Daddy and Cadie's Winter Park Ski Trip

This is Grant and I'm excited to report on the father/daughter ski trip that I took with Cadie in Winter Park, Colorado from March 10-14. Also joining us were my parents (DD and Big John) and my brother Preston and his girlfriend Amanda. My other brother, Austin, is spending the winter as a snowboard and ski school instructor at Winter Park.

I really enjoyed getting to spend time with Cadie one on one and introducing her to the Rockies for the firs time. Prior to this trip, her only experience with snow was flurries in Dallas so she was really surprised at how much snow can build up. Plus she has recently been on a kick about Disney's Frozen so I think she liked being in the snow-filled mountains because it reminder her of the movie's setting. Our condo was a really nice 3 bedroom unit about a 5 minute drive from the slopes, and the view from the balcony was fabulous!

My brother Austin is mid-way through his walking trek from coast to coast. He has definitely assumed the "mountain man" look with his unkempt beard and hair for the winter. He fits right in with the other "righteous" nomads who call Winter Park home during the ski season. 

 Austin has been teaching lots of kids how to ski so he gave Cadie her intro lesson on the first of our three days of skiing. However, we all agreed that she would learn better in a small class with some other students her age. So we signed her up for two half-day ski school lessons and then she really got the hang of it pretty fast. Each day after class, we took her up the mountain so she could show off her new skills from her class.

On the last day before we flew home, Preston and Austin went skiing again while Amanda and I took Cadie to the snow tubing hill. Cadie was visibly nervous at the beginning because the hill was quite steep and Cadie watched others go down it very fast. Finally it was our turn to go down and cadie absolutely loved it! Although the ride down is fun, dragging the tube back to the lift and back over to the hill was quite a bit of work. Amanda was very kind to Cadie and let her ride in the tube while she pulled it. 

I had such a great time with Cadie and I hope this trip will remain a cherished memory for her. I look forward to introducing Ranger and Colton to the slopes when they are a little older and then we can do ski trips with the entire family!