I want to start this by saying that Linda and I are in fairly good shape. She teaches Zumba multiple times a week, and I workout 4-5 days a week (well I was and will be again soon). This is important because it lends itself to later bits of this story.
We decided to use our Groupon (World Resort International 7 night stay to any where in North America, Mexico, or Hawaii - HELLA DEAL) to stay somewhere relatively local and have an adventure. Considering we live so close to good skiing and neither of us have had lessons, plus we have to be able to keep up with children, this is how we decided to spend our vacation... All four of us were going to learn how to ski.
I did a little research online and found a great deal at Mt. Bachelor in Oregon (Ski or Ride in 5). Basically for $200.00 per person you get everything you need to learn how to ski including 5 lessons with some of the best instructors around.
We decided to use our Groupon (World Resort International 7 night stay to any where in North America, Mexico, or Hawaii - HELLA DEAL) to stay somewhere relatively local and have an adventure. Considering we live so close to good skiing and neither of us have had lessons, plus we have to be able to keep up with children, this is how we decided to spend our vacation... All four of us were going to learn how to ski.
I did a little research online and found a great deal at Mt. Bachelor in Oregon (Ski or Ride in 5). Basically for $200.00 per person you get everything you need to learn how to ski including 5 lessons with some of the best instructors around.
We planned ahead and took the children out of school for a week. We then headed out to Redmond Oregon, where we stayed at the Eagle Crest Resort (remember Groupon = WINNER deal). In order to do this we tortured the children by making them do 2 weeks worth of homework before we left, freeing up our vacation to be just that - a vacation!
In order to keep food and living costs at a minimum we picked a location that offered a kitchen, washer/dryer etc. We hit the local Fred Meyer multiple times to stock up on the essentials for the week. Talk about a money and time saver. The commute from the resort to the mountain was about 45 minutes, so being able to just get up and hit the road was important to us. Eagle Crest is in Redmond, OR which is surrounded by hiking trails that run along the Deschutes River, Mountain views and various wildlife. We loved it! The condos were very nicely decorated and well furnished.
In order to keep food and living costs at a minimum we picked a location that offered a kitchen, washer/dryer etc. We hit the local Fred Meyer multiple times to stock up on the essentials for the week. Talk about a money and time saver. The commute from the resort to the mountain was about 45 minutes, so being able to just get up and hit the road was important to us. Eagle Crest is in Redmond, OR which is surrounded by hiking trails that run along the Deschutes River, Mountain views and various wildlife. We loved it! The condos were very nicely decorated and well furnished.
DAY 1
After spending Sunday on the road and visiting Crater Lake (what a long crazy trip that was) Monday marked Day 1 on the slopes. We were all very nervous and anxious about taking our first lesson. The weather wasn't that great as it was snowing with light fog and wind. After finding our way up the mountain, we were fitted for boots, skis and poles....and we were off. After talking to the instructors we decided it would be better for all involved if the children went with one instructor, Eric, and Linda and I with another, Laurel. I knew the children would listen better and I'd be way less stressed. The beauty of taking lessons during the week - No people! The Ski or Ride in 5 program included 5 group lessons. We decided to go Monday thru Friday in Mid Feb = PRIVATE LESSONS ! The children had their own instructor as did we.
We started with basic drills; learning to balance, slide and making nice slow turns on a very mild grade. We were riding on the "magic carpet" up the hill then slowly making our way down. I was amazed at how fast the children picked it up and took off, especially Ruby. She was flying down the little hill, making nice turns and duck walking up the hill like she'd been doing it her whole life. Turns out all the rollerblading she's been doing in the house was good for something (she never takes them off, she eats dinner in them, does homework in them, etc). Tristen however, had a little harder time. We found out why on Day 2.
Linda and I made good, steady progress. There was a local reporter/photographer on the mountain that day doing a story on new skiers. I guess we fit the bill as he took plenty of pictures of us (more later on this). We graduated from the training hill to Mt. Marshmallow in no time. First we had to tackle the chair lift. Now we've been told repeatedly the chair lift is one of the hardest parts of the whole skiing experience. Getting on the chairs wasn't so bad, getting OFF the chair was a little different. Laurel did a great job keeping us (Linda) distracted and not looking down.
After spending Sunday on the road and visiting Crater Lake (what a long crazy trip that was) Monday marked Day 1 on the slopes. We were all very nervous and anxious about taking our first lesson. The weather wasn't that great as it was snowing with light fog and wind. After finding our way up the mountain, we were fitted for boots, skis and poles....and we were off. After talking to the instructors we decided it would be better for all involved if the children went with one instructor, Eric, and Linda and I with another, Laurel. I knew the children would listen better and I'd be way less stressed. The beauty of taking lessons during the week - No people! The Ski or Ride in 5 program included 5 group lessons. We decided to go Monday thru Friday in Mid Feb = PRIVATE LESSONS ! The children had their own instructor as did we.
