Who doesn't love a ski holiday? Especially when you can drive to your destination in a few short hours! It's a huge advantage to living in the snowy north of Canada. We (well, mostly hubby really) had arranged a week in Lake Placid with another couple and a family of 4 who are friends from back home and who are all on North American postings. We were excited not only about the skiing, but about sightseeing around the old Olympic venue facilities and spending time with friends.
So, on the last Saturday in January, we loaded up the trusty Odyssey full of clothes, gear and kids, popped the skis on the roof and hit the road to Lake Placid. The kids were good in the car, and the lunch stop in Cornwall was very exciting for them, as we found that the McDonalds had an indoor playground - a real rarity, so it was great for them to run and climb and burn off some energy. Crossing the border into the US is always a hassle, as we need to get out of the car, be fingerprinted etc, but thankfully it was super quiet and the staff were all friendly and smiled indulgently as the kids ran around. The drive through the Adirondacks into Lake Placid was pretty too, and we made good time and arrived mid-afternoon to our fabulous house. It was plenty big enough for 6 adults and 5 kids, with loads of rooms for everyone to sleep, 4 bathrooms, a fireplace, a converted deck area where the kids could play and be out of the way as well as a hot tub on the back deck. What more could you want?
Sunday dawned bright, sunny....and very cold. We all wore many layers and full face masks to cope with the -25 at the base and -35 at the summit of Whiteface mountain. At least it wasn't windy :) It was a good first day finding runs we liked on the mountain and we were all ready to come home at the end of the day. The parents were all taking turns to stay home with the kids, so the friend on duty that day looked a little worn out but the kids were all happy. On the second day we put the kids into daycare (the younger ones) and a ski and play day (the older two) and hit the slopes again. I decided to sign up for a lesson to improve my skills and was pleasantly surprised to find myself alone for my 2 hour group lesson. Good value! My instructor was a local so we had some good chats on the lifts and he gave me some suggestions of runs I would like, as well as of course honing my skiing. The third day I ended up being the only one of our friends skiing (hubby was having his turn with the kids) and it was cold again, with wind this time. It worked out okay though - I just got the gondola up the mountain every time. Sure it meant taking your skis on and off each time, but it's much warmer then being on a chairlift alone (which happened often as it wasn't very crowded midweek) and also much more conducive to chatting. One of the friendly ski patrol also pointed out where some deer were grazing under the gondola so I kept my eye out for them for the rest of the holiday - they had lovely fuzzy winter coats and looked super cute. The Wednesday was my fourth day of skiing straight so I was starting to feel a little tired. We had the kids in the daycare again which worked out well - by the end of the day when I'd had enough I skied across to the Kid's area and watched Miss 4 at the end of her afternoon lesson. She looked like she was having a ball - easily getting on and off the chairlift, turning and following her instructor with ease and even keeping her skis in parallel. Hubby and I are very happy with how she's taken to it.
After 4 days if skiing, I was ready to do some sightseeing. Hubby and I spent the next day (whilst another friend kindly watched the kids) checking out the Olympic venues. We went to the ski jump which is still used for training; you can catch the lift to the top and see just how mad they are to go down and leap off. The old stadium(s) (there was one from the 1932 games which they extended and built a new rink in for the 1980 games) are open to the public; we did a tour so got to hear lots of anecdotes. (Lots of cool stories about the early bobsledders and how mad they were - google pictures of the old bobsleds and you'll see why!!)There is also an Olympic museum attached to the stadium, which is quite small but has a few interesting bits and pieces. The highlight for us though was the bobsled experience. Yep - you can pay money to sit in a bobsled (with a driver and a brakeman to push you off) and hurtle down the track. Quite an intense experience and over very quickly!! I have a whole new respect for those athletes who sprint so quickly, then cram themselves into their sleds in seconds. The track is still used often for training - in fact we were told that the Aussie Olympians (bobsled and skeleton) did some training there a few weeks before. I can definitely recommend it if you're ever in the neighbourhood....
That night, after the kids were in bed, the other adults all decided to go out for a skate on the outdoor speed skating track. I don't even own skates so was happy to stay home. On the couch with a cup of tea as they got back, the first thing I'm told by a friend is "There's a bit of blood, but it's not as bad as it looks.." What?? Yep - hubby had crashed on the ice, and despite his helmet, opened up a cut above his eye, as well as hurting his shoulder. His eye was turning interesting shades of purple and swelling up before our eyes. Thankfully, one of our friends has paramedic experience, so she dashed off to the chemist and came back with supplies to patch him up. The biggest downside was that he missed his last day of skiing the next day (while I was staying home with the kids) as he couldn't see well enough. He has now sworn off skating!
It had been a great holiday but like all good things it had to end. We stopped in Saranac Lake on the drive home to check out their ice castle (seriously, they had a castle by the lake made of enormous blocks of ice) before heading back over the border and home.....to many loads of washing. An uneventful drive, although it started to snow quite heavily by the time we made it home. It's always good to sleep in your own bed again and certainly easier to get the twins to go to bed.
Of course, this time of year is also when Ottawa/Gatineau has their winter festival - Winterlude or Bal de Neige. The day after we arrived home, we headed across the river to check out their ice slides. Great fun. They had some that could fit the whole family, as well as loads of smaller ones. The kids all loved them, but the twins were a bit little to walk up the steep snowy hills themselves so hubby and I had to carry them up - so we lost interest well before they did! They had some other activities, but it was jam packed as the weather was mild, and hard to move around with lots of fresh snow, so we settled with ice slides and a Beavertail snack before coming home.
The next weekend we headed into Ottawa to check out the ice sculptures.Again, they were very impressive and again they had stuff for kids - blocks of coloured ice to 'build' with, as well as small coloured cubes to help build art with. All three loved it. We also caught the tail end of a timed ice sculpting challenge - it's amazing what they do with quite crude tools. It was a sunny day so the canal was busy with skaters too - no one in our family though!
Apart from that it's just been the usual busy. Dinner at a friend's house, playdates (including one we went to on sled as there was too much fresh snow on the footpath to consider taking the pram) a night ski (our local hill feels very small after Whiteface) and the usual school and playgroup routine. Today was interesting in that it was the warmest day we've had virtually since winter started (ie it was above zero) and it rained all day. With the snow banks everywhere there is nowhere for the rain to go, so there are massive puddles everywhere which will freeze overnight so we're expecting an icy day tomorrow!
The year is speeding away. This weekend we're planning to head to Mont Saint Marie for a day of skiing, next weekend there is a school dance and a night out and it's also only two weeks until the March break from school. Where does the time go???
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