Never too Early...

Sometimes (like every morning since Halloween), your husband announces the latest snow report while you roll your eyes and either say sarcastically "good for them" or exasperatedly say, "it's NOVEMBER."

But sometimes, after the fiftieth reminder that Keystone got another six inches of fresh powder last night, you relent because it's Thanksgiving after all, and even the three year old has been talking about skiing incessantly. And it's supposed to be a warm day--let's not forget that minor detail.

She wasn't excited or anything.

I'll admit, it was a good little day trip [even though we managed to lock the keys in the car upon our arrival--thank you USAA roadside assistance!].

The wagon train, right before we realized we forgot our backpack. Which was in the locked car.
And had the keys in it.

We (Peter) packed a lunch, and we ate breakfast in the car to get a slightly earlier start which the kids thought was awesome of course.

It was the first time Ethan skied for a span longer than 5 minutes...this time he made it the whole 5 hours! Half a year clearly made a huge difference. 

We used the harness with straps and did a few runs first on the magic carpet (there's a convenient learning area on the top of the hill) before he joined the big kids on the short run and tried out a chair lift for the first time:

He loved it all and was a total glutton for punishment; his legs were barely holding up by the end but he was still saying "I wanna go on that big one again!"

The big kids got their ski legs back very quickly, and only did one run on the bunny hill before they were off rocking and rolling on the nearby greens, skiing through the kids' terrain park and the trees. 

Erik had a few good wipeouts but did better with getting up on his own, only needing help about half the time. Marie was especially motivated and even asked how long it would be till she could ski Black Diamonds with us. (Probably not as soon as you want but sooner than we think, dear!). 

Overall, pretty amazing considering the seven month break they've had from their skis. We agreed that with a few lessons this season, Ethan included, that in no time they will all be holding their own and then some!

I'll refrain from giving you a snow report, of course, but considering the fact that we already made it up to the mountains this early in pre-season (looking at you, polar vortex), you know a fantastic season awaits! So fantastic that we went ahead and got our season passes today. 

Or maybe Elsa is to blame...

FYI, whether you're a local or just visiting, Keystone some offers awesome deals for military families in conjunction with Arapahoe Basin. 

He was missing his ruck sack.

So when you decide to book your ski vacation, remember that a) it's never too early, b) Peter will say yes to joining you, and c) he is a pro at convincing me. Eventually. And getting me to admit it's worth it!

Happy (still technically) November!