We started with basic drills; learning to balance, slide and making nice slow turns on a very mild grade. We were riding on the "magic carpet" up the hill then slowly making our way down. I was amazed at how fast the children picked it up and took off, especially Ruby. She was flying down the little hill, making nice turns and duck walking up the hill like she'd been doing it her whole life. Turns out all the rollerblading she's been doing in the house was good for something (she never takes them off, she eats dinner in them, does homework in them, etc). Tristen however, had a little harder time. We found out why on Day 2.
Linda and I made good, steady progress. There was a local reporter/photographer on the mountain that day doing a story on new skiers. I guess we fit the bill as he took plenty of pictures of us (more later on this). We graduated from the training hill to Mt. Marshmallow in no time. First we had to tackle the chair lift. Now we've been told repeatedly the chair lift is one of the hardest parts of the whole skiing experience. Getting on the chairs wasn't so bad, getting OFF the chair was a little different. Laurel did a great job keeping us (Linda) distracted and not looking down.
We spent the rest of the lesson learning the intricacies of the Marshmallow green run. By the end of the lesson we were ALL very tired with wobbly legs. We called it a day and headed home.
Day 2
When we woke up on day 2 we were expecting to be extremely sore, but surprisingly we weren't (at all). It was strange, but this is where Linda being a Zumba instructor and me working out so much paid off. We didn't feel a thing. Needless to say we were very happy about this.
The drive up the mountain was a bit long since it was snowing so hard and visibility was limited. Once suited up and ready to go, we headed out to meet our instructors for the day. The children were introduced to Daredevil Darius and we were matched up with a middle-aged, humorous woman named Deb. Darius was fantastic with the children. We started the day by heading up the chairlift. This is when both Deb and Darius informed us that it was very obvious that Tristen had recently gone through a growth spurt. They were right! He had grown at least 4 inches over the last 6-8 months. Turns out if your child has gone through a spurt like that, their muscles have a very hard time keeping up with and coordinating with the bones. They see it all the time and know how to work with children in this situation. As we started down the hill, Deb took Ruby, Linda and myself, leaving Darius and Tristen to have some 1 on 1 ski time. They went over the basics again and really spent some time reviewing how to work with the skis.
Deb was a hoot! She was very outgoing and a great instructor. The weather deteriorated into almost a white out, dumping a ton of fresh powder on the slopes. We headed down the hill and split up into our normal groups. Linda and I continued working on making clean turns, while the children tackled Dilly Dally Ally.
By the time the day's lesson was complete I was ready for some runs. Linda and Ruby were DONE. Tristen, on the other hand, decided to brave another run with me. This is when he decided to introduce me to Dilly Dally Ally. First let me explain what this is. Picture two columns of trees spread wide enough apart to form a semi half pipe shaped narrow run, full of little mogules, curves and bumps. Tristen had a lesson on how to make it through this tortuous cavern of hell. I had not. Let's just say I almost hit a few trees, ejected myself out up and over the side, then was spit out the bottom, on my bottom. While I can laugh about this now, during the run I was not a very happy camper. Needless to say, that was the last run of the day.
When we woke up on day 2 we were expecting to be extremely sore, but surprisingly we weren't (at all). It was strange, but this is where Linda being a Zumba instructor and me working out so much paid off. We didn't feel a thing. Needless to say we were very happy about this.
The drive up the mountain was a bit long since it was snowing so hard and visibility was limited. Once suited up and ready to go, we headed out to meet our instructors for the day. The children were introduced to Daredevil Darius and we were matched up with a middle-aged, humorous woman named Deb. Darius was fantastic with the children. We started the day by heading up the chairlift. This is when both Deb and Darius informed us that it was very obvious that Tristen had recently gone through a growth spurt. They were right! He had grown at least 4 inches over the last 6-8 months. Turns out if your child has gone through a spurt like that, their muscles have a very hard time keeping up with and coordinating with the bones. They see it all the time and know how to work with children in this situation. As we started down the hill, Deb took Ruby, Linda and myself, leaving Darius and Tristen to have some 1 on 1 ski time. They went over the basics again and really spent some time reviewing how to work with the skis.
Deb was a hoot! She was very outgoing and a great instructor. The weather deteriorated into almost a white out, dumping a ton of fresh powder on the slopes. We headed down the hill and split up into our normal groups. Linda and I continued working on making clean turns, while the children tackled Dilly Dally Ally.
