Spring Skiing

It was 8 hours from Manhattan by bus & car to a ski resort in New England this weekend. (Not really the fastest way to get there, but I didn't want to drive the whole way.) I was open to the possibility of skiing, but wasn't really expecting to ski -- I brought ski clothes & goggles just in case the conditions were super-tempting, but did not bring my skis or ski boots. It turns out there was plenty of mud and grainy snow, but the grooming machines were working hard to redistribute huge mounds of snow across the slopes. My dad felt they were pretty successful.

My nieces went skiing on Saturday and Sunday. Lee apparently is confident on her favorite green slope, but is not taking any chances on the blue slopes. (I think my dad is kicking himself for teaching her the color scheme.) They both had fun scrambling around in the snow on the edges of the ski slope before their second tour de ski.

Clara climbing up:

Lee sliding down:

The one day that really would have been nice was Saturday, with spectacular sunshine and temps in the 60s, but we arrived too late to take a run. Sunday and Monday were much cooler and overcast -- that didn't really make me want to rent skis or buy a lift ticket.

Lee posing:

It was good to get away from the city and relax a bit. I'd have liked to do a bit more hiking, but it was good at least to lose a few games of Scrabble and Mille Bornes, enjoy some delicious home-cooked food and nice conversation. I also managed to buy a pair of snow pants -- after 10+ years of not finding any snow pants that fit me, I found 2 pairs that fit. I bought the cheaper pair (on sale for $70) although it was a bit looser than the other.