a rainy, quiet weekend ski trip

 

  

Thursday we arrived to beautiful sunny afternoon at Snowshoe.  High in the mid-30's.  Our first stop is tradition.  We always stop at the bottom of the mountain to wander the shops and of course pickup some fudge (cookies and cream and chocolate caramel nut were our contenders this year).  Once we were checked in and unpacked, we walked around the village shops at the top of the mountain to make use of our legs.  Prior to dinner we played FRIENDS trivia (the owners of the lodge must love FRIENDS as this game was the drawer along with a FRIENDS mug).  After a late dinner we were fast asleep by 9pm.  Around 1:30am we were awoken by the fire alarm.  Fortunately, it didn't last long and we were back to sleep in no time.  Thankfully we didn't have to go stand outside in the cold in the middle of the night.  That would have been fun.

Early Friday morning we heard water dripping from the balcony.  That is never a good sign with plans to ski.  Either, A it is warm enough to make the snow/ice melt or B it is raining.  The latter was true, it was raining and clouds were hovering over us.  After studying in the word and eating a wonderfully large breakfast, we headed out to the slopes.  Within an hour the rain was already starting to soak through our 'waterproof' layer. so we had to return to the lodge to dry out.  I think that's a sign we need to re-waterproof our gear!  I hung the clothes in the bedroom to dry while Joe went out to the village to find rain ponchos.  apparently only on the east coast one would need a poncho to ski in January.  The sky cleared a little for the majority of the afternoon skiing, then more rain arrived and we headed in for the night.  It was a good thing we snapped a few photos early Friday afternoon.  

Saturday we woke up to roaring winds, heavy fog and dripping water from the balcony.  So after another wonderful morning of studying and eating a big breakfast, we headed out to the slopes.  we were a little fearful of the 100 percent chance rain and wind gusts.  We were surely thankful in purchasing the ponchos the day prior.  We made it down about 2 runs and had to put the ponchos on.  Shortly thereafter it was a torrential down pour with gusty winds!  We were sitting on the lift holding the hood over our heads and the rest of it over our knees to stay as dry as possible.  We knew at that point it was time to go in for a bit.  After lunch the rain had stopped and the fog had rolled out and we were able to have another enjoyable afternoon of skiing.  The crowds were at a minimum, assuming the weather finished everyone off.

Saturday overnight was expecting 1-2 inches of fresh snow.  Murphy's law I presume.  None the less we had a great time away from home.  It would have been nice to have better ski conditions, however you have to make the best of what you get.