On Tuesday, Mazen and I skipped school and took a day trip to Wintergreen for some skiing. Here are the highlights!
Our Ski Day Recap
Wintergreen is about 45 minutes from Charlottesville. We are so lucky to be able to drive to the mountains for a ski day and the beach for a weekend!
We had plans to go several times earlier this year to use our new skis and they kept selling out of lift tickets just when we were ready to buy (we also got rain and an ice storm other times). So this time we were determined to make it happen!
We started with a big breakfast to get us energized, and we dropped little Birchie off at school before we left.
Logistics of Our Day Trip to Wintergreen: Driving, Parking, Gearing Up
I was a little nervous to be the one in charge of all the logistics – parking, gearing up, getting to the slopes safely while carrying our skis. Put two anxious people together and you start to melt down! We went slowly, hit the bathrooms, and went straight to the slopes since we bought our tickets online. (Of course my lift ticket card was invalid when I got to the bottom but they let me through to get it fixed!)
We had a GORGEOUS day!!!
Look at those mountain views!
We pulled up our face masks in the lift lines. There weren’t too many people out there at all – the beauty of a Tuesday – and we didn’t have to wait at all.
Our new skis and gear were awesome!!
Lunch Break
Thomas told me from their last day trip to Wintergreen February there was a pizza window, so we planned on that for lunch. It was pretty good pizza after working up a nice appetite!
Does this boy look happy or what?! We shared a cookie, too. (Note the bangs – he gave them a trim!!)
Mazen is an amazing skier now!
He beat me down every hill in half the time. By early afternoon we had gone down all combinations of the green (easy) slopes and were starting to wonder if we should try Eagle’s Swoop. I think the jump from easy to intermediate is actually QUITE a big jump, so we weren’t sure! But after a while we decided to just go for it. I asked a staff member if we’d be able to wedge our way down if it was too steep and he said yes.
Do we look scared!?
At the very top! You can see the green slopes in the background. We went slowly, but we did it! And then we did it again. So fun to have more paths to try. Next time we’re going to try some of the other medium-level slopes.
Back in Cville…
Thomas and Birch were doing sports of their own!
My knees gave out before the rest of me, and I was glad to take off those boots around 3:00.
We came home and whipped up this Blue Apron stir-fry that tasted SO great after all that time on the mountain.
Denise says
Your skin looks amazing! You’re glowing!
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog says
Looks like you had a great time! 🙂
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog
http://charmainenyw.com
Ellen says
Awesome! We did the same thing this year. I highly recommend it, especially during pandemic times — so nice to have an uncrowded mountain!
Kath Younger says
Yes never again will I go on a Saturday!
Kimberly A Marcus says
What a wonderful day you had. I’ve been taking my boys (17 & 14) every Friday night skiing to Shawnee Mtn., Poconos. We’ve been having such a great time with the snowy winter we’ve been having in NJ.
Not sure if you have a nordic center in your area, but I took the boys and hubby on a snowshoeing hike – the nordic center rents snowshoes and cross country skies. Might be another fun family option if you have the snow for it. From the pictures it looks like the surrounding area is void of snow, and Birch might be a little too young yet, but it’s an idea for a future snowy winter.
Take care, stay safe and enjoy the rest of winter.
Kath Younger says
I went snowshoeing once in Montana and it was so fun! I’d love to try cross country skiing too. We’ll have to head north or west for those.
Angie says
We live right outside Park City and so far this year I’ve skied 23 times this year Mostly with our kids and a few times on my own and with girlfriends and it’s the best! We never ski on Saturdays, with or without a pandemic. What makes things for us is everyone in the family has their own ski backpack (found on Amazon) and they keep track of their gear. I just need to grab masks!
Kath Younger says
Oh please tell me about this ski backpack!!! We need something to carry the gear in even if just from basement to car and car to slopes.
Angie says
https://www.amazon.com/Unigear-Backpack-Goggles-Snowboard-Accessories/dp/B07X5VKFBY/ref=sr_1_5?dchild=1&keywords=ski+backpack+unigear&qid=1615316961&sr=8-5
This is the one my kids have. We got them on sale earlier this year. You can find them for around $30 on Amazon too
Kath Younger says
Thanks!
Sam Smith says
That’s the perfect way to enjoy the day, with family.
Brenda L Campbell says
I grew up skiing. My father was on the ski patrol so we got discounted season passes. I was allowed 4 skip days from school to go skiing mid week with my parents. It was so awesome! Totally different vibe on the mountain during the week. Mid week skiing is our preferred time to go now.
Kath Younger says
what a cool memory! I love that they let you skip 4x.