Today we tried something with the kids that we have held off with for a long time. Mostly because of cost and partly because of age. Today we took them to Mount Baker to go skiing/snowboarding. Isaac's friend sold Isaac a snowboard for cheap and for the last three years, everytime we went to the library Job always checks out books about snowboarding. He is always talking about it and dreaming about it, trying it out on sleds by standing while going down the hill. We figured that this may be the year to try it out. So up we went. This is Lona's thoughts:
"I liked the chair lift a lot. (Big smilely face) I told my teacher that my brother said snowboarding is easier than skiing (like he would really know). My teacher said, 'skiing is easier than snowboarding." We're both against the brothers. I liked to go on the chair lift and ski around the half pipe. I learned how to do the wedge. I learned how to get off and on the chair lift (very important with skiing). I learned how to make really steep turns. I liked my teacher a lot. He taught himself how to ski and now he can ski backwards. The towrope was harder than the chair lift."
These are Isaac's thoughts:
"I think it's pretty hard. I learned how to heel slide, toe slide and stop. I think the chair lift is easier than the rope tow except for the getting off . On the tow rope you don't have to jump to get off. I like the speed and the feel of wind on my face when I go face. I like the chairlift a lot."
These are Job's thoughts:
"It was really fun and I thought the chair lift would be a lot more scarry. I had a really good teacher because he demonstrated stuff for us, he told us how to do it, what muscles to lean on and what feet to lean on. He made us have a lot of effort with it. I'm goofy footed. Goofy means if you are right footed and your right foot goes forward."
John and I hung out in the lodge watching Lona and her teacher work on skills on the rope tow. It was virtually empty. It was just Lona and her teacher Tom. Job and Isaac and their teacher Jesse. They had private lessons and learned so much. I don't think we'll ever go on a weekend. I think we're going to go next week and I'm going to take lessons too. I haven't skied in 15 years or so. They have a beginner's package (lift, lessons & rental) for $47. This sounds like a lot but if you were to rent and get a lift for an adult it would be $75. I think that after that long I could use a refresher course. I brought my skis up thinking that I would try but my bindings are too old and they can't adjust them becasuse of liability issues, but my boots are good. I am very thankful for MP3 who make this possible.
The only sad part was that it rained. Good for the kids it makes it a little slower skiing though but they were soaked by the time they were done. Also Isaac spent 40 minutes on the rope tow and had a bad low with 2 units active (which means that he had insulin still in his system). Three cuties and a handful of jellybeans later he was ready for his lesson. He was popping jellybeans the whole way down the mountain today and he had suspended his pump. Snowboarding really uses the sugars, it's almost like being a regular kid, eating without insulin. He is super careful though and carries his meter with him and food.
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