Ski Bunnies

Despite the chaos that is going on in our lives at the moment...the annual Hein family ski vacation was still full steam ahead. As stressful as it was to think we could leave....it was a much needed vacation! I always have mixed feelings about this getaway...#1 I hate cold weather, so I use the term 'vacation' loosely...I mean we already are surrounded by cold and snow why do we have to travel to go see more of it? Plus....MY idea of a vacation usually consists of water, sand, and an umbrella drink in my hand. Oh well....here comes the part of why I'm such a great wife :) This trip is Nathan's trip...he's pretty much been skiing since he could walk...and EVERYONE in his family skis...so therefore I must learn too. So this brings me to reason #2 of why this is a bit more stressful for me....have you ever tried to learn to ski/snowboard as an adult? IT SUCKS!! I tried skiing the first couple of years we started on this trip and it went ok....but I saw the snowboarders...and I thought..'that looks like fun...and it looks easier to do'...so for the past 3-4 years I've tried snowboarding. Now it might be easier to do....but I do think it is harder to learn. I'm so sore by day three...it's much harder to get off a ski lift with a board than with skis, you basically fall on the same two/three spots all day...your wrists, your tailbone, or your knees, and it's a lot harder to get up once you have fallen...especially if you've fallen on a flat area of the mountain. I'm basically sore from head to toe and then add altitude sickness on top of that....this 'vacation' ends up being more work than anything!! But the views are beautiful...I could learn to like snow if I had these views to look forward to everyday. 

Nathan and I flew into Denver and Gpa and Gma Streeper picked us up and drove us up the mountain to Beavercreek. My first evening in the condo I spent in the bathtub. 

Our first afternoon off the slopes...enjoying a champagne toast at the Chop House. 

And who could resist one of these?!?

It's always very nice on the muscles to soak in the hot tub after spending the day on the mountain. 

So snowboarding has been kind of hard for me to get the hang of..but one of my big problems is that I've only been able to do it once a year...I haven't been able to practice my 'skills' in the heat of the Houston summers. Last year I didn't take any lessons and I struggled a bit, so this year Nathan said he would take some lessons with me. The instructors are always great and you get great fundamentals and technique. I definitely improved this year...I conquered the chair lifts, and are starting to string my turns together. I just need to work on my speed! Nathan of course was a natural....all his years of skiing really helped him out. But I must admit it was comforting to me to see him wipe out a few times!!! Now he knows what I've been going through the last few years! 

Everyday we meet at Spruce Saddle for lunch, as you can imagine the food on top of the mountain is really expensive. It's long been the Hein tradition to pack our own lunch. Mark wears a fanny pack and carries the sandwiches as he skis all morning...sometimes they can be quite squished depending on how many times he's fallen throughout the morning. The typical Hein lunch consists of a ham or roast beef sandwich and a rebel bar....and all the water you can drink to ward off altitude sickness. 

On the chair lift...riding down the mountain. We still aren't quite advanced enough to ride the blue runs all the way down to the bottom of the mountain. 

Here we are with our instructor Bill...he's originally from St. Louis and was a great help to both of us! We had two days of lessons. 

Some more pretty pictures of the mountain. We had fabulous weather...sunny and 'warm' at around 33 degrees everyday. 

An entire slope of bumps or moguls....maybe someday I'll be brave enough to try this run. Probably not though. 

Someone's idea of a snowboard rack at Spruce Saddle. 

A bird's eye view of the Beavercreek Village Area. 

I abstained from the slopes on the third day...I let Nathan go ski with the fam while I enjoyed the luxurious spa at the Park Hyatt....Allegria Spa to be exact. It was heavenly! They advise you to come an hour before your treatments to enjoy the Aqua Sanitas Water Sanctuary. It's a series of five different mineral water pools designed to heal and relax. I enjoyed a full body wildflower scrub, massage, and facial. Well worth it!  

After the spa Marilyn and I bought a scenic ride on the lift up to Spruce Saddle to eat lunch with everyone else. After lunch I went shopping in the village area. An impromptu concert occurred while I was drinking some tea. The Undertones...an all male a-cappella group from Notre Dame broke into song. They treated us to about 6 songs and they were really good...I felt like I was on the 'Sing-Off'! 

After Nathan was done skiing, he met me at the ice skating rink so I could again watch him fall since I've been falling on my ass every trip for the last 10 years! 

I will admit...he did finally get the hang of skating after about a 1/2 hour on the ice. 

The Beavercreek tree at night. 

Some cheesy photos from the mountain top. 

Until next year!