Day #5485 – (Sat., Jan. 11, 2025) – First Downhill Skiing Lesson
There is snow in Chapel Hill this morning! No snow here! A weather front is moving to the east in the US.
The kids had their first downhill skiing lesson today. My wife drove them to Mount Washington in the morning, and we both went to pick them up in the afternoon. It wasn’t snowing so there was no need for chains on the tires.
The lesson today was supposed to be a group class, but there was only Katie, Bobby, and the instructor. Effectively a private class at group class prices! Sweet!
Instead of a chair lift they had an “uphill escalator” device to take them up. You can see Katie riding it in the photo to the right.
Their skiing instructor’s name today was Jack. He was a bit concerned about the kids walking back to the front of the lodge by themselves so my wife had to go get them after class while I waited in the van. We’re going to try to work it out so that the kids can walk up to the pickup area in case we can’t find a place to park.
Lunch today was a cheeseburger and carrots (see photo to the left). Nothing too fancy… Probably cost $100 though… I remember how these resorts tend to gouge you for food.
Our neighbor Gail said that she was one of the first people to get skiing lessons on Mount Washington many years ago… I asked Bing’s Copilot and it said: “The Mount Becher Ski Development Society was formed in 1964, and they built the first T-bar on Vancouver Island in 1965.” Perhaps this was it?
I got curious as to why it is called Mount Washington. Washington is a popular name for things in the US due to George Washington, but why in Canada? Here’s what I found: “Mount Washington was named for Rear Admiral John Washington who charted the area in the 1860s.” Here’s a fun fact: Mount Washington is home to the Vancouver Island marmot, found only on the island…
Both kids did extremely well at downhill skiing today and are eager for more. After being sick for a couple of days Katie was in an extremely cheerful mood this morning, which was nice…