Snowshoe WV

Being that Utah skiing was out for this season (at least for now), we needed to hit some decent slopes.    So when the forecast for C-ville turned from snow to rain New Years Day, we decided to head up to Snowshoe WV....about a 3 hour drive from home where a storm came the day before and they had a good base of snow already.  We found a last minute (it was literally booked it 30 minutes before we left the house) deal for a town house where we could ski in and out onto the slopes.  The drive there was scenic candy...especially for Jared who loves to discover new places, although it was not so pleasant for the two boys who get carsick.  Caleb and Gavin were having a rough time and at one point Gavin let loose of his lunch into two cups we quickly found.  Yes, I was the puke holder until we could find a place to pull over.  Gross, so gross!  We arrived that evening and it was so dang cold...18 degrees (we live in the South now, so we are all a little wimpy with the cold).  We bought our ski passes for the next day, finally found hand warmers at a small grocery store, and headed to the townhouse for left over fondue.

The next morning was breath-taking!  The skies were crystal clear, the light snow from the night before covered every little branch of tree and there was much excitement in the house that spilled into a pillow fight gone bad (they ALWAYS DO!).  Jared took Caleb to his first snow board lesson and came back for the rest of us to head out.  Looks at those covered trees in the background....so beautiful!

Caleb ready for his lesson:

The rest of us spent the morning together getting used to being on skis again and trying to stay clear of the reckless wonders who cause me great worry.  Liam got completely knocked out of his skis by a boarder with what Jared describes as having "no ski sense".  The law was laid down by Jared for Caleb:  no boarding if you can't have the sense of a skier!  The boy who ran into Liam did get an earful from me, that's for sure.  It made me crazy watching these boarders (and some skiers) plunge down that mountain with seemingly little control.

Gavin and I in our matching green coats

Jonah, Gavin, Liam

We met up with Caleb for lunch which was on the house due to some glass we found in the hot tub.  The rental agency we used was good to spring for 6 people to eat for free.  Jonah was thrilled to splurge on hot chocolate AND a Nutella, apple sandwich!!   I bought Nutella for the first time and gave it as a surprise gift to the boys for Christmas.  They were beyond thrilled!

The second half of the afternoon was spent at Silver Creek, which is accessible by a 10 minute bus ride to the other side of the resort.  But, it was a 10 minute ride worth its weight in gold.  What we found there were wide open runs and very few people.  Perfect!  I spent a good deal of time with Caleb since we are closer to the same speed right now, actually I'm quite a bit faster getting down the mountain, but I know once he gets the hang of boarding, it won't last long.  The final two runs I challenged Gavin to a race and darn it if he didn't win both times.  The kid is absolutely fearless!  I do have to put this in perspective though for those in our family who know nothing of East Coast skiing.  Those races with Gavin took us about 2-3 minutes from top to bottom.  The lift takes about 6 minutes :)

 I don't have a good picture of Liam, but for the record this kid has the most perfect form in the family and to watch him, I feel like I'm watching Jared's brother James at age 10.  It's crazy to me how perfected his form is at this age and it's actually beautiful to watch.  And he is the one boy who will offer to ski with me and even though he would sometimes forget once he got to the top, I really appreciated the gesture.  Jonah was awesome, in pizza pie most of the time and working on his turns the best he could.  But, he only petered out at the very end when we all were feeling ready to wrap it up which I think is impressive for a 6yr old.

Budding up with Caleb

The end of a perfect day!

The next morning was spent in the hot tub and taking dares to lay in the snow covered deck for the longest.  Jonah held the record until Gavin forced himself to stand in the snow for 60 seconds!  Caleb and Liam were more interested in making ice balls and throwing them into the trees or at the guy on the snowmobile as he came by.  We had a little chat about the potential danger of throwing an ice ball at someone with that kind of speed.  They hadn't thought that one through.......