The Skinners go skiing!!!!

I finally took the kids skiing! And holy cow did we have a good time.

We are so blessed to have friends spread out all over the world, but this time around it is because of our friends who live in Sandpoint, Idaho. Dan works winters at the ski resort, so we totally lucked out with discounts on the rentals and lessons - plus we stayed at their place so housing was taken care of too. Basically it was an all-inclusive package. Dan is a fantastic snowboarder, and he graciously gave me a great tour of Schweitzer.

Basically, the place is huge. Over 3,000 acres of front-country terrain, the overwhelming majority of which is skiable. Dan and I took off for an early start which gave us several hours on the mountain to get in some skiing. Catherine, Leesa, and the kids showed up in time for lunch, and then it was lessons for the kids.

Leah decided she wanted to learn how to ski. And she was a natural! Ian decided he wanted to learn to snowboard. He had a bit more difficult of a time, but at the end he said he had a great time "shredding the slopes". The smiles they both wore after showing us what they had learned was priceless. I have two new skiing/snowboarding buddies; and it looks like I'll have to learn snowboarding too to keep up with Ian.

While the kids were in lessons, Catherine and Leesa enjoyed some wine, cheese, and conversation. Dan and I headed back up the mountain and I got to do what I've wanted to do since my Ohio skiing days: ski some trees. Dan told me the trick, which is to focus on your line through the trees not the trees themselves. I was slow, but it was a blast.

My thighs were burning on some of the longer runs, looks like I'll need to do some ski-specific training if I want to do more of this (and I do!!). The kids and I will have to look into some lessons and ski/board time at White Pass, our "local" ski resort.

A HUGE thank you to Leesa and Dan for your gracious hospitality! I hope we can do this again next ski season. Cheers,

Marc