The Hazard Chronicles

This was a bittersweet week for the Hazard family. On the one hand, weather was great. Spring is definitely in the air and it seems like the neighborhood is coming back to life. From buds on the trees to children on bicycles, it looks like the transition has finally happened. I am climbing more outdoors, yard projects are starting, and we will soon be making regular trips to the lake. It's an exciting time.

Spring is here!

But...

Ski season is officially over, and it will be very hard to say goodbye. It was, for me personally as well as for the family as a whole, the most amazing winter ever. We skied at fourteen different resorts this year and each person got between 30 and 40 days on the mountain. Besides the actual skiing, we have spent hundreds of hours together in the car, in hotel rooms, on chairlifts, and exploring different ski towns. We have strengthened bonds as a family, as well as with a few dear friends. All of us have experienced moments of frustration, as well as those of euphoria that are such a part of the activity. It is difficult to describe, but I really get the sense that this year was a defining year for us.

Anyway- I feel at a loss for words. Characterizing an entire season in a single paragraph seems like an injustice. And yet, how is a person supposed to describe all the sensations, tell all the stories, or render all the emotion using language alone? It can't be done.

Maybe hard to see what is going on here: To clarify, this is us on the floor of the living room with maps taped up of all the different ski places we went this year.

To wrap up the year we took a trip to British Columbia to ski at Revelstoke and Panorama. The scale of the mountains is Canada is simply unreal. With runs that are over 9 miles long and a drop approaching 6,000 vertical feet it is easy to feel small. Personally, I don't think it will ever get old allowing gravity to simply take over to the point that the mind can no longer process what is right in front of it, and then to stop and realize that you just spent less than four minutes covering ground that would take hours, if not days, to turn around and climb back up. It is simply amazing.

A panoramic picture at Panorama! Addy was super stoked about this picture because of that. Also, it is impossible to do justice to this place. These mountains are incredible! We were lucky to have two amazing days of sunshine to take in these magical views.

Maren is so funny. Every time we ski, she starts out suuuper slow and cautious. We have learned that if we push her too fast too soon, it only results in frustration. If you give her time to warm up though, then watch out world because Maren transforms into a speed monster!

Addy can often be seen slowly flapping her arms- not for balance, but because it "makes her feel like she is flying." She brings a contagious playfulness to the day that makes it hard to take things too seriously.

And then there is Evelyn. She came into her own this year when she discovered the bumps. Yeah- those pesky little things that so many people avoid. She also hates powder. It's weird, but like with other things I have come to expected the unexpected with her. This girl has turned skiing on its head, and she is so fun to be with! 

Jackson can be hard to get a photo of, because usually when I ski with him I am legitimately focused on just getting myself down in one piece and I don't think to pull out the camera. He likes skiing the biggest, baddest, toughest runs on the mountain- the steeper the better. For his last run of the year he went off the largest drop he has ever sent.

...Yet.

...But there will be many more drops for this guy in the future. Of that, I am certain. When I want to ski hard, I take Jackson along with zero hesitation.

Lindsey. Has. No. Fear.

Though she is still perfecting her turns, she knows she can keep up with anybody by simply pointing her skis downhill and screaming at the top of her lungs. It usually works too! We all found ourselves on a steep run early in the day that was so iced up you could see your reflection in places. As the rest of us gingerly picked our way down these treacherous conditions, Lindsey simply let out her warrior scream and blazed past everybody at near-terminal velocity. Moguls? No problem. Who needs to turn? On a powder day, I'm pretty sure you can track where this girl has been by just looking for the straight lines. It is scary to watch, but she always ends with a smile- even when she falls. 

*****

It has been amazing. Let's do it again next year.

Have a good week!