By the time the day's lesson was complete I was ready for some runs. Linda and Ruby were DONE. Tristen, on the other hand, decided to brave another run with me. This is when he decided to introduce me to Dilly Dally Ally. First let me explain what this is. Picture two columns of trees spread wide enough apart to form a semi half pipe shaped narrow run, full of little mogules, curves and bumps. Tristen had a lesson on how to make it through this tortuous cavern of hell. I had not. Let's just say I almost hit a few trees, ejected myself out up and over the side, then was spit out the bottom, on my bottom. While I can laugh about this now, during the run I was not a very happy camper. Needless to say, that was the last run of the day.
Day 3
On day 3 we woke up a little sore, but not bad at all, just some tired muscles. The major difference on this day was the WEATHER. Holy crap it was gorgeous! Truly a magnificent day on the mountain. It was crazy busy with local peeps taking advantage of the sunshine and the fresh powder from the night before. The weather was so nice, we all ended up stripping off our jackets for the day.
The children were assigned to yet another good instructor, Ray. By the end of the day Tristen was way more confident and skiing much better. Ray was also able to get "Ruby the Rocket" down Dilly Dally Ally. Our instructor for day three was Eric (the same Eric the children had day 1). He was informative, and took the time to really explain things in detail to us. By now we were doing very well.
On day 3 we woke up a little sore, but not bad at all, just some tired muscles. The major difference on this day was the WEATHER. Holy crap it was gorgeous! Truly a magnificent day on the mountain. It was crazy busy with local peeps taking advantage of the sunshine and the fresh powder from the night before. The weather was so nice, we all ended up stripping off our jackets for the day.
The children were assigned to yet another good instructor, Ray. By the end of the day Tristen was way more confident and skiing much better. Ray was also able to get "Ruby the Rocket" down Dilly Dally Ally. Our instructor for day three was Eric (the same Eric the children had day 1). He was informative, and took the time to really explain things in detail to us. By now we were doing very well.
As you can see the lessons are really paying off. What's funny is the difference in the way Linda and I ski. I tend to be faster down the hill making sharp turns, while she takes her time gently gliding down the hill making perfect 'S's. We took morning lessons so we could spend the afternoon skiing. By the end of the lessons we were ready to take our first family trip up the lift. Tristen and I were the first to rocket down the hill while Ruby and Linda just took their time. We spent the better part of the afternoon just riding and skiing. One note worthy incident happened as Tristen and I were on our final run. He and I were having a good time when I noticed a little person had fallen in front of me down the hill a bit. I quickly calculated my turns and figured I could avoid her and the person she was talking to. I guess she saw me as well and decided she needed to try and crawl out of my way. Well, that didn't work out very well as she moved right into my path. I barely missed running her over, all the while crashing to avoid her. I'm sure it looked worse than it was, but my knee wasn't happy afterwards. All's well that end's well. We packed up and headed home after hours of lessons and free skiing!
Day 4
Day 4 was just crazy.
First off, we were in the local paper and all the ski instructors saw it. They even had the article posted in their office. The story itself was about one of the ski instructors and the reporter, but all of the pix were of mi familia, see for yourself - Bend Bulletin (be sure to check out all the photos). Secondly, the weather was horrid. It was raining and sloppy all over the mountain.
Lastly, it was school day on the mountain. There were bus loads of children all over the place, This also represented the first day we had other non-St.Clairs in our "group" lessons.
There were so many children of varying ages, Tristen and Ruby ended up in different group lessons with children their own ages. While he wasn't too excited by this, Tristen received his first lesson with poles. He found the poles to be distracting and felt they just got in the way. Ruby was assigned to a group with other little girls. As it turned out they weren't so nice, but she managed to hold her own, and had a good time despite them.
Once again, Linda and I were assigned to yet another good instructor (forgot her name). I especially liked the way she would ski alongside/behind us and give us on the spot instructions to help correct problems as they were happening. She also carried a little goggle squeegee that came in very handy. Part way through the lesson it was time to move off the Green runs and over to Blue. This was a bit nerve racking at first, especially given the weather. At the top of a run named Carnival, I got my first introduction to a Pine. I tried to turn one way and ended up going the other way right in to that old tree. Oh well - it happens. The fog started rolling in making visibility even worse. Turns out that wasn't so bad, as it kept a lot of people off the mountain and helped us not see how steep the runs were. These more challenging runs were a nice change of pace, although my legs were being pushed a little more. By the time lessons were over we were soaked, and with the change of runs our legs were DONE. I also spent a bigger portion of this day on my arse. For some reason I just kept falling and running into the instructor. At one point my skis were crossed, I was bent over and just slowly sliding right in to the instructor AGAIN. Linda still gets a laugh out of that.
Here is a little tour of one of the Blue runs we did, It is shown here in MUCH better weather than we had (we obviously didn't take this video).
Day 4 was just crazy.
First off, we were in the local paper and all the ski instructors saw it. They even had the article posted in their office. The story itself was about one of the ski instructors and the reporter, but all of the pix were of mi familia, see for yourself - Bend Bulletin (be sure to check out all the photos). Secondly, the weather was horrid. It was raining and sloppy all over the mountain.
