The last day’s skiing started with a trip to the ski park again. This was something the boys had absolutely loved at the finish of the day before and were keen to test their skills again.
Amy took her fast route round the outside whilst the boys and I hit the jumps and rollers. There were two competitions going on as it was a Saturday. One was a state championship final slalom and the other was a freestyle over the huge jumps. This did mean that the whole resort was busy and particularly the ski park.
As it was early morning the light conditions were challenging. You would move from bright sunlight to shade which made it tough for your eyes to adjust quickly. This bit caught Harrison out. He misjudged a jump due to the light and skidded across onto another roller. The radio lit up with a call of ‘stop, stop, crash! crash!’. He was completely fine but it did knock his confidence for a little while.
Little did we know at this stage this wasn’t going to be the only crash of the day…
We headed for the sunbowl to improve the visual conditions and blasted a few runs. Harrison’s confidence began to return and it was soon time to go for a coffee and a break.
With the competitions on everything was really busy. Plus, with this now being the fourth day of skiing in a row all our bodies were feeling the pace. It didn’t stop Callan wanting another whoppie pie and Harrison choosing the restaurant with the best wifi.
We did a few more runs, had some lunch and then finished with a few more redeeming runs down the ski park. Both Callan and Harrison were cruising over the rollers and enjoying the jumps by the end. We took one final blast down Amy’s favourite run ‘eggbeater’ and it was time to bid farewell to the skiing element of the holiday.
We had been truly lucky with the weather. Having spoken to a few locals on the lifts they said that the last few days had been the best snow conditions of the year. It’s not unusual at this time of the year to have so much snow they don’t know what to do with it or equally have freeze thaw snow conditions.
Over the next few days the temperature is due to lift well above zero so we definitely got the timing right.
We headed back to the hotel and dropped of the ski gear. It was mid afternoon and time to have a sit for a short while. As calm descended on the room and the boys settled into their devices the peace was shatter by the high pitch noise of a snow mobile over revving.
The noise grew quick and close and was followed by a huge crash as it cannoned into the side of the hotel.
I was laying on the bed next to the window and jumped up to see it sticking out of the window of the room next door but one with the rider running across the car park. It had hit the snow bank where they sweep clear the car park and embedded itself in the window.
The engine continued to rev as the throttle was stuck wide until the rider desperately yanked the kill switch. He probably should have had it attached to himself.
The rider began to frantically gesture to his friend who on seeing his misfortune broke down in fits of laughter. This was not the expression on the face of the man whose snow mobile was smashed and he was going to have to pay for a damaged hotel room.
The two of them struggled to free the trapped machine from its perch straddling a window sill. I went and spoke to the hotel staff, one of whom had been cleaning the room next to ours and was shocked and angry. She exclaimed in her thickest American accent ‘you assholes’, which seemed appropriate.
As I went to be nosy with the staff in the room with its new expensive window decoration I could see the front of the snow mobile poking into the room. It was at that moment that the two struggling men managed to free the machine and a shower of falling glass washed across the floor.
Shortly after a series of emergency vehicles arrived including the police, fire chief and two fire engines. It would have been rude not to go and take photos as that’s what usually happens to me when I’m working so headed out to the car park.
Thankfully there were only two crashes that day and no one was hurt.
As the glass was swept away and a truck arrived with some boarding up materials we got in the car and headed out to try somewhere new to eat. We went to a village called New London and found a pub restaurant. Callan fell asleep in the car but woke in time to look at the beautiful view of the mountains and enjoy some baby burgers called sliders.
After a lovely meal we returned to the hotel, thankfully the smell of petrol had subsided.
It’s been a fantastic holiday, a mix of city break and skiing and definitely a suitable celebration for Amy’s 40th year…. I meant 30th year…
New England definitely offers more scope for visiting and the plan of slightly winging the holiday planning ourselves was well and truly pulled off.
We’re about to start packing for the return journey but are already thinking of what we should do next year. Harrison has indicated he wants to visit more cities so something of similar ilk may be in the offing.
Looking forward to seeing the family and have really missed the dogs.
Great holiday, fabulous time, lets do it again.
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