The final day of skiing started with rain and drizzle. I was a bit concerned that this would mean the skiing may not be on, especially as it was slushy before. The temperature however, was dropping like a stone.
In a weird weather scenario I’ve not experienced before as I loaded the car, the rain was falling but the ground had turned to sheet ice. It meant skating with armfuls of ski gear to the back of the car whilst trying not to get a car park related impact injury….
As we arrived at the Gondola it was still raining. The snow was still completely there. It was our last day though so we weren’t going to miss out. Some people were looking at the skies and starting to make the decision not to go. Us hardy brits were still up for it.
The lifts weren’t open immediately as the top of the mountain was covered in cloud and apparently very icy. We stood in a queue waiting to get started as the rain started to cross into fine hail. This was good news as getting wet would probably have meant an enforced early finish. The lower lift on the other side of the piste then opened. It only went up the nursery lifts but we joined the stream of people determined to do some skiing.
The temperature continued to fall and the seats on the lifts now had sheet ice across them. It meant it was a little uncomfortable to sit on but gave Callan endless amusement trying to pick it all off.
We stayed on the lower part of the mountain for a while. There were several green and one blue run which meant Amy was in her element. She was cruising down the mountain, building her confidence as the hail now turned to snow and the conditions began to get easier.
We went for a longer lift to go up into the upper parts of the mountain with the intention of stopping at the mid station called Legacy Lodge for lunch. The snow was now beginning to cover the icy bashed piste which was actually lending itself to the best under ski conditions of the week with the visibility being a bit more tricky.
It was now approaching -8 and with a little dampness from earlier it was time to warm up.
After lunch we returned to the lower part of the mountain again. We had found a snow part with jumps and banking that the boys wanted to test their skills on. As the runs progressed the speed increased as well as the amount of air of the jumps. Callan had an off camera fall he told us about with a smile on his face whilst Harrison was determined to go faster and higher than anyone.
We also needed to do the family panoramic photo which has become a bit of a ski holiday tradition. After several failed attempts with other skiers photo bombing and the huffing of family participants as the wait continued we managed to get the photo below. Nicely captures the feel of the mountain on a snowy day.
The boys and I went for a final blast from top to bottom whilst Amy remained to polish her technique at the bottom before hanging it up for another year. We rode the Gondola to the summit and then blasted down Callan’s favourite Ilmar’s Alley run. It’s Presidents Day weekend (the Monday being the main bank holiday) which meant it was getting busy. We dodged through the other skiers and boarders before arriving for one last descent through the snow park. This meant Harrison was going to leave nothing on the table. I followed him as he hit the first of the two big jumps with maximum attack. The air was impressive as he fired himself into the air, the snow parting and whistling in his wake. The landing was not quite to the same standard as he caught the back of his skis and pirouetted in a pile into a pile of snow. Quickly dusting himself off, confirmed the absence of injury and then immediately styling it out he headed for the second big jump. I wondered if this one would end in equal disaster but he pulled it over with style recovering all snow cred…
The skiing was now finished. We returned our gear and stopped for a few photos of the river as we returned to the car park.
On returning to the room we settled down for a rest and a got the photo below out of the hotel window.
It wasn’t long before hunger set in. We needed to go and get a new ski bag as ours had been damaged on the flight over. The thought was to buy a replacement and pick up pizza. The boys decided to stay tucked up in bed whilst we went to Lake Placid.
Tomorrow we’ll spend more time in the Town but the Olympic outdoor speed skating rink was open and lit up as passed looking for a car parking spot.
After finding a bottle of wine and a local pizza place we ordered take out. The pizza was lovely and the boys really enjoyed their meat feast which is now planned as left overs for breakfast..
We thoroughly enjoyed the skiing. The mountain was great. Apart from today (as it’s bank holiday weekend) we practically had the mountain to ourselves. Love skiing in America.
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