Asheville, NC, Ski Trip

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So I took the kids skiing last weekend. Isn't this shot of Patti ultra cool?!

We went north of Asheville, NC, to Wolf Ridge. First, let me tell you, the website looks better than the real thing, which is often the case. The trail map shows an entire world that doesn't seem to exist or maybe was closed. Or maybe we just overlooked it. And the tubing? No, honey, don't plan to tube. It's a mile or two away from the ski area and is a very short hill. Also, my son estimates the slope to be that of a wheelchair ramp. We just laughed & laughed & laughed about their idea of tubing.
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That said, I have to admit this ski resort had it's appeal. It seemed like a rink-i-dink mom & pop operation, but sometimes that's just what you need. We didn't have to wait in lines, didn't have to dodge people on the slopes, didn't have to fight for a table in the lodge, etc. The rates were far cheaper than what I saw on the website, so I was pleased.

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If you're looking for a family atmosphere with slopes adequate for a couple days of fun, this is a great place to go. If you want to spend most of your time actually skiing, go here. If you want to pack in your own snacks, go here. If you like canteen food, go here. If you are an expert skiier, don't go here. If you like fancy resorts and lodges, don't go here. If you like yummy grills and hot drinks, don't go here.


Since there was no tubing, Patti decided to put Eva on skis. I was amazed. Eva picked it up quickly. She never learned how to stop though.
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It was Eden's first time skiing also. She was unstoppable. She did the bunny slope just a couple times and went right up to the top, coming down the medium slopes. Then she did it again and again and again. She skiied the maximum amount of time. 1-10 pm, then 11 - 4 the next day. We left her with Tommy the first night at 5:00 when the slopes closed briefly. We went to dinner and Patti took Eva back to the motel for bed. Dad & I returned to the ski resort thinking we'd find Eden resting in the lodge, cozied up to the fire, while Tommy skiied maniacally. But no, Eden wasn't resting. She was a maniac, too.
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Here's Tommy when he was on the snowboard instead of skiis. He found this little bump where he could get some air.
Reminded me of when we were mountain biking in Utah, it's almost the same pose.
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And here's Marj. She had planned to snowboard, but decided to ski and loved it. But she was a little sick on day one and very, very, very sick on day two. She spent most of day two sleeping in the lodge with her head on a table, but managed to go out and ski a few times with her sister while I kept Eva.
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As soon as we got home, I got sick. I can't imagine skiing when I feel like this, but she did.

Click here if you'd like to see more photos from the trip.
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Mom and dad drove over from Charlotte and visited with us a little bit. We had quite an experience over dinner, but that's for tomorrow's post. Now, I hear, mom is also sick.

It snowed all day long on day two, it was beautiful. As we drove home, we could feel the excitement across the south as people braced for the big storm.

Let me tell you, we were in the eye of the storm and it was traveling east with us. It was a miserable drive. I kept thinking I'd have to pull over and spend the night somewhere, but I didn't. When we hit Spartanburg, over 3500 people were without electricity. Driving from Spartanburg to Newberry was the worst. Not much traffic and no plows or sand trucks. It was rough. The next day I found out there was a 35 car pileup on the interstate in Spartanburg sometime after we passed through. I'm just hoping it wasn't me. I'm hoping I wasn't like Mr. Magoo driving along, unaware of my trail of chaos.