Momathon Blog

Wordless Wednesday: I'd Rather Be Skiing

March in the Rockies is spring skiing heaven with new snow almost every day. I'm in my studio, but I'd rather be skiing...

Image by the ski bum mum, Chris Olson.

Daily Doodle: Happy Birthday, Dad!

My doodle today is dedicated to my dad on his birthday. A bit of nostalgia, this doodle features my brothers and me at a local ski area back when tow ropes and lace-up ski boots were the thing.

One of my fondest memories from my childhood in Minnesota was going skiing almost daily from December through March at the ski hill conveniently located about 2 blocks from my house. As soon as I jumped off the school bus after school, I would grab my ski boots and skis and head to the slopes. I think a season pass at the ski hill back then only cost about $25. When my family moved from Indiana to Minnesota I was nearly five. The only thing that made the move tolerable was the promise of lots of snow. I admit I was a bit disappointed the first year because as a kindergartner I imagined the Minnesota snowdrifts would be higher than my house and instead the drifts were only hip high. The snowfall the first year was below average. However, each year that followed we had more than enough of the white stuff to ski–and shovel!

Doodle by me, Chris Olson. (You can see more of my doodles at Momathon doodles.)

Snow in the Rockies!

 

 

This skier is very happy. Winter has arrived in the Rockies! I'll be heading to Brecken-Fridge soon.

More details on the 2010-2011 Colorado ski season at Breckenridge.com.

More skiing posts at Momathon hearts skiing.

Photos: Breckenridge.com

Ski Bum Mum: Touching the sky at elevation 11,990

 

When spring arrives, I savor the moments of warm sunshine on my back and slushy snow under my skis. I admit I am a cold weather wimp. Enjoying the mountains on a sunny day is like a slice of heaven.

 

Warm winter days usually mean clear roads--even the mountain pavement that seems to touch the clouds. Loveland Pass, a high mountain pass just east of Keystone Ski Resort on US Route 6 in Colorado, is not for the faint hearted as the narrow road skims the edge of the mountain seeming to dare the laws of gravity that holds cars on the pavement. Heading east, the mountain pass starts out as an easy, winding single-lane highway hugging the mountain with no guardrails between the car and the cliffs on the outside lane. A steep, steady 6.7% grade with hairpin turns makes it an adventure even when the road is plowed clean of snow. 800 feet below the asphalt, the Eisenhower Tunnel cuts through the mountain allowing drivers on I-25 take a short cut and skip the treacherous mountain pass above. 

 

(Photos © Chris Olson) 

She did it! Lindsey Vonn wins the gold in women's downhill!

It's the Vonn-couver games!!!! I don't think this downhill event could have been any more exciting. Before I had kids, way back when I was much younger and a little nuts, I thought racing was a good way to spend the winter. Now I'm the unofficial Ski Bum Mum and I'm happy to sit back and watch the racers charge down that extremely challenging course.

(Image: Facebook--Lindsey Vonn) 

Lindsey Vonn won the gold in one of the most treacherous downhill courses in 20 years. Vonn was cruising down an icy course at over 70 mph. She survived the ice chunks. And the bumps. And, oh yeah, just a few giant ruts carved deep into the course by previous racers. I thought I was going to die when I saw Lindsey favor her bruised right shin in a turn near the top, putting nearly all her weight on her uphill ski. Yikes. A dangerous move on a challenging course like that, but she managed to make it through the turn and regain her picture-perfect form. She sailed through the rest of the course--flying off the final jump for some big air near the finish. She came down on her left leg, favoring her bruised right shin. A risky move, but she did it! And the rest is history. Way to go Lindsey! 

A big shout out to Vonn's amazing teammate Julia Mancuso who captured the silver medal in the women's downhill.

As you know, I've mentioned in my blog before that Lindsey and I hail from the same state and even grew up racing on the same "little hill" in Burnsville, Minnesota. That's where are similarities part. Lindsey is a racing phenom. I can't believe her incredible talent. I was the racer always catching a ski tip on a gate, spinning out, and crashing. (Yes, I was the drama queen of the course.) 

