Any downhill skiers out there?

[Bichon Barb]

Let's talk! We decided to take up skiing after a 14 year hiatus. LOL. We took the plunge and bought new equipment -- DH-K2's, DS's-Alpines and me-Rossignols.

We've only been twice so far, but the boys (8 next week and 10) took to it right away! I've always been a super-cautious, slow skier (the kind that refuses to fall LOL), but I was pretty proud of my-38-year-old-self. DH is still really good at it.

Tell me about yourself? Where do you ski? Etc?

 

[snoopy]

We're a family of skiers - me (39), DH (42), and our two boys (8 & 5). I'm the same kind of skier that you are, and DH is a daredevil. I figure one of us has to have working legs! He used to drive me nuts when we skied together, constantly challenging me to push myself and go on the black diamond slopes with him, until one trip several years ago I just sort of lost it on him when he told me I would never be any better than an intermediate skier, and I sort of screamed that it was fine with me. And it is, I have no desire to be a better skier, I'm not trying out for the Olympics here.

We ski on the East Coast mostly, which means we are skiing on ice rather than snow. We mostly go to Seven Springs Ski Resort in PA, because there is a lot to do there besides ski (our family also enjoys ice skating as well). We also have been to Ski Liberty & Whitetail many times, which are relatively close by for daytrips.

We have been to Breckinridge, CO once and long to go back! We had planned to go on a ski vacation this year, but plans did not work out that way. Perhaps next!

 

[roliepolieoliefan]

I also am a cautious skier. And not very good either. LOL I've been skiing for a total of almost 20 years, going maybe three to four times a year for at least ten of those years and I think I'm no better than when I started. I like to ski a few times down the slopes then I'm done give me a drink and a warm fire. Could be why I still stink. My DH is very good and skis the black diamonds. My DS(5) will be on skiis at a real slope this year. We have some hills in our backyard and he skiied those last year. We mainly ski at the small resorts in the Laurel Mountains here in PA. But we've been to Peek and Peak, Holiday Valley, Snowshoe and best of all Kilington Vermont. I even liked it there.

 

[christinou]

I have not skiied since I was pregnant with my oldest who is now 8, I was super cautious, really not that good, but I really enjoyed it. We are from the same region that you are, and use to go to Greek Peak, Song Mountain, Labrador Mountain. My favorite is Stowe in Vermont, it is about an 8 hour drive.
My 8 year old signed up for the ski club at School and tonight is her first night of skiing at Greek Peak.

 

[Bichon Barb]

LOL! Maybe we should start a Wimpy Skiers Club!

When DH and I were dating, we skied at Song. We'll probably go there on Saturday or Sunday. We have a teeny hill right by our house, Four Seasons. We took the kids there the first time, and the second time we went to Labrador. I wasn't crazy about Lab, because there was only one "easier" hill.

Oh, I once went with DH and his family of skiers to Killington. I skied with his three sisters and felt like a real nitwit, because it was obvious I was holding them back.

We'd like to do a trip during the February break. Any recommendations for ski resorts in PA, NH VT or Ontario that are good for beginners?

 

[WDWguru]

I started on a ski trip for spring break in college about 12 years ago and now that we live in Utah, we must take advantage of the greatest snow on earth! And yes, it really, really is amazing. Deep, dry and hardly ever icy. I just wish we had more time to go up and do it. With work and all, we're lucky if we get up three or four times a season, but it's fantastic when we do. We normally go to Alta or Solitude in the Cottonwood Canyon.

I'm a fairly cautious skier, but a solid blue run regular and will try a black every now and then. DH likes to point his skis straight down the hill and go as fast as he can until he crashes... the steeper the better but no moguls. I just watch from the top and collect the pieces when he goes down. LOL!

 

[Phrebert]

I've been skiing for about 30 years now, and still Love it. We have a local ski area that always has tons of powder. I used to be a Ski Instructor and my record was that I skiied 99 days straight.

 

[snoopy]

Barb, try Seven Springs Resort in PA. I think you will enjoy it, and there is plenty of opportunity for the beginner. This is where both of my children started skiing.

 

[HauntedMansionGeek]

I'd be thrilled to join The Wimpy Skiers Club! LOL

As a kid, we went to various ski areas all through the winter. We'd go both Sat and Sunday, the whole family piling into the car.

In my younger days, I was a huge daredevil, hitting hills with names like "Cowards Gulch" or "The Big Chill".....but as an old lady, I found that I turned into a Wimpy Skier BIGTIME!

We hit the local ski areas mostly, Afton Alps, Trollhaugen, Val Croix...but we did go up to the upper Michigan area a few times and go to Indianhead mountain.

Snoopy, we went to Breckenridge too, but YEARS ago, before it was popular. There were these little teensy chalets at the base of the mountain that we stayed in. The town had dozens of dogs running wild in it. Seems people would go there in the summer and leave for home withOUT their dogs!
Sometimes the dogs would waltz right into your chalet like they owned the place! T'was a riot!

 

[Sandy V.]

We live in Colorado, and try to get up to the mountains 3-6 times per year. Sometimes it's actually easier when you have to make time to ski (as in take time off, make travel arrangements, etc.) than when you have them in your own backyard! Something always seems to come up!

Anyway, I am an intermediate skier, but I don't like to fall, so I am strictly and blue and green run person. My teenage daughter is the same. My husband and teenage son are bigger daredevils!

We like to ski Copper Mountain, Vail, and Breckenridge, although we've been to lots of smaller resorts here as well. The kids learned to ski at Ski Cooper, which was the home of the mountain patrol used in World War II. Great small family place.

