The pictures from day 2 are here.
Elias and Miranda decided not to do the ski school on Sunday, so we all went up together. We took it a little too easy in the morning (especially waiting for the two teens) and wound up seeing a HUGE line for the gondola, so instead went for the Fitzsimmons Express instead. At the top we popped right onto the Garbanzo Express up. A quick trip down Lower Whiskey Jack and we took the Emerald express to the Roundhouse lodge... were we immediately wound up having lunch.
Elias had been concerned about the chair lifts, but a few lifts with mom and papa and it was all good.
After lunch, Ruben and Matthew headed off to the terrain park. Pablo and Andy had gone off before - Andy's doing terrificly well with linking her turns. Elias fell often at first, but really got the hang of it after a while. He's very good at pointing himself down the mountain. Jonas had a bit more fear of pointing himself downhill (wouldn't any sane older person?) but he was much better at stopping himself.
Elias, Jonas and Lauren who were making their way down the mountain to the learning center (at mid-mountain) slowly. At one point the camera guys stopped and asked if we wanted a picture of the boys. They snapped this terrific picture.Soon after they spotted Matthew and Ruben heading up the Emerald Express chair lift. Jonas decided to take that chairlift back to the Roundhouse and then take the Gondola down because his knee was hurting him. In retrospect, that was a very wise decision. Lauren and Elias continued down to the learning center.
Ruben and Matthew split up and Matthew went down the mountain. Ruben caught up with Lauren and Elias just as Elias was starting to get a little tired and the snow was getting icier. This was problematic for Elias who was falling more and more. Shortly after Ruben caught up, Elias fell hard on his back knocking the wind out of him and really hurting his bottom. One of the instructors who was coming down the mountain heard him cry and asked if we wanted him taken off the mountain. He set Ruben's skis up in a cross - while we evaluated Elias. We were pretty close to the mid mountain gondola entrance, so Elias said he'd have papa ski him down.
Ruben carried Elias while skiing down, which was a bit scary on the icy conditions (for me who was behind them). But they made it down safe and sound. Next time Elias gets a helmet.
Ruben took Elias down to the hotel, while Lauren took the gondola back up to the Roundhouse. From there she took the run to the Harmony Express. At the bottom of the run (a very easy green run), she saw they were closing off the Harmony Express, so she skated as hard as she could and slipped in just before they taped off the entrance to the lift line. She got on the lift at 2:59 pm exactly - the lift purportedly closes at 3pm, but they let the people in line behind me get on as well.
The run from the top was a good one - not nearly as windy as the last run the day before and the snow wans't quite as beautiful, but it was completely enjoyable nonetheless. There were very few people on the run, which made her nervous being up there "alone" - still she had no problems and didn't fall until she was 5 feet from the bottom of the mountain.
Exhausted she called Ruben for a "boot rescue." He came (with Devon in tow) bearing boots, and a very welcome apple for some energy. Then they all went to the Columbia Sportswear shop to help Devon choose a new jacket.
Learning from our mistake of the previous day, we left for dinner around 5:30 pm and had dinner at the Mongolian barbecue place.
After dinne we went to watch the Sunday night "Fire and Ice" show - where various folks who work at the mountain jump through a firey hoop.
The next day Ruben and Pablo woke up early and paid extra for "First Tracks" - breakfast and the ability to be the first folks on the mountain. They skied more Monday morning than (practically) the first two days put together.
Meanwhile Lauren, Devon and all the kids had breakfast in the village.
Noon had us checking out of the hotel and heading southward. We wound up stopping in Vancouver for some Crepes and almost had our car towed by being parked in a place we shouldn't have been at 3pm (around rush hour).
The rest of the (long) drive home and dropping off the skis was completely uneventful. All and all a fabulous trip.