Lastly, it was school day on the mountain. There were bus loads of children all over the place, This also represented the first day we had other non-St.Clairs in our "group" lessons.
There were so many children of varying ages, Tristen and Ruby ended up in different group lessons with children their own ages. While he wasn't too excited by this, Tristen received his first lesson with poles. He found the poles to be distracting and felt they just got in the way. Ruby was assigned to a group with other little girls. As it turned out they weren't so nice, but she managed to hold her own, and had a good time despite them.
Once again, Linda and I were assigned to yet another good instructor (forgot her name). I especially liked the way she would ski alongside/behind us and give us on the spot instructions to help correct problems as they were happening. She also carried a little goggle squeegee that came in very handy. Part way through the lesson it was time to move off the Green runs and over to Blue. This was a bit nerve racking at first, especially given the weather. At the top of a run named Carnival, I got my first introduction to a Pine. I tried to turn one way and ended up going the other way right in to that old tree. Oh well - it happens. The fog started rolling in making visibility even worse. Turns out that wasn't so bad, as it kept a lot of people off the mountain and helped us not see how steep the runs were. These more challenging runs were a nice change of pace, although my legs were being pushed a little more. By the time lessons were over we were soaked, and with the change of runs our legs were DONE. I also spent a bigger portion of this day on my arse. For some reason I just kept falling and running into the instructor. At one point my skis were crossed, I was bent over and just slowly sliding right in to the instructor AGAIN. Linda still gets a laugh out of that.
Here is a little tour of one of the Blue runs we did, It is shown here in MUCH better weather than we had (we obviously didn't take this video).
Day 5
Graduation day - Another fantastic day on the mountain. Being that it was the Friday before a 3 day weekend, it was a bit busier than earlier in the week. The weather was awesome for our morning lessons. Again we had an actual group lesson (with the same people from our last class). The children were again split up by age which worked out perfect.
Tristen and some other older boys in his group went crazy. They actually left the east side of mountain and skied some pretty advanced runs on the main slopes. They also traversed along a few connector paths between the runs (Pine Martin, West Village Getback, etc.) Below, Flat Stanley is standing below some of the beginner runs. It looked and sounded like they had an amazing day on the mountain. Ruby had fun with her group as well. They spent a lot of time maneuvering over the bumps and grooves that make up Dilly Dally Ally (a.k.a. the Crack run for children).
Graduation day - Another fantastic day on the mountain. Being that it was the Friday before a 3 day weekend, it was a bit busier than earlier in the week. The weather was awesome for our morning lessons. Again we had an actual group lesson (with the same people from our last class). The children were again split up by age which worked out perfect.
Tristen and some other older boys in his group went crazy. They actually left the east side of mountain and skied some pretty advanced runs on the main slopes. They also traversed along a few connector paths between the runs (Pine Martin, West Village Getback, etc.) Below, Flat Stanley is standing below some of the beginner runs. It looked and sounded like they had an amazing day on the mountain. Ruby had fun with her group as well. They spent a lot of time maneuvering over the bumps and grooves that make up Dilly Dally Ally (a.k.a. the Crack run for children).
Linda and I were matched up with an instructor referred to as Orange Coat Dave. This is the Orange Coat Dave from the newspaper article we were featured in above. He really pushed us since it was our last day. We spent the entire day on the Blue runs, still trying to perfect our turns. By the time we did our last run of the day Linda had had enough. Her right knee was getting very tired (I can see how after 5 straight days of skiing). Dave decided to push us a little further by taking us on an advanced run known as Rooster Tail. This was to teach us how to ski down extremely steep runs or parts of runs. As we approached the run we began hearing a lot of crying and screaming. Turns out a dad was trying to teach his young son this same thing, only he was having nothing to do with it. He was part-way down and not moving. So now we are having to head down this fairly steep, fairly narrow run while trying not hit this poor child or his father. The lesson was all about making very short and sharp, full 1/2 circle turns to control your speed. We successfully made it down to the next run (although I almost lost it at one point). What an amazing feeling to know that we went from first time skiers to being able to make runs like that! By the time lessons ended we decided to make 2 more family ski runs before calling it a day/week. We were all very tired, with sore/tired legs and ready to just be done on skis.
All in all, this was one of THE best vacations ever! We all had an exceptionally good time doing something that I hope we continue to keep up with. I simply can't recommend the Ski Ride in 5 Program at Mt. Bachelor enough. The people were friendly, the instructors were awesome, and the whole experience was just fantastic!
All in all, this was one of THE best vacations ever! We all had an exceptionally good time doing something that I hope we continue to keep up with. I simply can't recommend the Ski Ride in 5 Program at Mt. Bachelor enough. The people were friendly, the instructors were awesome, and the whole experience was just fantastic!