Good luck, and have fun!!! Skiing is a great family sport.

 

[katerkat]

I love skiing! I started when I was about 12, skiing at Shawnee in the Poconos every year. Dragged my little sister into it, too. I got my own skis for high school graduation. Sophomore year of college, I got a chance for a week at Breckenridge in Colorado - so cool! Now I've got DH addicted, and we're moving to Washington State this summer, so next winter we're getting season passes!

 

[clutter]

Skiing was my passion, until I had my dd, that is!

I've skiied most of the CO, WY resorts. My favorite is Steamboat. Vail is a wonderful mountain, but just to chi-chi for my taste. Well, ok, I really love Telluride (before hollywood discovered it) and Jackson Hole, but you've gotta be willing to go for broke to enjoy them. However, it's a lot easier to be less cautious when there's less ice.

I didn't do a lot of eastern skiing, but I've heard great things about Hunter Mt and Greek Peak in NY. I've never been, but Gray Rocks in canada is a renowned all-inclusive (including meals) ski school in Canada. The head of the ski school I taught with swore by there.

Good luck. Now that dd's almost 7, I'm hoping to start us both up again.

 

[KarenC]

I skied in high school. Like you Barb, I was a very cautious skier. DH never snow skied but he water skied and played hockey. Apparently these were good sports to prepare for learning to snow ski in your 40's!

A few winters ago we were looking for a spring break idea. We decided to go sking in Vermont. We drove from Chicago and spent the week at Smugglers Notch. DS was a fairly decent snowboarder at the time, but the rest of us took beginner lessons for the week. Our DD (16 at the time) actually had fun spending the entire week learning to ski with mom and dad. Our DS would join us after our lessons and would "lower himself" to ski on the green and blue trails with us. We grew MUCH closer as a family.

Since then, we've tried to spend a few days sking together every winter. Not a lot of great places to go here in the flatlands! Every chance I get I tell people how much I wish I'd realized earlier what a great family vacation sking is.

 

[llebrekniT]

Hey Barb! I've never been skiing, just wondering when you're going to get your "most likely to speak your mind" rear-end back over to the Tagliarchy! We miss you there!

 

[deadheadbelle]

HERE YOU ARE!!!!! Since you aren't coming to us, we will come to you.....

I used to ski when I was little & lived in Michigan, but took a hiatus of about 20 years which ended when I transferred to college in West Virginia. I worked at a small ski resort (Winterplace) in W Va. while finishing college & took a few lessons (free, since I worked there) & picked it right back up. I really like to ski, I'm just not crazy about the "out of control" feeling that I usually feel at least once every time I head down a slope. DH has gone on many ski trips with his dad to Colorado & would like to take it up again. My best friend from college works in the Marketing dept. at Snowshoe in West Virginia & she is always trying to get me to bring the family up there. Maybe when DD-1 gets a few years older we'll venture over that way.

 

[Towncrier]

I am an EX-skier. I was never very good. I learned to ski on the hills of NE Ohio. I refuse to call them slopes because they were more like small mounds of dirt. When I moved to SoCal, I went skiing every weekend at Mammoth Lakes in NoCal. I became more and more bold until my very last ski trip there when I slammed into a tree at the bottom of an intermediate slope. It was very icy that day, and I fell down and continued to slide until a tree stopped me dead. Most bad skiers end up breaking a leg. I broke my elbow. And I have the scars from the two surgeries to prove it. The accident happened 20 years ago and I haven't been skiing since. And I don't miss it at all.

 

[Kallison]

The kids just learned at Bellayre in NY over New Year's. My DH also goes to Hunter Mt. when we visit the Catskills. Around here we want to try Blue Mountain and Spring Mountain, I believe they are both in Montgomery County. I need a good teaching program for me and oldest DH, we are both having slope anxiety!

 

[skiwee1]

Originally posted by snoopy
We're a family of skiers - me (39), DH (42), and our two boys (8 & 5). I'm the same kind of skier that you are, and DH is a daredevil. I figure one of us has to have working legs! He used to drive me nuts when we skied together, constantly challenging me to push myself and go on the black diamond slopes with him, until one trip several years ago I just sort of lost it on him when he told me I would never be any better than an intermediate skier, and I sort of screamed that it was fine with me. And it is, I have no desire to be a better skier, I'm not trying out for the Olympics here.

We ski on the East Coast mostly, which means we are skiing on ice rather than snow. We mostly go to Seven Springs Ski Resort in PA, because there is a lot to do there besides ski (our family also enjoys ice skating as well). We also have been to Ski Liberty & Whitetail many times, which are relatively close by for daytrips.

We have been to Breckinridge, CO once and long to go back! We had planned to go on a ski vacation this year, but plans did not work out that way. Perhaps next!

We go to Seven Springs every year also! We love it there. We always go up for a week the Monday after Presidents day. It is too far for a day trip so we try to get in 7 days worth of skiing at once. We also go to Ski Liberty and WhiteTail on day trips. There are 2 adults, a 20 y/o, 15 y/o and this year our 5 y/o DD will be joining us. We all start out slow but are skiing the double diamonds within a few days as we warm up. I am still a cautious skier because the older I get the longer I take to heal! LOL!

 

[Bichon Barb]

I checked out the Seven Springs website. Looks like a nice place but a bit far from here.

Have any of you been to Gore Mountain in the Adirondacks? We are talking about doing three nights there during break. I found some places that have cabins available during the Feb. break. I'm a bit worried about the low number of "easier" trails at Gore though.