We have been skiing with the kids for over 4 years now, since Tabby was shy of three years old! It’s incredible to think it’s been that long. Skiing with little kids is NO JOKE. It’s at very least cold and frequently snowy and windy. It’s a grueling thing for an adult to get everything he needs into place, suiting up and carrying ALL THE GEAR where it needs to go, let alone a kid. We usually end up carrying ALL the gear to save sanity. That combined with traffic and ridiculous expense frequently made us question our sanity for pushing the issue.
BUT we saw glimpses of how worth it it could be as Tabby got proficient, but then we had to do it all over again with Ben. We had a couple of family ski days last year and earlier this year that were borderline disastrous. My boots got left in Denver and I had to wait in a ridiculously long line to rent some while Matt wrangled the kids. The drives were horrendous. We had a drunk screaming in the hall when we stayed overnight. Ben WOULD NOT LISTEN. At one point last year I was so fed up with equipment carrying that I consigned the lot of our skis to a ski valet for some ridiculous price just so I didn’t have to carry them a couple blocks.
And then, this past weekend, it just clicked. Ben can suddenly ski. And not just the easy slopes that bore the rest of us, but some pretty awesome terrain. Intermediate slopes, through trees and over bumps. He (mostly) listens. He is enthusiastic. He is excited. It was FUN. The good snow and equally good weather helped, no doubt, but it was great. Matt and I took him up for a solo day with Mommy and Daddy on Saturday and then the whole family, Papa and Gaga included went with us on Sunday. We were up for hours and really really enjoyed ourselves.
Back in January when my sister and I were up for a ski day with just Dad, I thanked him for teaching us to ski. It’s a sport I truly LOVE and so I really appreciate that he took the time and energy and money to teach us and I think I’ve always appreciated it at some level. But it’s only now that I’m a parent that I fully realize the commitment it took to getting two little girls up on a Saturday morning and onto the slopes. And while I’m sure my mom played her part, probably in getting gear ready and undoubtedly other ways, it was always Dad’s thing to take us skiing. That’s a pretty awesome dad.
And I’m more than glad to be able to return the favor for my own kids. Hopefully they’ll be skiing with me into my 60s.