Ski Trip

The Focus departed from Naperville at 6:30 am. By 8:30 we were at the hill, ready to get set up with rentals. Sadly, we learned that the place only opened at 10:00 :-(. A brief respite in the luxurious nearby hotel ensued, complete with Starbucks Latte, Krispy Kreme doughnut, and a roaring fire. Never say my daughter does not appreciate her creature comforts.

We hit the slopes just after 10:00, and Abby was off to the lesson. Pretty well done, and the surface lift was pretty nifty. The place was awash in groups of other first-timers. When the rope tow is getting held up by people who can't figure it out, times are tough. The first ride on the chair was a bit scary, despite my efforts, and the gracious use of the slow button by the lift attendant. One ski was lost, and trepidation ensued. A few tumbles, but the general concept of the snowplow seemed to be sinking in. The second ride on the lift was much smoother. No equipment lost at all.

Plenty of fun up until lunch (pretty standard ski fare, although the chilli was decent). By this time I was in agony with my ski boots, and only managed a few token runs in the afternoon. Dismayed, Abby left me to ski with her friends, and the results were amazing.

The Surface lift was soon determined to be insufficient for the ski bunnies and was quickly abandoned.

The ladies headed directly for the chair.








Brief moments of anxiety, but self sufficiency was soon achieved.

After this point they were unstoppable. Lucy had skied before, as had several of Abby's other friends, so Abby of course was going to go wherever they went, and ski at exactly the same speed (fast), and in exactly the same direction (straight). Some snowplow-based control was used. They certainly were in a good deal more control than many of the young lads on Snowboards.

And when I say they skied everywhere, I mean EVERYWHERE....This included the adjoining"Inferno Steepness" black diamond (ok, a Blue at the Glen, but no bunny slope either). Not just once either, although they generally preferred the "Blues".




Black diamonds conquered the team looked upon their accomplishments with pride ...







And even rested a bit... but not for too long.

It was absolutely impossible to drag the girls off the slope. The retainers and parents dwindled. Even some of the more stalwart parents returned to the lodge eventually. But the Zimmermans (Lucy's parents) did not give up, and of course neither did Abby.

I held out some hope of a sane lift closure at 4:00...denied. It started to get dark around 4:30 and I began to hope...they turned on the lights. Finally, at 5:30 or so, Lucy, Claire and Abby were tempted from the hill by promises of food.

Suffice to say, the day was a success. Abby is crashed in bed, and I will soon raid the medicine cabinet in search of Ibuprophin, to combat the aches and pains that I can already feel the overtures of.

Some aches are really good.