The storms are stacking up once again in the west. I'm like the next person and love the fluffy snow to swish on through. On a recent visit to Beaver Mountain, the kids were giggling and screaming all the way down every run due to the amazing powder! With tons of face shots and summersaults, I got some pretty cool video...that blog is to come.
But....it is this time of the year that I'm looking forward to a little break. By that I mean less gear and less logistics—you know, not going through 2-3 mittens a day, not having to pack layers of jackets, and not having to deal with a soggy/stinky car - it's getting a bit exhausting. It is the "smell" of spring I long for. Parents, you know what I'm talking about.
With kids, they require more work than if you are the powderhound heading out with just your own gear. You have to make sure everyone has two of everything should you break for lunch and someone is too cold, too wet and/or too hungry.
Here's my "Best of Spring" list:
1. Less clothing. You only need one jacket and it doesn't need to be the one that you can survive Everest with. You can move your arms easily and it fits snug in a corner in the car
2. Only one set of mittens. They will hold up all day, and you can put away all the millions of hand warmers you have stashed all over the car, in pockets, in bags.
3. Thin thermal pants and tops. You can put away the giant waffle pants you've worn all winter and have to keep washing every couple days.
4. No cold toes! This is a biggie. We are a "cold toe family" with utterly terrible circulation at the end of our little piggies. In spring, only warm toe days.
5. Lunch outside! There is nothing worse than two wet kids and an exhausted Mom traipsing through the lodge with a tray of food including drinks and soup which have a good chance of spilling! In spring, you can pull up a snowbank or a patio seat outside and you're good to go! The sun is warm and you can slowly eat your food because you know no one is breathing on your neck to ask if you're leaving yet. Brennan also has these little snowboarding guys he likes to play with. He could play for hours building jumps and flinging them off the snow. I'm content to sit in the sun and relax!
6. Less people. For many families, spring means bike rides, Little League, lacrosse and golfing just to name a few. For us, these less busy times on the slopes are GOLDEN.
7. Days are longer. Seriously, who doesn't love longer days? Longer days means warmer days on the hill with your kids. At BrightonBrighton, you can get a cheaper lift ticket for night skiing and have plenty of visibility until 6-7 pm.
8. No more frozen chairlift rides.
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Even in the coldest of days, when you're flying (or creeping in my case) down the mountain you stay pretty warm—but it's the chairlift ride when your body temp starts to dip. In the spring, you can get all those goofy selfies with goggles up and no chance of freezing your hand off.
9. Spring deals! This is the time of the year when the deals come out! Cheaper lodging and deals on spring season passes. Erika summed up some of the deals as well.
10. I get to ski with my kids. This sounds weird, but both my kids are on competitive teams. Their seasons come to an end and I can actually ski with them instead of standing and watching them. To see a sport they have excelled in and to be able to have the relaxing spring time to free ski is the best for this Mom. I am proud beyond words for how far they've come since we started this journey, now it's time to sit back and soak up the sun..at least for a bit.
One tip: Make sure you have plenty of sunscreen and lip balm. Remember, you are at a high elevation and it is quick to sunburn and sunburnt lips are painful.
