Rocky Mountain High

We spent last weekend in the mountains in Jasper with our friends. We stayed at the Jasper Park Lodge, a fabulous property reminiscent of an old rustic resort. We had a log cabin with a common living area with a fireplace and private rooms leading off of it, which was perfect for three couples and three kids. We spent Saturday exploring the resort property, just hiking around on the trails and taking in the gorgeous scenery. That evening, we wandered around the small mountain town of Jasper and had dinner, then went back to the hotel to relax in front of the crackling fire.

On Sunday, we went to Marmot Basin to hit the slopes. The daycare at the ski resort only accepts children 19 months and older, so we left Wyatt at the hotel with a babysitter. We figured it's a little too soon for him to be lying about his age to get into establishments. It was a gorgeous day for skiing and we headed out early to beat the crowds. It's been years since I've skied, so I decided to take things slow. Dayven is a great skier, but he joined me on the green runs, a "warm up" for him. I skied along, concentrating on my form and not breaking any limbs, while he gracefully glided by...backward. Dayven skied with me for a while, encouraging me along "Come on, Grandma...let's go, for cryin' out loud!" After lunch, we split up and he headed up to more treacherous terrain, conquering the double blacks with Charlie and Marta.











I happily skied along by myself, sticking to runs with names like Sleepy Hollow and avoiding at all costs any run named The Terminator or Slash. Sadly, just when you're starting to get comfortable and feel your "ski legs" coming back to you, some little 5-year-old punk goes whizzing past you doing 360's. I only fell twice and neither one was a full on "yard sale" (for you non-skiers, this is the term used to describe a fall so bad that skis, poles and articles of clothing go flying in all directions) so I consider the skiing a success!

Although our legs were spaghetti noodles by afternoon, we had to make the most of our time in Jasper. Marta and I pulled the kids on toboggans while we ice skated on the lake at the hotel, while the boys headed into town to pick up pizzas for dinner. We sat around that night playing cards, drinking wine and relaxing for a little Après-ski.









It was a great weekend with friends and the mountains were gorgeous. We can't wait to return in warmer weather! Check out this video montage of our weekend...