Monday - January 5, 1998: Taos Ski Valley, NM
Snowy Mountains Majesty...
Woke up bright and early (the earliest yet!) to get outfitted in skis and boots, and then send Desi off to Ski School. She managed to do quite well at that! There were only six people in the class, and the instructor gave everyone lots of time and attention. She managed to pick up the basics pretty quickly, although that whole goin'-really-fast-thing gets a little scary sometimes. She didn't fall down too much, but had a heck of a time getting back up again. Otherwise, the instructor says she's doing very well and just has to build confidence. The last three runs down the bunny slope went great, although the final run of the day was abruptly ended by a fall (a gentle one, Mom) that popped both skis off. Both legs stayed attached. That was Desi's clue to end the day, find Brad and head for the hot-tub.

Brad, meanwhile, had a fabulous (albeit lonely) day on all the wonderful trails that Taos Ski Valley has to offer: there's some 72 trails here, most of them intermediate to expert. He did as promised and stayed off the most difficult runs until he could get his "ski legs" and then came back to the lodge with great stories of incredible views from up there, uncrowded lifts, and the quiet of the trails as the sun tried periodically to break through the persistent snowfall. We had 12 inches of snow today! The first in two weeks they tell us. So we're very lucky - but ready for it to finish tomorrow afternoon on schedule so Desi can see what the mountain looks like in the sunshine!

More lessons for Des tomorrow…then maybe she and Brad can do more than the bunny slope together…stay tuned…