After my last four destination trips ended up hitting the powder jackpot in one form or another, I finally got my karmic comeuppance this weekend at Windham in the northern Catskills, where we had booked two days of lessons for our son.
Jason called me from Hunter Saturday morning and said that the snow was nice, so I figured that the 3-5 inches predicted for that afternoon would only help conditions at Windham.
The problem was that a sneaky warm front also showed up, sending temps from 8 degrees to 40 in a few hours, which resulted in a deluge that froze everything solid overnight.
The good news was that my son had a great time: his second time on skis. His instructor, Barry, did a fantastic job utilizing a pole contraption that allowed him to gain confidence. By the end of Sunday, he was wedging downhill all by himself. Mom and Dad were very proud.
Today started out with more of the same on the main mountain, but at 11 am, they opened the East Peak high-speed quad and we spent the next three hours cruising on an easily edgeable hardpack. Props to the Windham grooming team for turning concrete into a decent surface.
I took my daughter skiing for the fourth time this season. This is the first time she really started to impress me. She has always done well but is know showing some natural talent. Wish I could take her more often!
Thanks, MLO. I’m making a solid effort to get out with my son as much as possible for the rest of the season. It really helped a ton to have the instructors give me pointers (as mentioned above, Barry at Windham really had a great touch). I’m going to mix individual lessons with days out on the hill with me.
It looks like your son is having fun. That is half the battle. The more fun he has, the more he will want to ski. Take him out when the weather warms up and he will have a blast..
I’ve essentially sacrificed what limited ski flexibility I have this season by making a commitment to our four-year old daughter’s ski development. I had to pass up the awesome powder day at Hickory last weekend because of it. In my mind, it’s not a sacrifice any more than any other investment in the future.
We have her taking a private every Saturday, and she’s in Gore’s half-day Mountain Adventure program on Sunday. IMO the ski school at Gore is incredible. Great instructors who really care about your child. I am very impressed with the attention and results we are getting.
If you’re thinking of hitting up the area check out http://www.TannersvilleNY.com