest aka Ding-Dong Forest or was it THE Ding-Dong Forest? I think this one was lovingly renamed Ding-Dong Forest.

Some bunnies around here like skiing more than others. And, that's fair. One bunny likes to borrow her mother's poles in the lift line and if she's going to do moguls. The other bunny tends to complain. But, when that bunny is skiing, he is a really good skier and seems to have fun. At one point on Friday, that bunny skied past me and yelled out, "Hi, Mama!" in his sweet, silly voice as he went by.

All in all, I think we've made major strides on the skiing front. And, I definitely think the skills they learned and practiced at Snobahn translated to the actual ski slopes. Money well spent.

We're going to Beaver Creek for a few days over Spring break later this month. We've visited there as a family in the Summer/Fall but Griff's the only one who's skied there before. Our hotel/condo is ski in - ski out so that should be great. I'm looking forward to some more ski fun with the bunnies. Let's hope for a bluebird day and no I-70 closures!