thankful

Today I am thankful for my family of 4 skiers, for our health and our freedom to pursue our passions. I am grateful that we can travel the globe, thanks to our military that protects our nation within and outside our borders. I am thankful for the natural beauty of our globe, and the ingenuinity of our people. I am blessed to be with my Greg, Ian and Aspen today...even if it is -10F in the mountains of Utah. Happy thanksgiving, and happy trails.

TSA pat down, paid a fortune to bring my skis but powder tomorrow!

Travelling for that long anticipated ski trip can often be a work out. Today's TSA pat down and full body scan was actually quite uneventful after all the media hype. Paying a fortune to bring our oversized bags was more traumatic. But Utah is expecting the storm of the century...hopefully not more media hype. The other hitch in our happy plan, our son's drive to meet us from Montana was thwarted when they closed the road at West Yellowstone. He's stranded at a hotel watching the storm, and snacking on McDonald's - the only "restaurant" open in town. At least he can indulge his passion for fast food.

More reports from the snowy Rockies of the Wasatch Range...happy turkey prep & powder day for the school kids in Utah! See you on the slopes.. http://www.familyskitrips.com/

Carving Turns or Turkey?

Love this time of year. No, not Thanksgiving – I think there is far too much focus on one stuffing meal. My family has learned that mommy would rather carve turns than turkey, so we ski on Thanksgiving, no lines, no waiting, no congealed gravy, just freshly groomed snow. Typically we start our season at Sunday River, perennial Eastern opener. But this season there is a twist as our eldest son started college out west. So we’ll meet in the mountains of Utah for our first tracks. Usually those first tentative turns have me all excited, but seeing my son has me equally atwitter. 
Reuniting our 4 skiers on the snowy slopes of Alta will be awesome. It’s dumping out west, so stay tuned for details of our first descent. Oh… and enjoy cooking, carving and cleaning the kitchen. See you on the slopes!

Alpine Anticipation

Love this time of year, the anticipation of ski season is always exciting. Ski resorts are opening faster than you can say “where’d I put my ski pass?”

One of my favorite family ski resorts, Sunday River, opened first in the nation Oct. 22 (nice!), and now western ski areas in Colorado, California and Utah are following suit and getting natural snow.

This winter, our editorial staff at http://www.familyskitrips.com/ and http://www.luxuryskitrips.com/ has plans to visit and review for you Alta/Snowbird and Solitude in Utah, Big Sky in Montana, Okemo and Jay Peak in Vermont, and more as the snow mounts up! Keep your skis handy and keep checking in with us. Heather will be writing for Boston.com as the family ski guru again, as well as contributing ski articles to the Maine Sunday Telegram, Maine Magazine, and various outlets online and in print.

Happy Trails!