March 25, 2012 - Skiing, Grouse Mtn B.C.

We are nearing April and ski season is going to be winding down in a month.  So, we opted to skip boating this weekend so we could spend the entire weekend skiing.  We drove up Early Saturday morning and went strait to Grouse Mtn.  We were on the slopes just shortly after the mountain opened.  Kevin and Steve on their snowboards, and Kathy and Cindy on their skis.  I (Steve) hadn't been on a snowboard in at least 10 years.  Kevin wants more than anything to be a snowboarder.  So, Kevin and I spent the morning together practicing on our snowboards, while Kathy and Cindy roamed the mountain on their skis.

Kevin and Steve on their snowboards.

Kevin and Steve snowboarding, as viewed from the chairlift.

The weather was fantastic.  In fact, it was almost too warm.  We were definitely overdressed by afternoon.  The snow became soft and slushy by afternoon.  It was typical spring skiing.  Full sun, warm temps, and soft/slushy snow.  It would have been great boating weekend.  But ski season is coming to a close, and we just can't pass up opportunities like this to ski with our kids.

The spectacular view over Vancouver B.C.

While we were there on Saturday they were having a snowboard competition.  The jumps were HUGE!  We stopped and took our lunch break on the slopes next to the jumps and watched the guys fly.  Amazing!  It was a great way to eat lunch; sitting in the snow, soaking up the sun, watching some really good athletes compete.

The BIG snowboard competition on Saturday

What a nice way to spend our lunch break.  Sun, heat, and a great show!

Saturday was a great day of snowboarding and skiing.  The slopes were pretty crowded, which is always a bit frustrating (waiting in lift lines), but the weather was spectacular.

We stayed at a really nice hotel about 10 minutes from the mountain.  It had a small kitchen so we were able to avoid the cost of eating out for both dinner and breakfast.  That really helps out on the cost of skiing.  The hotel had a very nice indoor pool with hot tub and sauna.  We spent several hours in the pool area Saturday night.

Cindy leaping into the nice pool at our hotel.

Sunday we had breakfast in the room and were at the mountain in time for the first runs of the day.  It was another beautiful day with full sun and warm temps.  With no competition today there were noticeably fewer people in the lift lines.  The kids went ice skating today, and we took a tour of the "Eye of the Wind".  It's a modern wind generator high atop the slopes of Grouse Mountain with an amazing observation room at the top.  You are more than 4000 feet above Vancouver, so the view is without compare.

Cindy checks out the ice at the skating rink.

Inside the observation room atop the "Eye of the Wind"

The wind generator was HUGE.

On Sunday Kevin went down his first "Black Diamond" runs.  Black Diamond runs are ADVANCED runs. Usually we go down Green Circle (beginner) or Blue Square (intermediate) runs with the kids.  But Kevin is quite adventurous and wanted to try a black diamond run.

Kevin, then Steve, go down a "Black Diamond" run.

We are SO proud of our kids.  They are becoming good skiers and they love getting out and exercising all day.  Sure, they sometimes complain when it's cold and windy, or they sometimes don't want to get out of bed at 6:15 in the morning so we can drive 2 hours to Grouse Mountain, but they always have fun and look forward to going up gain.  We can't ask for much more; it's a great family activity!