*Guest Post* First Ski Tour With Mama

I am pleased to welcome Katie to the blog today.  After emailing me a few months back and mentioning she lives in a cabin in the mountains with her husband and young daughter, I knew she would have some good stories!  I was thrilled when she finally agreed to share one with us all.  As always, please feel free to leave her some love in the comments!

It snowed.  Finally.  I can’t believe it’s taken until February for the snow conditions to be good enough to take our baby for a ski tour.  We’ve had more wind, rain and ice crusts this year than snow.  Typically by now, I would have been out skiing a good 30+ days; even last year, when I was pregnant.  But this winter is different for another reason; we now have a sweet 7 month old, S. 

It was a beautiful day for a ski tour, at least at first.  We typically like to get an early start, but after figuring out what gear we needed and how to fit it all into the kid carrier (we attached a separate bag), making breakfast and packing lunch, feeding and changing S again, getting the skis ready, and putting her pacifier on belay, we finally headed out at the crack of 11:30.  We were familiar with dressing her in the cold:  long sleeved Capilene onsie with pants, baby leg warmers to keep her legs warm while changing her outdoors, knitted socks, booties, wool mittens, a thick fleece one piece suit with handwarmers in the hands and feet, a little hat with a felted wool earflap hat over top, sunglasses to protect her eyes and a bit of sunscreen on her exposed face, all under a toasty down outfit.  We planned to be outside for up to 5-6 hours and wanted to be prepared for anything.   We’d done plenty of cross country skiing and snowshoeing with S on our backs or in her ski trailer, and a little skinning uphill before our local resort opens in the morning.  We like to take her on an outside adventure at least 5 days a week.  But this was the first backcountry ski tour that I skinned up and skied down with S.  I wanted to carry her so I knew I could do it, even though my husband usually carries the heavier backpack.  Note: we are both experienced skiers and have excellent backcountry travel skills.  We completely avoid avalanche terrain while traveling with S. 

A Week of SKI + Lucky Bums Ski Trainer Review

With very young kids, downhill skiing is nearly impossible, especially if you want to use the lifts at resorts AND ski with your spouse.  It's just a fact of life. :)  I look forward to the day when our whole family can ski together.   However, thanks to my lovely in-laws this past week, I was able to do both (in small increments of time, but skiing none-the-less!)  Unless you've been in the same position, there is no describing how wonderful just a few hours of a little freedom can be (as much as I love my kids!)

Not only did I get to ski with just the "older" family members we were with, I also got to join together with Mountain Papa one of the mornings to help J learn on his own skis.  It was great to get some time with just one kid AND help see him learn (because I can learn from that process too!)

We were fortunate enough to have a chance to test out a Lucky Bums Ski Trainer this week also.  If you have kids learning to ski, this is THE harness to have (in our humble opinion!)

"Spring" + Sun Protection Reminder

It is suddenly that time of year in the Wyoming mountains.  The days are getting longer, the temperatures are a bit warmer, the snow is getting softer and the sun is intense.  We had a chance to get out and play yesterday and it was absolutely beautiful.

It was also one of those days where it took us hours to get out of the house and on the snow, so we were definitely battling sticky snow on our skis.  But, we hardly noticed because we were enjoying the sun so much.  So much, in fact, that we completely forgot about any sort of sun screen.  We were lucky that we came home with a bit of color and luckily no noticeable burns.... This time.

Cross Country Skiing for Kids

We do a lot of different kinds of skiing in our family.

Cross country in the backcountry is my favorite.  I love the workout, the peace, the silence (well, usually anyway...), and the fact that the hills are a bit more of just that: hills (not mountains!)  Mtn Papa is the one more into the Backcountry alpine skiing (hiking up with skis on for traction and then skiing down) but it is certainly growing on me.

Lately, J has been going with Daddy every chance he gets to practice downhill (AKA Alpine skiing.)  Now we are trying to convince him that cross country is fun too!

