Just another one of the moms

Shown above at a recent play date hanging out with Kari and LT are Jamie & Ben with their little guy Dylan. We got onto the subject of skiing and talked about going together this winter and how we might manage that with the little ones. I tried not to show it but I was a little skeptical about this ever happening - mostly because I think it's going to be really difficult to do with new babies in the family. But also because I'm not a huge fan of skiing with people I don't know well. It seems like everyone in Colorado thinks of themselves as a great skier but this isn't Lake Wobegon and someone's got to be below average. In an effort to avoid the unwashed masses and the boring days they entail I've taken to skiing mostly with friends Andy and Gary. Not sure where we stand against the average but together we have been lucky enough to experience things on skis that most front range skiers never have and never will (a bit of a disclaimer: two seasons ago I hit a buried tree stump at Copper and completely tore the PCL in my right knee. I can ski again but the accident has slowed me down considerably).


We've skied the Steamboat backcountry (Andy in blue jumping and Gary and I on one of the sleds) .



As well as the Vail backcountry (me in yellow off the little rock and Gary and Andy unloading all the gear in the morning).


Also near Vail - one night we slept in a hut unaware that just one peak away a search and rescue effort went on all night but was unable to save the lives of two men who drove their rented snowmobiles off of a cliff (the sign pictured above was donated by the "families of the deceased" to warn of the danger).


It's not all snowmobiles - we've hiked and skied Mt. Evans in June and July (Hailie went with us the first time but that's a story for another time).

A few years ago Gary and I went with a group to Silverton Mountain which claims to be lift access backcountry skiing and has been highly reviewed by most of the major ski magazines. I'm sorry to say that it was probably the single most disappointing ski day I've ever had (other than the day I blew out my knee).

I've even tried my hand at a little "new school" style - shown above after being pulled behind a snowmobile to build up speed for the jump. That day actually turned out ok but another incident involving broken goggles and the icy side of a half pipe left me looking like I'd lost a fight and thinking that "new school" is better left for the kids...

Anyway, all that to explain (and because I love some of those pictures) why I'm hesitant to sign up for a ski day with people I don't know very well - because more often than not it ends up being a pretty boring day. And that's exactly what I was thinking when we were talking to Jamie. And that's what I thought until a few days later when Kari told me to check out this web site. Turns out that Jamie, the mom of one of Landon's little friends, is a legit pro. I may like to think of my skiing past as a little beyond the average but this Highland mom is in a whole different league and average isn't something she's ever even been in the same room with.

And to think I was worried about being bored... now I don't want to go with them because I'm afraid I'll embarrass myself. Maybe I can babysit - I seem to be getting better at that.