The Ski Bunny

Now that Sydney is almost 8 years old, we decided to let her try skiing. Tracie planned a weekend trip to Gatlinburg, TN in January. The idea was to stay in a log cabin near the slopes and go snow tubing for a bit. If Sydney was up to it, we would try to ski a few times. Sydney got a brand new ski jacket, ski bib, gloves and even a new pair of snow boots. She was ready and willing.

The weekend came. We loaded up the SUV and made our 4 hour drive to the rental cabin after I got off work. The place was nice but the bedroom was on the lower floor and it was freezing cold. The thermostat was on the main floor which made the main floor unbearably hot if we were to turn the heater up while the bedroom was still about 60 degrees. We ended up sleeping in several layers of clothes. Not off to a good start already.

The next morning, we found our way to the ski resort called Ober Gatlinburg. It was so exciting. The lodge had an indoor ice skating rink. The snow tubing area was a 7-track hill complete with a conveyor belt to ferry us and the snow tubes back to the top. We paid $25/person for the 1:00pm session which lasted 90 minutes. It was GREAT FUN! I gave Sydney a push each time and with each time down the track, she went farther and faster. Not a bad start to the day. After lunch, we rented a helmet and skis for  Sydney and set off to sign her up for ski lesson. Luckily, the class was full of adults. When they formed groups of students, she was left alone with her own instructor. Her very own private lesson. How about that? He took her through the process, opting to skip the ski poles as they were deemed a distraction to beginners. After an hour, he took her to the bunny slope and let her try it out. She fell a few times but she was starting to get the hang of it. After the lesson, I let her practice a few more rounds on the bunny slope. Then we were ready to get on the lift to our very first run down the green slope. Sydney was nervous but very excited. We had no problem getting on or off the lift, much to my delight. And....she was off. She snow plowed her way down the slope and making her turns like a pro. She was hooked!

Oh, man. I was loving it. We must have gone down the slope a dozen times before we called it a night around 6:30. It was already dark. Not only did Sydney get to ski for the first time that day, she got to do night skiing on her first time out. If we had allowed it, she would have skied a few more times that night. I had to promise that we would go again another time.

So....3 weeks later, we made another trip to Tennessee. This time, we stayed in Pigeon Forge so Tracie could hang out at the hotel and go shopping at the outlet mall nearby while Sydney and I hit the slopes. Unfortunately, the temperature was around 65 degrees so the slopes were pretty much slush for the most part. It was rough going for Sydney. She fell several times her first few times down but she made the most out of it. I was able to capture a run while skiing behind her. The video was shaky since I was moving. We skied for almost 8 hours and sneaking in a session of snow tubing before heading back to the hotel.

Gee, I wonder when we get to hit the slopes again? Not too long, I hope. But at least we got another "first" in the books. Way to go, Sydney!