Let me first be clear that this is our first time trying to teach a kid to ski.  Poor "Guinea Pig", J!  We are certainly not experts, but it is always nice to hear what others have done!

This Moment...

*No words necessary, just a precious moment!*

Staying Organized with all that GEAR! (Transpack Review + Giveaway)

With two young kids, a dog, our skis, our boots, our warm gear, extra layers, food, etc. etc. our car is bursting with stuff.

It drives me crazy (and I refuse to post a picture here of what it looks like in reality!)

We are usually pretty organized as we leave home, but by the time we are done with our adventure and heading back, a gear tornado has taken over our vehicle.

We usually finish our ski (or hike, etc.) and throw the kids into the car, quickly take off gloves and boots to make sure extremities are warm, and give them a snack (and dig through quickly-shed jackets to get there) before they start getting really fussy.  Two minutes of craziness means no organization what-so-ever.

However, we have gotten better, thanks to being more consistent about our packing and trying to enforce a system (despite the madness!)

What we do for the shorter trips (in the area):
- All P's clothing (hats, gloves, booties) are zipped into his snowsuit and then put into the community duffel bag.
- J wears his snow pants and boots to the trail.
- Mountain Papa and I also wear our ski pants and ski boots to the trail.
- All our extra gear is thrown into a big duffle.

When we're going a little further:
- Everyone's gear goes into separate bags (though for now the kids share one bag.)
- Mittens are paired and stuck into hats and then into coat sleeves.
- Boots have their own pockets in said bags (wait for it....) to keep them separate from other stuff (avoiding mud and snow/water on everything.)
- We bring a bag specifically for snacks and water bottles.  All empty containers and fruit peels return to that bag (we usually carry a reusable trash sack for the garbage.)
- The car does not move until all gear (wet or not) returns back to its spot.  Because we usually are going to need that stuff again (coats for dinner later or hats and gloves and snow pants for sledding, etc.) we want to know where it is.
- When we get home, our railing is full of the wet stuff to dry!

THE bag(s) that helps keep that organization a little better:

Transpack.

Edge Jr. and XTW in Gray/Lemongrass Multi Floral

This Moment....

*No words necessary, just a precious moment!*

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Dressing Kids for Winter

I get a lot of questions about how we keep our boys warm in the winter when we are outside for hours at a time.  I was hoping to do a video, but I figured I would save you all from the whining and the reality that the video would be at least 20 minutes long (even if I sped it up to double time!) with labeled pictures instead.  This is what we are doing this winter and is what works for us and our kids!  As always, please feel free to add your comments or questions at the end of the post!

Unplug + Snow!

We did a lot of this...

...this...

...and this...

 ...and none of this...

...this weekend.  It was glorious.

Anyone get outside and enjoy nature and family (or solitude) this weekend?

This Moment....

*No words necessary, just a precious moment.*

*Guest Post* Testing the limits: My day on the slopes with baby

I am so excited to welcome Alizah to the blog today! She echos our belief that kids should be outside and adventuring.  Feel free to join in the discussion in the comments and leave her some feedback.  We can't wait to hear what you have to say. =) Amelia (AKA Mountain Mama)

My son Kiko was 7 ½ months old the first – and last – time I took him downhill skiing. We didn’t fall, we weren’t scared, we didn’t get cold, or sunburned, or slip off the chairlift, or hit a tree. To the contrary, the hours we spent skiing the slopes of Wachusett Mountain in Massachusetts were some of the happiest in my memory. So why, you might ask, wouldn’t I want to do it again? The answer has less to do with my skills, my skis, or my son than with the other skiers on the slopes. What began as a recreational activity for our family ended as a strange and somewhat alienating social experience in which we seemingly became an object of attention and conversation on the mountain. With bubbly excitement we started skiing at 10:30 AM. By 12:30 PM I was weary of the experience and suggested to my husband that we call it quits and head back to the car. Let me explain what happened…

It was a sunny morning in March 2009. The temps were up, the snow conditions perfect. It was mid-week, meaning that the slopes were relatively clear. We did our homework before by calling the resort and asking if they allowed skiing with babies. The man we spoke to was enthusiastic, saying, “No one ever asks us that. We think it’s really cool you want to bring your baby skiing, do come!” Wow, I thought, such a warm welcome, how could we possibly turn it down?

