Paradise on Grouse Mountain

Back in April, when the girls came out to Vancouver during spring break to check things out here, I took Hannah skiing at Grouse Mountain. We had so much fun, I bought season passes ("Y2Play") for our entire family.

The ski season started a couple of weeks ago (right after Karla broke her elbow), and we've been skiing a couple of times already. We all went together the first time, even Karla. Of course, she didn't ski at all, but she stood at the top of "Paradise", the bunny hill, with Sasha or Ellie while I skied with each of them in turn.

Here's the gondola coming in to dock before loading us up.

Sasha didn't look too sure about the gondola ride even though (because?) she had done it twice before.

No, those aren't Sasha's poles she's got there. She carried my poles while I carried her skiis and my own. We were told that kids her age learn better without poles.

The "skyride" up the mountain only took about 5 minutes to whisk us up the mountain side, and it was jam-packed, even though we were there relatively early. We were stuck in the middle of about 40 people, so I didn't get any pictures on the way up.

Here's Sasha at the top of the mountain ready to go. I forgot she was still holding my poles, so it looks like the person that fitted her up did a ridiculously bad job.

Sasha didn't fall down the whole day skiing down the hill, and this was only her second time skiing. And the first time we went, she probably went down the hill 3 or 4 times, max.

Check out this video of Sasha skiing "Paradise" run. She's awesome!

But Sasha's favourite part of skiing is still the chair-lift ride up to the top of the hill. "So relaxing". Yeah, until we have to get off . . . with Hannah on one side of us, and some stranger on the other side. Try doing that without falling. Hey, I said she didn't fall down while "skiing down the hill". She fell down plenty of times getting off that dang chairlift.

Hannah enjoyed herself too. She really seems to have taken to skiing.

Hannah and Sasha posed at the top of "Paradise" run with "The Peak" in the background. If you look closely, you can see the big wind turbine at the top.

We only stayed until mid-afternoon, so the gondola was much emptier on the ride back down. The girls even got window seats . . .

. . . with a great view of Stanley Park and English Bay.

It is so great to be able to drive for 15 or 20 minutes, go skiing in perfect conditions, and then come back down to the balmy Vancouver weather, leaving the snow and cold up on the mountain where it belongs.