Lindsey started out skiing on a "little hill" in Minnesota

So what's the big deal about racers and Minnesota? There isn't even a mountain in Minnesota. The vertical rise at Buck Hill where Lindsey raced is just a tad over 300 feet. You need a mountain with a vertical of over 2000 feet to run a downhill event. That means at Buck Hill the young racers need to go down (and then up the lift) on this "little hill" dozens and dozens of times just to get in 400 gates or more during a practice session. 

Here's the scoop about the little hill where some amazing racers learn how to race, thanks to Jeff Baenen via the washingtonpost.com:

"Vonn was little Lindsey Kildow back then, just a 6-year-old learning to ski at Buck Hill under the eye of her father Allen, a competitive skier himself and a coach for the Buck Hill ski team... 'This little hill produced a lot of good skiers,' said Erich Sailer, who taught Vonn at Buck Hill and continues to coach there. Sailer, a member of the U.S. Ski Hall of Fame, also coached three-time Olympian Kristina Koznick and two-time Olympian Tasha (Nelson) McCrank."

You can read more about Lindsey Vonn in Minnesota via the www.washingtonpost.

Ski Bum Mum: Amazing Olympic video updates on your laptop

Can't get enough Olympic news coverage?

Now you can get the latest Vancouver 2010 video, slideshows, and news on your laptop. Just download the NBCOlympics.com Widget seen below.

Ski Bum Mum: Tweet deals just for you

 

(image by Robert Nyman)

Looking for region specific updates? Follow Liftopia.com at its market-specific Twitter handles. 

Liftopia: Colorado on Twitter

Liftopia: Utah on Twitter

Liftopia New England on Twitter

Liftopia: BC Alberta on Twitter

You can also follow a general feed of information on Liftopia on Twitter.

Ski Bum Mum: Sweet ski deals at Liftopia.com

Taking the whole family skiing for a weekend or even a day can be expensive, so I am always looking for deals on skiing. I found an online service that offers discounts on resorts and lift tickets. Now if only I could find a bargain for lunch when I easily spend $70 on burgers, chili and drinks for a family of four on the mountain.

Liftopia.com partners directly with ski resorts to provide discount lift tickets and ski deals. If you book online, you can save up to 60% or even 75%! I haven't used this service yet, but I plan on trying it out soon.

 

 (images by johnrawlinson and frozenchipmunk)

Booking early on Liftopia makes sense because tickets can sell out, but tickets can be purchased up until the night before arrival. When you purchase a ticket from Liftopia.com, you are purchasing date-specific tickets and ski deals. Prices for ski deals fluctuate based on availability, snow conditions, weather, day of week, etc.

For the 2009-2010 ski season, Liftopia includes discounts at 120 ski resorts in North America.

Some new ski resort additions this year include:

• Winter Park
• Killington
• Keystone

Wanna get the scoop on a certain resort? Liftopia.com also includes a feature for customer reviews.

Get the latest news alerts on Liftopia: 

Liftopia on Twitter

Facebook | Liftopia

Ski Bum Mum: 100 days and counting

Skiing has been one of my passions ever since I was five and my family moved to a Minneapolis suburb with a tiny ski resort only a block away from my house. I grew up skiing with my older brothers almost every day during ski season.

Fast forward many years and a move to Colorado, now I am chasing my own kids down the mountain.  Note that my kids are not chasing me. Now they are the fast ones. And I do my best to keep up with my kids even though old racing injuries and age have slowed me down just a bit. 

Counting down to the Winter Games 2010...

Lindsey Vonn at Val d'Isere in 2009 (image by gulgul sk8 74)

Some of the US Ski team, including my personal fave Lindsey Vonn, started training this week in Vail for the Winter Games. The good news is a recent storm dumped plenty of the white stuff at nearby Beaver Creek Resort just in time for the December 4-6 Audi FIS Alpine World Cup event.

I am psyched.