Making the Most of Failed Outings...

Yesterday was gorgeous.  It was the last day of vacation for us (meaning Daddy home!) and we were bound and determined to make the most of it (which meant not worrying about the state of the house at all and just getting outside.)  I, personally, was determined to ignore the signs of flu that had been nagging at me for the past 4 days.

We packed the boys up (no small feat) and made our way to skate ski into Brooks Lake Lodge (mentioned here in a previous post) for lunch.  On the drive out we commented on how perfect the day was.  This was to be our third time skiing into the lodge, but my first time NOT pregnant (and I was PSYCHED!!)

However, things didn't go as planned (and this time it wasn't because of the KIDS!)

If you have skate skied before, you know it is a lot of work.  I LOVE it, but getting my heart rate up was triggering my gag-reflux (along with flu aches and pains) and, determined as I was, there was no way I was going to make it the 5 miles in.

And so we bailed.  And then we had to explain to J WHY we weren't going to eat lunch that day at Brooks Lake.

To be honest, I was SUPER bummed.  I kept thinking it MUST be all in my head and I could certainly make it (I had done it 6 months pregnant before easily!)  I am stubborn like that.

Instead of just heading home right away, "Super Dad" helped J play in the snow (which he loved, of course) while I got my bearings back sitting in the car with P.

Sitting there, I was finally able to see that in reality, this wasn't a failure at all.  We were out there.  We got a 3.5 mile ski in (instead of the 10 we originally planned.)  The kids got to play in the snow and we were spending time as a family.  And those are the most important things of all.

Lesson of the day: Take account of the small accomplishments and enjoy them.  They certainly DO count!

This Moment....

*No words necessary, just a precious moment*

but you have to check out what his shirt says.....

New! Feel free to link up your own "moments" in the comments!!!

Taking in Nature and Trails (in all their imperfections)

Truth be told, my husband and I long to live somewhere we could ski from our back door.  Sure, there are plenty of benefits to living in the "Valley of the Warm Winds" (which means there is seldom snow at our home, but easy access to it, and we don't have to worry about plowing snow and all that goes along with that!)  But, oh the joy it would be to NOT have to pack the car with all our skis, gear, snacks and kids every few days to get to snow.  Someday....maybe....

As we recently skied at the closest (20 miles away) backcountry trails, we had all sorts of great ideas about starting a ski team, getting permission to do some grooming (anything would be nice!) and at least clearing out some of the fallen trees.  We notice the trail imperfections especially as we pull the Chariot since it seems to find all sticks, branches, and rocks to bounce off.  We dream of groomed trails that accommodate skate skiing AND don't require breaking our own trail.

And yet, we were realizing that we were completely caught in the grass-is-greener mentality.  We forget about the beauty of not having to share the trail with hundreds of other skiers.  We don't think about how most nicely-groomed trails don't allow dogs (thanks to the ones that choose to poo right in the middle of the trail.)

Really in anything in our lives it is easy to get caught up in the "if only"s.  If only we could ski there.  If only we had better wax.  If only we had better gear.  If only the weather/trails/snow were better.  If only we had a different ski trailer.  If only we made more money. If only we had that perfect job.  Etc. Etc. You get the idea....

And so as we near the beginning of 2012, we vow here to enjoy what we have.  To live in the moment.  To not stress about the small things.  It stop and have a snack, nurse an infant or sing a song/do a dance to warm up a little.  And to be happy to ski where there is snow!

Any adventure-oriented New Years resolutions?  Please do share!

