Mother-Son Ski Weekend

Mom had some business in the Rockies and decided to spend an extra day visiting me and getting a little skiing in.  A great surprise, I was thrilled to have mom visit...I cannot remember the last time just the two of us spent some time together.

I picked up mom in Ft. Collins and we quickly drove up the hill.  Mom had already spent a few days at altitude so there was really no worry about that.  With all the snow we have had, Loveland Pass has some amazing views so I took my mom up over the pass instead of through the tunnel.  The first time we did this it was raining and I think (wink wink) mom was a bit nervous driving over it:)  However, this time I assured her with my uber 4 wheel drive car there would be absolutely no problems.

Her first time she was not able to enjoy the scenery (or the freezing temperatures at 11,990').  However...this time it was a beautiful day so we were able to get a few pictures in.  Here is mom and I at the pass and a few more of mom overlooking Summit County.

Mom quickly wanted to get out of the way of the blasting zone:)  We had a great time and quickly got down the pass and checked into Hotel Lyons for the weekend.  Houdini was very happy to see mom.  After some relaxation and catching up, mom wanted to go see her favorite town...Breckenridge.  We made it over and enjoyed a stroll down main street along with some shopping.  Finally, hunger kicked in and we looked at a few menus...mom had a fantastic idea...as we passed the Swiss Haven mom said "Why don't we have fondue!"  I have not had fondue in at least 7-8 years and thought it was a unique and great idea so off we went.  Apparently though we did not have a reservation, however, the owner was one of the nicest people we ever met and after just chatting it up with him, he and his son were able to make room and basically waited on us the entire time.  One of the coolest dinners I have ever had.  When we sat down we said we were going to experience all the fondue had to offer...sadly we never made it to the chocolate dessert as we were just stuffed!  We graciously thanked our hosts for a great time and promised to be back in February.  Now on our way to dinner, we passed a wine bar with a gentlemen belting out music on the piano...with a promise to go back after dinner, we ventured in and had a great time.  This tiny little wine bar had no more than 20 people in it singing and dancing along with the pianist.  Such a great time, we enjoyed our after dinner drink but quickly time was running out on us and skiing at Vail was calling so we went home excited for the next day and exhausted from the present day.

Mom had been to Vail before, but never for skiing...mom also has not skied in 15 years so we both didnt know what to expect.  My goal was to have her riding the Sourdough chair by the end of the day, a modest area on Golden Peak with a variety of green runs.  We first hit chair 12 for the basics and after 3-4 runs, mom is starting to fall back into form.  For those of you who never knew this...mom was a bada$$ skier back in the day...however, her ummm how do I put this delicately...children:) kept her off the slopes for a bit while she was doing an amazing job being a mom:)  However, kids are grown and time to get back out there mom!!!  Anyway, she is linking turns and stopping on her edges and ready to challenge the Sourdough chair after 5 runs.  But before that, of course we let Vail take a few pictures!

We do two runs at Sourdough and mom is ready for the next challenge...wow, I cannot believe how great she is doing.  So we shoot down Flapjack to the Northwoods Chair and the challenge that awaits her in Mid-Vail.  We hit a few runs down and decide to have lunch at Mid-Vail...it was really amazing. Bluebird day, we packed sandwiches, snacks, drinks and sat outside on the deck taking in the sun and talking about skiing and mom kept saying how much fun she was having and how much she missed it...I kept telling her how amazed I was at her ability after 15 years.  We wrap up lunch and hit Mountain Top Chair for a little more skiing...now at that point, we were close to 10,000 vertical feet which is usually about what people (who don't ski all the time and are not use to the altitude) can handle.  We had a great day on the mountain, and now time for Apres Ski!  A ride down the hill we hit the Red Lion for a beer and mom gets to see my favorite bar in Vail.

We decide to hit Breckenridge on the way home as mom wants to get dinner and see Stacey at the Warming Hut.  Treated like royalty when we walk in, mom gets to chat it up with her friends at the restaurant and we enjoy a great meal after a great day of skiing.

Thank you so much for everything mom!  The dinners, t-shirt and most of all taking the time to visit and go skiing with me.  I hope it rekindled your love of the sport and I cannot wait for your return ski trip in February with dad!