Lest my enthusiasm confuse you, let me be clear: we are not strong skiers. We skied one time only in Japan and it was a blizzard and we couldn’t see anything. Skiing here in nice weather with the mountains in sight was a revelation to me. Yet I freely admit to being a fair weather skier.
Yesterday we got snowed out BUT scored the kids each a spot in a two-day class starting today that was previously unavailable. You would not believe the whining. You’d think we signed them up for ice baths. Of course we made them go anyway, got them geared up and on their way, then headed off to the mountain ourselves.
Something was not right. Was it the fresh powder? The wind? The wind gusting the fresh powder? I felt weirdly unsteady. It took me a couple runs and repeated tries to tighten my boot to realize these weren’t my boots at all. Isaac had trouble squashing his feet into his boots… because they were mine. Dang! These were two Eurosizes bigger! No wonder my skies had trouble locking onto them. I didn’t know where Isaac would be until lunchtime, so we tried to ski anyway. I found it very challenging to control my skies in big loose boots, and I went flying into the snow. Now the real trouble began—one ski binding would not accept the boot. It gave me trouble earlier too but I didn’t think much of it. I ended up having to hike down the dang mountain in enormous wiggly boots. I spent the next while looking for Isaac, slipping around in a sudden snow shower, and trading boots.
This was very exhausting. I thought today was the worst.
Isaac hadn’t noticed the ski boots were different. Isaac was having a great time in class learning to do jumps and turns and go fast with better control. Chris and I skied past Eloise and her new friend hanging out on the slopes. At the end of the day, Elo skied down an obstacle course, around a bunch of people, and straight into a gentle hug around my waist. She had a great time. Chris also gained confidence and stability in his runs today. He had a great time.
I still thought it was the worst. Grump to the hot tub.
Cruising the Boardwalk in Ostend
Athen’s Fish Market
New Beginnings
Valentine Brewing, Belgian Edition