On New Year's Eve day we headed up to Mt. Hood to introduce Carter to the world of skiing. And he loved it! I couldn't be more proud of him or happier that he enjoyed his first time on skis. We signed him up for a half day lesson and he was with an instructor, Sabina, and only one other child, also a first timer. They have a great learning center at Meadows, so I felt very confident dropping him off. This also allowed Kyle and I a chance to get in several runs (we hadn't been skiing since before Carter was born, and it was wonderful to be back at it!)
It was so fun getting to watch Carter in his lesson. We dropped by, took a ton of pictures and then were off again. We didn't want to be a distraction and we also wanted to enjoy the amazing snow. It had snowed all week and the mountain had about 10 inches of new snow over night. The sun was shining and the runs were awesome!
They start them out on one ski, gliding down a gentle slope. They try each leg and then were off!
Looking good, Carter Man!
He did so great!
They stayed on the Magic Carpet area (such an improvement from the rope tow that I learned on when I was Carter's age) and it was perfect for beginners.
It's like he knows just what he's doing...I think the hardest part for Carter was getting up once he'd fallen down. He didn't mind falling, wasn't scared and had a great attitude.
I had to chuckle...he skis just like I do - heads straight down and loves to go fast. I can vividly remember my dad trying to get me to make big, wide turns as I'd barrel down the slopes, calling from atop the chair lift "LEFT, RIGHT, LEFT" and I'd just zoom straight down. Carter did exactly the same thing! Since we were on a smaller slope, he wasn't able to pick up a ton of speed, but I'd try to get him to turn through the cones and he'd say "but I love going fast!" Really? He's never short on surprises!
Once we picked him up from his lesson and ate a quick lunch, we headed back out to the beginners area. He was bummed that he couldn't go straight to the chair lift and really wanted to go up the "big" mountain. He didn't believe us when we told him he was actually on the mountain...he wanted to go to the top! Although after skiing with him for a couple of hours, I was even more thankful for his lesson. I've been skiing for most of my life, but trying to teach a little guy how to do something that seems so instinctual was hard. At least for the next several times we go up, we'll get him into lessons.
Daddy joined us for a bit, too. By this point (I'd been up all night working), I was pretty beat, so Kyle continued to ski while I stayed on the bunny slopes with Carter. Worked out great for everyone!
Our little skier
Kennedy and Nana came up with us and enjoyed lots of time in the snow and a little time in the lodge too. My mom was such a trooper...we knew she was cold and probably would not have chosen to spend her day on a mountain, but she made it so much fun for Kennedy. Pulling her on the sled, making snow angles and just keeping her entertained. It was such a blessing to have her with us, and I honestly think Kennedy had as much fun as Carter. We'll get her on skis next year, so watch out!
Thankfully it was a beautiful day on the mountain - Kennedy had a blast in the snow!
Snack time
We got stuck in horrible traffic on the way home and ended up turning around and driving around to Hood River. It still took us 3+ hours, but we got home with enough time to get ready for our NYE plans with friends. Not the best way to end a great day, but we managed.
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