Girls Ski

Don't let those chubby cheeks fool you, this six-year-old has been tearing up the French Alps.  This is Rocky's first ski of the season and she skied 7 days in a row.  That takes a lot of stamina!  Rocky is a solid debutant skier who can manage the blue slopes pretty well.  She's been practicing her turns and was proud to tell me that she knows how to do "French fries".  (Adults know them as parallel turns.)  I wonder if her ski instructor calls them "French fries" or pommes frites.

A Skiing Peanut

Jared (who is behind Peanut) describes Peanut as a fast and adventurous skier.  Last Christmas, Peanut was fast and reliably in control, but this year, he has technique.  The only glimpse I get of Peanut skiing is when he departs from the resort (hence these few shots of him in action) and I can see that he knows how to lean into the turns like the good adult skiers I see whizzing down the mountain.  In comparison, I'm still making wedge turns.  Who knew that this chill, goof-ball, 8-year-old would be so fierce on the slopes?  Like father, like son.

Orange Blur

Look for the gray and orange blur wearing a blue helmet in the middle of the screen.  It's Peanut skiing down a blue run.

Girls Ski!

This is my Rocky at age 4 skiing with daddy.

Ojo Caliente Mineral Springs

Ojo Caliente Apres Ski

Spa Day

A winding 90 minutes drive from Angel Fire is an enchanting mineral springs resort in the middle of nowhere New Mexico called Ojo Caliente.  After 2 days of skiing, I was ready for a relaxing day at the spa and was delighted when my friend and I arrived at this upscale, yet earthy resort nestled amongst the foot of the mountains.  Before and after our treatments, we dipped in eight geothermal mineral pools that have flowed from a subterranean volcanic aquifer for thousands of years.  Ojo is the only hot springs in the world with four different types of mineral water including lithia, iron, soda and arsenic.  The warm water was so inviting after walking around in the cool New Mexican air.  With softened skin, relaxed muscles, and a restored sense of inner balance, we handed in our robes and headed back to reality a little more at peace.

New Mexico Skiing

Angel Fire, NM - Spring Break 2015

Angel Fire, NM - Spring Break 2015

Our third ski trip as a family and it's been crazy fun.  We're back in Angel Fire one year later to the place where Peanut and Rocky first skied and the quaint village is just like we remembered.  We came with another family from Austin who has a sweet, six-year-old son.  He and Peanut have been racing each other down the slopes and the kids love having slumber parties every night.  This is what spring break is all about.

Spring skiing in New Mexico yields sunny, 60 degree days and snow that turns from icy in the morning to slushy in the afternoon resulting in lots of tempting puddles to slosh around in (ahem, Peanut!).

It's not powder, but the slopes have been very good to us.  I'm gaining more confidence on the slopes, french-frying more with some pizzas thrown in when I start going "too fast".  Peanut has left me in his dust and having a great time keeping up with Jared.  He's on runs that I can't even aspire to tackle, so thankfully Jared's taken some video for me to see Peanut's progress.  It's pretty incredible how easily skiing comes to him.  He's even leaning into his turns like the good skiers and for some reason, is obsessed with using poles.  In ski school they don't let the kids, but since Peanut is skiing with Jared every other day, we went ahead and got him some and I can tell Peanut feels like a rock star with them in his hands.

Jared says there's a small chance I may be able to catch up to Rocky, if I work harder.  (Thanks honey.)  He takes Rocky out of ski school a couple of hours early to ski with her.  Yesterday, she asked to go on the "big ski lift, the one for 4 people".  That lift goes up to the higher part of the mountain, so Jared hesitated, but Rocky insisted, so, of course, he took her.  (That's the difference between moms and dads.)  It took Rocky 30 minutes to get down that blue/green run, but she did it!  I didn't believe it until I saw the video footage.  I think she's going to pass me up on our next ski trip (and I can't wait until she does).

Ski Bums

Park City, Utah
December 2014

We're having a great time on the slopes.  The kids are having so much fun on their second ski trip and so are Jared and I.  The snow is powdery white and I'm kind of getting the hang of this skiing thing.  I'm still on the easy greens, but feeling a lot more confident than at Angel Fire last March.  I'm starting to understand why people think this is fun.

Spring Break 2014: Blacks and Blizzards

I've skied two, maybe three times in my life about 15 years ago.  I'm not good, but I have a little experience.  Even so, I knew by day 3, Peanut, who has never skied before or ever really seen snow, would ski circles around me.  Boy, did he prove me right.  I had one day of lessons, the kids had ski school for 3 days, and Jared, well, he's an expert so no lessons needed there.  Although, I was pretty curious to see how much of an "expert" Jared truly was.  Jared's usually modest, but when you ask him how well he skis, the answer is "pretty good"; which translated into normal people's vocabulary means, "I'm a bad ass".

