The First Ski Lesson!

Checking in at ski school - we're ready to go!

Duck-walking to the chair lift line

This past weekend, we stayed at the Vail Cascade Resort & Spa which offered a Veterans Weekend special for the military.  The hotel was gorgeous, the linens fluffy, the breakfast buffet sumptuous, and the staff extremely friendly.  There was only one problem - Vail wasn't open yet!  (Hence the special rate, we realized).  Luckily, Keystone and Breckenridge were both open, so we had some options.  

Alex and Kieran got to try skiing for the first time this past weekend at Keystone!  We weren't sure how the kids would feel about skiing for an entire day (9:30 - 3:30, lunch and hot chocolate breaks included) but our fears were groundless.  They LOVED every minute!  Even with all of the spills, bonks, and the -24F wind chill factor, they enjoyed ski school so much that they eagerly attended two days in a row.  After the first day, Kieran asked in earnest, "So when do I learn how to jump, Daddy?" Jeff tried to explain, "You need to learn how to turn first."  Kieran replied, "I already know how to do that.  I'm ready to learn how to jump."  It probably didn't help that the beginner's chair lift went right alongside the A51 Terrain Park where boarders and skiers do tricks on rails, boxes and jumps.  We didn't get great footage of the kids skiing because of bad timing, but hopefully we'll get some more as the season progresses.

And what did Jeff and Larissa do during these days?  We got to hang out with friends for two-hour lunches, go shopping in the village, oh - and do a few runs, too.