Yesterday was Cambrie's first day up on the slopes. Jeremy had the day off, the weather was beautiful, and Jeremy and I had discount tickets that we thought we should use, so on we went up to Eldora. It turned out to be the perfect situation for teaching a kid to ski. The parking lot was directly below the bunny hill, in fact we parked at the bottom of the bunny hill, so it was super quick to get up to the magic carpet and very convenient to get in and out of car during the day.
We decided that instead of getting a sitter, McKenzie would just hang out with us. She was a great little helper and wanted so badly to go skiing with her sister.
Sorry sister, maybe next year.
The night before Jeremy had gone over the basics with Cambrie about stepping in and out of her skis. She did great at home but once she got on the slippery snow it was a bit tougher and she needed a little extra help.
Eldora has a magic carpet for the beginners. What a great idea. Cambrie could step on all by herself and get herself off. She needed help moving from the exit point but it's hard to get moving when you're on those rubber mats, trust me.
Even though Jeremy and I have both been skiing our whole lives, we've never had to teach anyone before and weren't quite sure the best way to do it. So Jeremy decided to just put her between his legs and start by giving her rides down the mountain so that she could get used to the sensation.
After a couple times down with Daddy, Cambrie wanted me to go down with her. About half way down she wanted me to let her go. So I did. She cruised all by herself for a bit, then when she started picking up too much speed I'd grab her from behind and we'd reset.
She thought that was a blast until she got away from me up top as I was getting off the magic carpet and she started down the hill all by herself. I saw that she was heading straight towards a pile of ski school kids and that she was going to crash into them pretty hard. Luckily she decided to fall down before she rammed them, which I thought was a good choice. After that she made sure that I was right with her even after I let her go.
After a few more runs we decided it was time for lunch. The girls took off their snow gear and hung out in the back of the car while they ate. They were very happy to be warm and to take off all of that extra bulk.
At this point Jeremy and I decided it would be a perfect time for us to go try out our new skis. I set up the DVD player for the girls in the car while he went exploring. Once he was done he came back for babysitting duty while I took my turn. The snow wasn't great, but the mountain is a lot of fun. And my skis! Oh my skis! Love them! They are quick, they are fast, and I can't wait to see what they do in the powder.
By then the girls' movie was over and it was back up to the bunny hill. Cambrie did much better this time and kept getting braver and braver. She kept asking to go on the chair lift, but we told her she had to learn to stop by herself first. So she tried it and did a pretty good job actually. Not good enough for the chair lift, but closer. She was so disappointed when it was time to go.
McKenzie desperately needed a nap and was becoming more and more miserable. I have to say though I was shocked that the girls lasted until 3:30. I thought we'd be out of there around 1:00. Not that I'm complaining, I'm just excited for when we get to go again!
2 comments:
What do you mean you've never had to teach anyone before?! Do you not remember our adventure on the ski hill as roommates and you trying to teach Emily? I still have this hilarious picture in my head of you scooting down the hill with her. :)
Looks like you had an awesome time, though. Cambrie looks so cute on her miniature little skis.
That is so much fun. I can't wait to be able to teach the boys to ski. What a fun family you have!
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