Excellent Conditions - Ski All Day

I was awake around 7a and eager to get my ski day underway. Because I wisely laid out my entire running ensemble in the bathroom the night before, I was able to prepare for my run without interrupting anyone else's sleep. Smart! I did have to fumble through my gym bag for my door key, however, but I did that successfully in the dark. I woke Mindy to let her know that I was heading out. In the hotel lobby, I made myself a small cup of coffee before heading out in the cold. It was barely dawn, cloudy, windy, and still snowing. I did a brief stretch just outside the main entrance then headed up Holiday Valley Rd towards the Tannenbaum Lodge. Very beautiful! The homes lining the road are quite lovely decked out in Xmas lights against a foot or two of recent snow. The run along Holiday Valley Rd is an incredible workout, uphill the entire way out. Not only that, but footing on the icy snow presented a challenge, too. I worked up quite a sweat on the run out. But anyone who has ever run hilly terrain knows the challenge the downhill portion presents as well. It works out an entirely different group of muscles. I had to be mindful of my footing while running downhill. I was back at the Tamarack around 8a. I made myself another cup of coffee then headed up to the room. Everyone was still asleep and the room totally dark. I stripped out of my outer layer, grabbed my book and Droid then headed back to the lobby. I sipped coffee, did some reading, and caught up on a few headlines from the comfort of the Tamarack lobby, which is finely appointed and decorated festively. It must've been near 845a when I headed back to our room. The others were just beginning to stir. I slipped into my swim suit and headed down to the pool and hot tub. I got in the heated indoor pool first then swam outside through the weather flap then hopped over to one of two hot tubs. I was the only person in the pool or hot tub. The cold wind was whipping the snow around creating a surreal winter scene. I stayed in the hot tub for ten minutes max. Just after 9a, I headed back to the room, only this time everyone was awake. I believe that Glenn was fresh out of the shower and Mindy just preparing for one. I decided to make breakfast, bacon and eggs. Because I had hot tubbed, I didn't plan to shower until the day's end and after skiing. By the time we finished breakfast and were ready for the slopes, it was 11a. We started out the day on Cindy's Run, and at some point early on, I took Glenn to the Wall. Unfortunately it was closed. It's so steep that you can't see the face even looking over the edge. We skied Cindy's and Maple Leaf a number times before heading west to Yodeler, Northwind, Morning Star, and Moon Shadow. They were making snow on a number of runs including Moon Shadow. We decided to ski it anyway. Honestly, though, it wasn't worth it. Couldn't enjoy its hilly jumps due to a lack of visibility. Mindy & the kids agreed to do Northwind and Morning Star while Glenn & I skied the four black runs off of the Eagle lift. We did each of them all once and then repeated Falcon, one of my favorites in the entire park. At some point mid-day we agreed to do lunch in our room. I was just getting my ski legs, so I did a run or two by myself. I met everyone else already back in the room. I enjoyed two beers, a CBC IPA and Great Lakes Burning River. I ate a couple cheese sticks but that's it. We headed back out for a couple more hours of skiing. Everyone wanted to ski Champagne including Bella. I didn't think it a good choice for Bella, but what do I know. Not really unexpected, she fell and became very discouraged. I insisted that Mindy ski on and allow me to work with her. I asked her to focus only on the terrain immediately in front of her and to make big sweeping S turns. That helped a lot. She made it down without incident. Next, we skied Independence, which runs just to the left of Champagne. Wow, it was very mogully and way more difficult than any of the other nearby black diamonds, and it's considered a blue run. Jacob bit it on the moguls. We took an evening break in the Yodeler Lodge. We had to wait for a table but got one after waiting about 5 minutes. Mindy & the kids went after food while Glenn and I sipped beers. We took maybe an hour to relax and warm before heading back out. Can't recall the runs we took after break but we all skied hard. Mindy & the kids decided to call it a day and headed back to the room and pool around 6p. Glenn and I stayed out doing Champagne and Yodeler numerous times. We ended up heading in for yet another beer break in Yodeler Lodge. There, we met a young woman from Florida, although her roots were local. We chatted with her for a while. After our break, we skied a few more black runs but with me bagging the blacks for a cruise down Mardi Gras. Glenn, meanwhile, begged off for another run or two down Independence, his favorite run. We met at the base of Mardi Gras and headed to the room. Earlier in the day we collectively decided to try and book an extra night in the Tamarack. Why not? All of us were on vacation all week. Mindy checked with the desk mid-day where they told her they had no openings but to check back later. Mindy headed down to the lobby to make dinner reservations at John Harvard's Brew House and also checked on our room's availability. Still a no go, but now we were on a waiting list four people deep. We headed to dinner somewhere near 8-830p. We were seated at a table next to the one we sat at last January. I ordered a John Harvard's Pale ale. Mindy ordered two appetizers, calamari and spinach artichoke dip. Jacob and I agreed to share a large order of wings. Bella wanted a pizza. Mindy ordered their steak special. Can't recall what Glenn ordered. The wings were good, but Jacob ended up being too tired after eating only 4. Bella, meanwhile, complained that her pizza tasted funny. Didn't eat but one slice. Mindy ended up being full after half her steak. Gave the rest to Glenn. Mindy willingly picked up the check after we filled a couple to-go boxes with pizza and wings. It wasn't long before I was under the covers and falling asleep. Probably just after 10p.