I didn’t mean to ghost you last week, but between the kitchen getting completely demoed and organizing packing for the ski trip (this list is so helpful), everything else got pushed to the back burner. Still, we managed somehow to be packed and ready to go early Wednesday morning. I made reservations for The Parking Spot (which saves a few bucks) and they got us to the airport in plenty of time for our first leg, Charlotte to Denver. A short hour layover and we were int he air heading to Hayden, the small airport outside Steamboat Springs, Colorado.
We rolled the dice and found an uber, which I hear can be unreliable, but saves about $200 (!) on the 30 minute ride into town over the cost of a shuttle for a family of four. By early afternoon we were arriving at The Steamboat Grand. We booked a two bedroom condo and our minds were blown when we checked in and saw just how huge it was! A small kitchen, dining table, large living space with an upstairs bedroom, bath, and loft space. The living room was connected to an additional hotel style room, giving us all plenty of space to spread out, which is so helpful with all the ski gear on trips like this.
We settled in, then went to the on-site ski boot fitting (be sure to make reservations) to get our boots. They have a great system where once you get fitted for your boots, they send the info over to the rental spot across the street at the base of the mountain, and you just pick up your poles and skis there in the morning before your hop on a lift. So convenient!
The kids couldn’t wait to hit up the massive heated pool and hot tubs, so we changed and headed that way. I loved that one of the oversized hot tubs is completely family friendly, and the other is adults only. It’s nice to have an option where you don’t worry too much about your kids splashing a little.
After swimming the kids were beat. We ordered them a pizza and set them up with a movie while David and I took the free shuttle into town to get dinner at the highly recommended Laundry. Wow, the recommendations did not steer us wrong! The atmosphere was lively and the food was incredible. It’s mostly small plates, and David and I shared Brussels sprouts hash with goat cheese, a baby kale salad, crispy truffle potatoes, and brisket on toast. All- excellent! We ran by a grocery store on the way back for a few items, then all tucked into bed.
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We all slept hard that night but were still up early, thanks to the magic of east coast time. The early mornings are some of my favorite things about ski trips. David and I make coffee, turn on the fire, and watch the sun begin to light up the mountains. The girls woke on their own a little later and I made us eggs and bagels before suiting up.
The short walk across the street to the adorable base of the mountain is easy. We picked up our skis and loaded onto the gondola to start our day. It was sunny and surprisingly warm, high 20s, and it felt a little like spring skiing. We warmed up on some greens before sprinkling in some blue runs and before we knew it, we were ready for lunch. We stopped on the mountain and sat outside because it was so warm.
We spent the afternoon largely doing the same- mostly greens with a blue here and there. As the lifts began to shut down, we turned in our skis at the base for complimentary overnight storage and walked back across the street to change into bathing suits and head back to the pool- the kids’ favorite!
After splashing around for a while we all showered and I decided we should head into town and try to eat at Salt & Lime, a highly recommend, trendy Mexican spot. The wait was long though and the kids were tired, so we walked a block over to Vaqueros, a more traditional Mexican restaurant, and it was the right choice. Cheese dip, margaritas, and fajitas hit the spot!
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The next morning looked largely the same- breakfast in the condo, me braiding three heads of hair, donning our gear, and heading up the mountain. One gondola wasn’t running due to wind, so the wait for the other took about 35 minutes or so. I had gummy bears in my pocket and we played close your eyes and guess the color to pass the time.
Everyone funneled into one spot made it feel more crowded on the mountain, which intimidated the kids. And bless their hearts, but they were SO slow on the runs, coming to almost complete stops after every turn. Honestly, it was painfully slow and we decided late-morning that we needed an attitude adjustment pit stop. We skied back to the base of the mountain to The Paramount for water, sandwiches, and hot chocolates with whipped cream and sprinkles.
The pick me up worked and the afternoon went a lot more smoothly! The kids grew in their confidence and they both lit up as we found some woods to weave through (their favorite). We skied until we got kicked off the mountain. Clouds were beginning to roll in at this point with the promise of snow. We offloaded our skis then lucked out with finding an outdoor table at Truffle Pig, a happening spot at the base of the mountain known for their truffle fries. An order cost $20, but is worth every single cent. The portion is generous and every single fry was crispy and perfectly seasoned. I will dream about these fries forever and always!
After a solid apres ski experience, David took the kids to the pool while I took the shuttle one stop into town to pick up Papa Murphy’s take and bake pizzas. Everyone was thrilled to clean up and get cozy with pizza in the condo to end the day.
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On our third ski day we woke up to SNOW! At least six inches out our window I would guess. It was magical and it was still actively snowing as we ate breakfast and headed out. Being a weekend (Saturday) and with fresh powder, the mountain was super busy. Fortunately the kids were pretty confident by now. We’ve been really spoiled with not usually having lift lines, so this was new, but the lines moved fairly quickly, rarely taking more than 15 minutes. And the skiing was fabulous! There was fresh powder everywhere and it wasn’t slowing down. It snowed all day long!
We stopped midmountain for a late lunch before heading back out. There were times it was definitely white out conditions, but we all loved it. We played all afternoon, doing the tree section in the Olympian Park area over and over again.
As it got close to closing time, we worked our way back to the other side of the mountain. The whole trip I had seen signs warning about moose in the area and I really wanted to see one. Well, on the last run of the day, we saw TWO moose, way off in the distance, bedded down in the falling snow and it totally was the cherry on top of a wonderful day of powder skiing.
We turned in our skis, had a snowball fight all the way back to the condo, and spent the evening in the pool, hot tub, and sauna. We ordered in Thai food from the restaurant at the base of the hotel, Talay Thai, and ate in pajamas while watching Family Feud together. It was a truly wonderful day!
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The next morning morning we packed up, ubered to the airport, and spent that day getting back home. It felt like such a quick trip and one day I’d love to extend these ski trips to see other things in the area, like Strawberry Hot Springs in Steamboat, but for now, I’m grateful for the days of family skiing we get to do together and watching the kids become more confident with each year that passes.
And now to get rolling on the day! We are hitting the ground running today, getting through laundry, buying some food that doesn’t require a kitchen to prepare, squeezing in some math, hoping the cabinets being delivered tomorrow fit well, and welcoming Finley back home (and thanking my mom for watching her for us!). I hope you have a wonderful start to your new week!