Ski Utah

For the past five months, we have been a one car family.  It's actually worked surprisingly well, all thanks to Jason who is so willing to bike and take Trax.  Yesterday, however, we went ahead and splurged on a twenty dollar rental car.  The reason?  Jason and Annika wanted to go skiing.

With mountains like these, who can blame them?  It was an absolutely perfect spring day up Big Cottonwood Canyon.  Not only was the snow great for downhill and cross-country skiing, but farther down the mountain people were fishing, hiking, biking, and rock-climbing.  Hard to believe this is all so close to home.

While still fun, our first ski trip this season wasn't quite as perfect.  We went up to Alta and spent a couple hours on the tow rope.  Since she is too small to do it herself, getting Annika to the top is quite a workout.

The rope was tough for Eli too, lifting him partially off the ground in places.  Fortunately he was a trooper.


Even though it was chilly, everyone was a good sport, especially once we got some hot chocolate.  Annika hadn't really figured out how to turn or stop, so Jason and I strategically placed ourselves on opposite sides of the hill.  One parent would send her sliding to the other parent, who would stop her as she rammed straight into us.  Fun for her, at least.

On our next family ski venture, we headed up to Brighton where Annika navigated the bunny hill and tiny Explorer lift.  The Explorer lift moves so slowly that the line takes forever, and the bunny hill is so crowded that it's hard not to run people over.  

Still, we had fun...

Especially at lunch.  

Meanwhile, the big kids enjoyed skiing together.  Here are Talia, Eli...

...and Brooklyn all riding the lift.

They navigated the mountain so well that I went home and switched Eli from a beginner to an intermediate level after-school ski class.

This was a special ski year for Talia.  As a fifth-grader, she got a passport that let her ski for free three times at all of the Utah resorts.  I just wish we could have taken her to more of them.

She and Jason explored some of the more difficult terrain together.

Stunningly beautiful.

Of course, all that skiing can leave you tuckered out.

For our next ski day, Jason and I played hooky and went up to Brighton together.  Even though it was January, Utah still hadn't had much snow and it was a bit rocky in places.  Despite a few bare patches, we hit the moguls until my knees couldn't take any more.


Best date ever.

I don't have any more photos downloaded, but the conclusion of the story goes as follows.  Salt Lake finally got some much-needed snow that made for fantastic spring skiing.  Annika progressed from being unable to navigate the bunny hill to being a fine little skier that rides all the lifts.  She generally keeps pace with Jason, and they had a lovely daddy/daughter date yesterday.  His one complaint was that she got bored with the groomed slopes and kept begging to go off jumps and ski in the trees.

Oh boy.  Maybe I'm not ready for her to ski Utah.