The Hazard Chronicles

We had a four-day weekend last week. Up until the very last minute we had plans up in the air and nobody was really sure what we were going to do. Let me start by saying a huge "thank-you" to Shannon and Adrian, who tolerated our fickleness and ended up, at the last minute, hosting us in their home for three days.

Here is the story: Originally, we had booked a slope-side condo at Panorama- a resort in Canada that we really like. We were super excited about this. Usually on these ski trips we all crowd into the most affordable dingy hotel room that we can find, so this was a special treat. As the dates drew nearer, however, the temperatures started to plummet. Two days before we were to leave, the forecast called for a high of -25 Fahrenheit. Did we really want to ski in that? But we are the Hazards. No such thing as bad conditions, right? Only bad skiers and bad gear. That was the gospel truth. We don't back down for something as menial as the weather. 

And so we braced ourselves for the cold and held the course. One day before departure, temperatures continued to drop. And then the resort announced that it would not open due to the cold. Darn! Our family breathed a collective sigh of relief. I guess plans would have to change after all, but we could do it now with our heads held high. Rachel made a few phone calls, Shannon offered up her home, and we were soon on the road to the comparatively tropical climate of Utah for our winter getaway.

On the way down we made a quick stop in Rexburg where we hung out with my parents. This was nice because they were originally scheduled to come up to our house last weekend to see Evelyn's performance. Due to a quick change in plans, however, they ended up cancelling that trip. I guess it worked out though, because we got to see them after all. 

Once in Utah, we skied two days at Snowbasin. They had received nearly five feet of snow in as many days, and the turns were nice and soft. It was pretty busy due to both the holiday weekend, the great snow,  and the fact that many of the other resorts in the area were unreachable due to road conditions. An insider tip from a friendly parking attendant got us parked right next to the lift on both days though, and in spite of the crowds, we were able to find open fields of powder high up on the mountain.

One nice thing about skiing in Utah is that we also have a lot of family in the area, providing us with a social calendar that we might not have elsewhere. We couldn't see everyone in the area, but had a fabulous time eating meals and catching up with those who we were able to be with. We are also planning a trip down next month to ski LCC, so hopefully we can catch some of the other people at that time.

Here are some photos. Have a good week!

Bowling

This was the line in the lower parking lot for the bus shuttle that took you to the lift. It was a 2 hour wait (after sitting in traffic for an additional 2 hours). After seeing our family, for whatever reason, the parking attendant gave us instructions and permission to go to a different spot that was literally right next to the lift. "Just tell them that Gabe sent you." It was perfect. Thank you, Gabe.

We went to a nice pizza place with Shannon's family. Here's Jack eating three different kinds of pizza at the same time. I guess he couldn't choose. To be clear, he is not holding it like this just because I was taking pictures- He is actually going back and forth between different slices as he eats. Weird kid.

For a while now, kids have been independent enough to allow us to have "lodge dates." We don't do this every time, but it is always nice when we do get to have these times.

The dreaded "family zone." We call them "moving trees," and negotiating this ant hill is some of the scariest skiing we do. Thankfully, most people stayed pretty low on the hill, allowing us a lot more room to play on the steeps at the top.

Cousin time

And, of course, the ferrets. If you read Maren's update last week then this picture will make a lot of sense.