By the end of the first day, I was comfortably going down the green slopes (where I remain the entire trip).  Peanut was also comfortably skiing down the greens, at a much more rapid speed than his mom.  He was looking good.  Rocky also enjoyed ski school.  Hers was a much more relaxed experience compared to Peanut.  Where Rocky had indoor and outdoor playtime, a short ski lesson, and naps, Peanut skied for 8 hours.

Rocky's first time seeing snow

[Cue the upbeat, adrenaline pumping music.]  

Let the fun begin!

Day two rolls around, the kids were pumped about going to ski school.  Jared and I were excited to see where Peanut would end up so Jared skied along with the class a couple of times.  Peanut kept up with his classmates and was really steady on his feet, so Jared decided to take him down a blue run.  I was paralyzed watching this little red blur speeding down the big slope and yelling "Simon stop, Simon stop" as he skied past me to the end of the run.  Then, this little 6 year old, turns his body and with complete control ... stops.  It was that easy.  We were so excited and proud to see little Peanut turn into a skier.

On day 3, Jared was up on a black run and guess who skis by?  You guessed it, Peanut.  Jared follows in disbelief that Peanut was skiing down a black run.  He finds me making my way down a green and tells me about our little guy.  The day was cut short around 2 PM because a heavy snow storm blows in.  Jared and Peanut squeeze in a last run down a steep blue, but this time, there's little visibility.  Peanut's claim to fame was he got to ski down a blizzard.  I think going down a black run on your third day of ever skiing qualifies as well.

I have to take a moment to comment on my husband's skiing.  Bad ass doesn't do justice to this guy's skills on the slopes.  Jared has a very distinct style - great posture, fast, quiet upper body, and all the movement comes from just a little flex in the hips.  He makes it look so easy.

We planned this trip with two other wonderful families from the kids' school.  Here's a group shot of some of the gang with their snowman.

Do you want to build a snow man?

Spring Break 2014: First Time Skiiers

7:45 AM - Our first morning at Angel Fire Ski Resort in Angel Fire, New Mexico.  We're on our way to dropping off the kids at ski school.  The kids did not know what to expect of this school they've been hearing about for days and Jared and I didn't know how long the kids would actually last in this 8 AM to 4 PM school.  Could Rocky look any more bored?

Spring Break 2014: Carlsbad Caverns and White Sands

First stop, Carlsbad Caverns.  The kids were fascinated with the stalagmites and stalactites for the first half of the tour (about 40 minutes), but almost every cravasse of the second half was filled with whining and boredom.  I really enjoy caverns and could have stayed there for another 2 hours.  To White Sands, we go.

I wasn't impressed when we first rolled up into White Sands National Monument, but once we got a few miles into the dunes, I totally got it.  We were surrounded by 360 degrees of cool white, powdery gypsum sand.  Once we parked, Peanut got out, took off his shoes, ran up the 30 feet dunes, and sled down.  (Note: Peanut has never seen a sled in his life.)  I felt equally as excited.

Up the hill we climbed.

And down we go!

Sand everywhere

Sledding at White Sands was incredibly fun and great exercise too.  Just don't forget the sunblock. 

Spring Break 2014: New Mexico Road Trip

Spring break 2014, the Slosbergs hit the open road and head west towards New Mexico.  With Peanut (6) and Rocky (3), Jared and I brave an 8 day road trip from Austin, Texas to New Mexico.  While skiing was our final destination, we wanted to make the journey fun, so a stop at Carlsbad Caverns and White Sands was added to the itinerary.  

The plan: 

Sunday
Austin to Carlsbad - 9 hours
Overnight in Carlsbad

Monday
Carlsbad Caverns
Carlsbad to Alamorgodo - 3 hours
Overnight in Alamorgodo

Tuesday
Play at White Sands
White Sands to Santa Fe - 4 hours
Overnight in Santa Fe

Wednesday
Santa Fe to Angel Fire Ski Resort - 2 hours
Relax/get ready in Angel Fire

Thursday, Friday, and Saturday
Ski in Angel Fire

Sunday

Angelfire to Austin - 14 hours

Armed with iPads, Kindles, Disney DVDs, and a convenience store worth of snacks, we hit the open road.  New Mexico, here we come!