3/4 of the Wiktors continue to be proud members of the Epic family and the other quarter of us ain’t no stranger to a relaxing time in the mountains with family. I have become pretty rigid in my ski trip requirements that I use as planning factors. No weekend or holiday skiing. Must stay on the slopes. Must have a kitchen (Pebble’s Mac and Cheese isn’t going to just appear out of thing air after all). This leads to never ending searches on the internet but when it works… what a good time it is!
This year’s ski pilgrimage started as all trips out west should start: with a stop at the first In-n-Out we find. As the picture shows, Will couldn’t even break eye contact with the burger long enough to smile for the camera. We broke from tradition this year and headed to Breckenridge instead of Northstar so there was a lot of new routines to be learned and we had some hesitations about the trails. Lucky for us, the snow started coming down shortly after we checked into the condo! Day one was full of powder and empty lifts.
On day two, we reaped the rewards of the prior day’s snow. Clear skies and piles of powder. The “ego snow” as it’s called opens up the mountains to anyone adventurous enough to ignore the trail ratings. The favorite run of the day was probably the drop in to the double-black Serenity Bowl on Peak 6. In different conditions, this would’ve been certain death for the kids, or at least certain “yard sale and tears,” but cutting fresh tracks in 12+ inches of fluffy powder put big smiles on the kids’ faces and built some confidence. “Keep your tips up kids!”
Our last day (still a weekday) was nothing but empty long runs, blue skies, and more than a few dips into the treeline to check out some of nature’s slalom courses. The trees only claimed one child’s pole and left no bruises – so mark it a success!
Unfortunately, the million dollar question of Northstar vs Breckenridge remains unanswered but there is no doubt a 2025 trip will be on the calendar and will include all the staples of a Wiktor Ski Adventure at a destination yet to be determined.