3/26/10

Love/Hate: Skiing

Pet Peeve Friday has been postponed for Love/Hate this week. We went skiing over spring break. It was a blast as always, but there is always something good to go with the bad and vice versa.

HATE the long drive (we drive from Tulsa to Keystone, roughly 12-13 hours. . . thru Kansas. . . 'nuff said) True, it isn't as bad as driving to Crested Butte (16 hours) or Steamboat Springs (16 hours)
LOVE arriving at condo, ready to kick it the next day

HATE having to put the kidlet in ski school, but this time she requested one day
LOVE bombing down the slopes without having to worry if the kidlet can keep up . . . since she's in ski school

HATE beginners who try to ski slopes that are beyond their capabilities (got side-swiped by one on a steep blue, totally took me out and I didn't see it coming. First time I fell in 5 or 6 years. Uh, I wasn't happy)
LOVE that my kidlet managed to get down a seriously icy blue slope while other skiers were falling all around her. On our last day skiing and the resort hadn't had any fresh snow, but the temps were warm enough to melt the snow the day before, resulting in serious ice.
LOVE explaining how to use poles to my kidlet and then tripping over my own poles . . . at a standstill--since my record of no falling was already broken
LOVE laughing like a total goofball.

HATE that I ate like there was no tomorrow
LOVE that I lost five pounds when I got home
HATE that I gained it back in less then twenty-four hours

HATE the sounds of skis over ice and the splits one does when one doesn't expect it.
LOVE the sound of my skis gliding over courderoy and being the first one to mark a slope (skiers know what I'm talking about)

HATE the serious lack of oxygen
LOVE the fresh air and clear nights, where it looks like there are a gazillion stars in the sky
HATE that when I walk up a flight of stairs in ski boots I might need the AED used on me--conviently placed at the top of the aforementioned flight of stairs.

LOVE that they have Fat Tire on tap
HATE that they put the bathrooms DOWN stairs

LOVE night skiing. It really forces you to ski by feel.
HATE that they shut it down at 8PM, especially when Daylight Savings happened and it didn't even get dark until 7:15.
LOVE seeing the North Star and a cresent moon bathed in red

HATE drinking coffee to stay alert since it makes me investigate every rest area and McDonalds along the way
LOVE the 5 hour energy drinks
HATE how they kept me alert even after we got home at 4:30 AM and I was ready to sleep

All in all, we had a fun and successful spring break. How was yours?
And are you ready to . . .
Write On!

6 comments:

  1. There was a break? And spring? How come I didn't get the message? I was home writing. :)

    Sounds like you had a fabulous time!

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  2. Spring break only happens when you have a kidlet in school and then the teachers get sick and tired of them and toss them out for a week, *deep breath*, then the parents spend a exorbitant amount of money on a vacation because EVERYONE knows March is spring break month and they double . . . or even TRIPLE the cost of hotel rooms/condos/food. :-P

    . . . and THEN the kids have the very next Friday off (today) for some sort of teacher "professional" day, AND THEN they have the NEXT Friday off for a "conference" day, since--heaven forbid--they call it Good Friday.

    *WHEW* It would be easier if they went to year-around school.

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  3. Sounds like you had a great time, M! Personally, I like taking vacations while the kids are in school. Less crowded.

    I've skiied once and I loved it! I really want to go again sometime. :)

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  4. I'm assuming that being the first one to mark a slope is like being the first one to trot into a freshly dragged arena. :)

    If snow was warm and skiing was slower, I might try it. I think I'd just have to sit down on the skis and go down the hill on my butt. That's where I would end up anyway, why not just start there?

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  5. We've taken vacations while the kidlet is in school. . . let me qualify that--we take the kidles OUT of school while school is in session. We did that numerous times when we went to Disney World. But we blew two days pre-fall break and then the kidlet had a fever (swine flu)for 5 days keeping her out of school right after fall break. We thought it would be in her best interest to keep her in school the rest of the year.
    Skiing's a blast, but I'm not as adventurous as I used to be--no moguls (if I can help it--knees just can't handle it) and no heli-skiing. I LOVE steeps and speed, so anything groomed is fair game--even black diamonds.

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  6. You got it right on the nose, Jody! I love looking at my tracks! At horse shows you can check your circles, serpentines, and approaches. The only difference is the sound skis make over the corderouy. :-)

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