Snowboarding and snow skiing

Another day, another adventure in Canada! Today was the day for hitting the ski slopes as a whole family and hit them we did; with our bums, our faces and most other parts of the body. Well, truth be known, I let the kids and Jill hit the slopes while I acted as official photographer......what? ........someone had to!

Actually there is method in my apparent laziness - this way we know the kids are capable of getting about the ski field almost on their own (Ash can) and so we will be able to concentrate on trying NOT to hit the slopes when we start skiing ourselves. So how has our plan progressed? In answer to that I want you to imagine Mr Burns from the Simpsons TV show when I reply, "Excellent!"

Ash had his 2nd snowboarding lesson and seemed to be struggling so I asked the instructor how he was going. "Oh great!", she said, "I'm teaching him things today that I usually wouldn't teach kids until their 2nd YEAR of lessons!" Could a dad have any MORE pride than at that moment!?

This young man has taken off with his snowboarding after only 2 lessons and 3 weeks since he first saw snow. The real story will come later however.

The young lady to the right here was also an outstanding star! Megan took her first skiing lesson today and can be seen here with the instructor helping her with her balance on skis. Within an hour of ending her lesson with the instructor, Megan was confidently travelling down the ski slope, performing snow plough turns, and controlled stops that brought her to centimetres of where I was standing!! And she did not want to stop - I asked a number of times if she had had enough, but no she wanted to get better and she did! I could not believe the level of improvement from this determined young girl.

Megan soon mastered the ski tow and made countless runs down the lower slopes of the ski field at Mt. Baldy. She even had the confidence to turn and smile for the camera as she was towed along - no mean feat for someone who has just learnt control of their skis.

Pictures do not do justice to this story however, so we will try video instead.

Now depending upon how much attention you have given to the pictures so far, you may have noticed a rather large hill behind the slope where the kids have been learning.
Do you remember that earlier in the story I mentioned that the real story of Ash would come later? now is the time for that story.
It is the end of the skiing day and people are leaving the slopes as most of the lifts are closing. Most, but not all. Ash notices that the chair lift to the TOP of the highest ski slope is still running and he has wanted to take that chairlift all day! Meanwhile back in the chalet, I have organised the girls and got them dressed, etc. only to notice no Jill or Ash. Hmmm, where are they. I look out to see Jill still standing alone at the bottom of the ski slope looking around for Ash. When I get out to ask her where he is she informs me that our newly 2 lesson trained 8 year old has gone to tackle the highest ski slope in the ski field! The very same slope that caused my manly bits to shrink in terror when I first saw it and not a small part of the excuse for why I haven't being skiing yet. Back to intrepid boy - he makes the top and begins his descent - the only person on the slope as EVERYONE else has returned to the chalet.
Thinking that if I get some pictures as he comes down maybe I can sell the resultant skiing disaster to a newspaper to pay for his imminent hospital bills. The small black in the centre of the white ski slope, framed by wires is actually Ash. Jill waits for at the bottom.

He made the run with barely a few falls and the biggest smile of triumph that I have ever seen! I dread to think what he will be doing next week when we return.