Aw yeah! Time once again for our favorite annual ski vacation (well, it’s our only annual ski vacation, but nevermind)! Big White beckons each February as the kids get a week-long break from school. In fact, we enjoy it so much we set it up a year in advance – we already have next year booked!
There seems to be a groove that we like to get into on these trips, so this little write-up likely will sound a lot like last years, with a few small differences (well, if it ain’t broke…).
Mmmmarshmallows
For example – last year it was fairly warm and the snow was decent, but this year we were greeted by a near-record snow base; the resort actually had opened two weeks early this year due to early snowfall and by the time we arrived the snow accumulation was already within a few cm of the typical average for an entire year! Needless to say the conditions on the hill were fantastic and the snow ghosts were out in full force!
We had the same family and friends come out as last year to stay in the same spots – Grandma & Grandpa Boys stayed in our 2-bed condo with Tim, Wendy & Ruby while my sister Cass’ family came out to stay with us in the borrowed 3-bed condo down the hallway. Our friends Amber & Bryn (and family) were with us for a few days’ visit at the beginning as well, they also graciously helped to stock the fridge and pantry with food and drink as per usual… good friends to have!
In usual fashion, the first day involved us getting ready for the rest of the week – catching up on sleep, getting ski rentals, and signing kids into ski lessons. We also took a trip on the gondola down to Happy Valley to check things out and were happy to see that as the weather was sufficiently chilly – the skating rink was open for business, unlike last year (the kids were definitely excited at the prospect of skating)! Naturally we finished off the evening with our favorite pizza for dinner, as is tradition!
Down in the Village
Both Josh and Ryley picked up right where they left off with the skiing. Ryley was a little tentative to start, complaining that she didn’t ‘know how to ski anymore’. However, after her first lesson on the bunny hill and then afternoon of skiing with Jenn and I she had her confidence back and was happily zipping down the green ‘Hummingbird’ run to the chairlift. Throughout the week she got even more confident, and by the end, went up the even bigger chairlift (the Ridge Rocket) and we took her down a few runs from there!
Josh of course was gung-ho from day one. With ski poles in hand, he was off to the races, taking little jumps and bombing around like it hadn’t been a year since he last was on the slopes. His lessons went well, he jumped up a few levels from last year and is working on some of the more technical skills now – pole planting, etc. He did really great and had a ton of fun.
The kids’ 2 1/2-year-old cousin Ruby tried her hand at skiing this year, too! Wendy & Tim were on the fence about getting her to try it this year, but Jenn convinced them to get Ruby to try it out and she loved it! Her mom & dad had a good time on the bunny hill with her as she smiled her way down to the bottom, tongue sticking out all the way (so cute)! Cousin Cameron, however, is still about a year out from strapping on a board like his dad… so he settled for some nap time in his mom’s backpack while hiking some of the trails around the ski hill. So active, that mom of his!
As mentioned, the weather was a little cooler than last year – a good thing – it was still just around zero during the day and down to around -10 overnight, which was just about perfect. As a result, we were able to take the kids skating; Josh was happy to play a little hockey while Ryley was oh-so-close to skating with no assistance! The tubing track was upgraded this year to have a magic carpet to the top so it was easy to just let the kids go up and down on their own this year (yikes!). And no trip to Happy Valley would be complete without zooming around the Mini-Z track!
So there you go – not much else to say here, another great trip to Big White with friends and family, can’t wait for next year! Enjoy the gallery of photos from this year, plus the nifty little video (if I do say so myself!). (And here is the Village Map – we’re #53 on this updated version – and the Alpine Map to see the mountain and where we were!).
Also… As you may know, Jenn and I have been actively involved in the purchase of a lot just north of Kelowna in a development called Lakestone. So, in addition to staying on the hill this year, we took a few days at the end to visit Kelowna and Lake Country to have a look around. The main reason for staying was mainly to show Jenn and the kids the lot (I had been before as I made a special trip last fall) and ultimately we went to the lawyers while in town and signed on the dotted line, we are now proud owners of nearly 3/4 of an acre on the side of a hill overlooking Lake Okanagan – the future home of the Wilsons! (More to come on an upcoming post…!)
