Skiing and Ladies Ski Day - Winter 2012

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I heart skiing.

Josh never thought he would hear those words!!!  We've been going up to a little hill suggested by our friends about an hour away from our house every Saturday.  Ellie and Sam love to ski. LOVE it.  Ellie proclaims she is better than me but I am trying hard to stay in front of her.

She is pretty good, though. And Sammy is getting better, going up the "big" lifts, if any lifts in Ontario can really be called big.

Josh is skiing with some friends in Vail this weekend, and we are going to meet some family in Vermont in a few weeks to end the season. It is a far cry from where we were a few years ago, driving up to Ski Liberty, with me grumbling the whole way and chasing after Sammy in the lodge.  My goal this year has been to be able to go down blue runs with less fear and more speed, which I have mainly been able to do. We've been somewhat hampered by terrible snowfall, so most of the snow has been manmade.

Friends, I will let you in on a little secret of skiing in Canada. Ladies Day.  (Gentlemen, they also have Men's Day**.) My friend is a member of a private ski club, which is a concept which is fairly unique to Canada, I think, but it is just like any private club, except for skiing. At ladies day, for the price of a lift ticket and a bit more, about 200 women were given lone access to a hill for a day. It came with a complete breakfast, mimosas, lunch, wine, swag bag, special club jacket, complimentary mani, pedi or mini-massage, and lessons.  They also had vendors on site if you wanted to do a bit of shopping, a DJ, and fabulous raffle gifts, including a trip to Banff.  There was no waiting for lifts. No small kids zooming past you on skis, almost knocking you over. The club she belongs to is a hidden gem, about 45 minutes from where you live. You know it is a great day when two very drunk women ski past you, telling you that "skiing is always better after a few glasses of wine!" The skiing was amazing and fun and I also was able to take my first skidoo ride with this kind gentleman.  It was a bit scarier than I thought.

My friend and I have been skiing together. She is still learning and has been super brave about taking up a sport her children are learning.  She has been taking lessons, taking things at her own pace and having a good time with it.

I think that is what most of our time has been like in Canada - slowly stretching ourselves into new directions and into new adventures, and most of them, like skiing, have been really fun. Sometimes they have been a bit more difficult, but always interesting.

*Hilary had to have another biopsy recently, which was scary. It was clean and cancer-free, so a big cause for celebration around here!
**Apparently Men's Day many involve some sort of barely clad women. There has been no confirmation from any men on this point.