Destination Adventuring

Getting outside with kids can be tough.  The hardest thing is that what works one time may very well not be as sucessful the next time.  Kids are just fickle! :)  As a family, when we are out there, it is usually for extended hours at a time.  As a mama, this sometimes makes me pretty nervous (what about the melt-downs? do we have enough food? are they adequately bundled?), but the kids tend to roll with the punches better than I do (go figure!)  

For those long days, one thing that we have learned is great for everyone in the family is Destination Adventuring.  

Winter Translation: Instead of skiing around all day, we ski into a cabin or a lodge, eat lunch (or stay the night!) and ski out.

The benefits of this are:

- Built-in rest time for Mama and Daddy (plus a rest for the kids that are traveling via carrier or stroller)

- Something to look forward to ("only a few more minutes", "you can have a snack once we get to the cabin", etc.)

- A warm-up point

- A break-up of events in the day (especially since toddlers - or kids of all ages - have short attention spans!)

Keep in mind:

- Be realistic about the abilities (and morale) or your group.  Even going a mile (or half a mile, etc.) and having a hot chocolate break gives kids something to look forward to.

- Check trail conditions (along with your destination information) before you go.  Not much worse than planning on having somewhere to end and it not being there (because you went the wrong way) or not accessible.

- Roll with it (we tell each other this almost constantly when we are out there adventuring and our plans have to change for various reasons.)

There are country-wide opportunities to do this sort of trip, even in the winter.  One idea is to rent a Forest Service Cabin.  We also look forward to skiing into a Yurt later this winter.  I would love if anyone has any other ideas (or blog posts they have done) to link up in the comments here too!

Locally, we look forward to a skate-ski into Brooks Lake Lodge, located on Togwotee Pass.  Open exclusively to guests in the summer, the lodge caters to snow-mobilers and skiers in the winter.  The trip is a good 2 hours (with a slight uphill climb most of the way) and a fast 45 minutes out (which works great when you have a full stomach after lunch!)  We pack cookies to keep J happy (or as a last resort to entertaining him) on the way in and make a full day of it.

 Any great destination adventures you have done (or would like to do??)  Please do share!

This Moment

*No words necessary, just a precious moment*

Backcountry Lessons from the Throne of the Deuter Kid Carrier III (+ pack review)

There is something to be said about what kids can learn from their conversations with Daddy (or Mama) while they ride along on adventures.  I love that our Deuter Kid Comfort III allows J to ride comfortably along while Daddy takes advantage of a perfect opportunity to show J a little bit of this country we love so much.

This weekend we ventured out in the backcountry mountains with both boys in packs.  P managed to sleep almost the whole time, but J was a chatterbox until the last 20 minutes of a 5 hour adventure:

I'll be honest - I was struggling today.  I haven't been able to be on backcountry skis (going up mountains, mind you) in two winters now due to a P's high risk pregnancy last winter.  I am definitely trying to get used to my skis, skins, boots and carrying an infant +gear on my back again.  

Moonlit Ski Adventures + Challenge

We love getting outside as a family and we do it every day (I feel like a broken record, but in case you haven't heard it before, we have a "15 minute" rule.  Even in the worst conditions, we are outside with our kids 15 minutes a day.)

I think that it is really easy to get stuck in the box of what you DO outside.  Go to the park, go on a run (and keep kids occupied in a stroller,) go hiking, go skiing, go on a nature walk.  Whatever your family does best is what you do most.  All of these things are wonderful and are certainly nothing to discredit.  However, sometimes we just need to try something new and challenge our minds, bodies and spirits (and those of our children) to keep our experiences exciting and fresh.

One thing that we love to do occasionally (and so wish we could do more) are moon-lit ski adventures.  Husband and I actually took a moonlit ski on our second date (is that trust, or what?!?!) Now we bundle the kids up in the Chariot, bring our headlamps as back up, and venture out on the trail (or not...)  It is amazing how a trail or scenery that is so familiar in the day time can be so different at night.

And yes, sometimes that different can be a little scary.  You of course have to take precautions.  We go slower and enjoy our surroundings, we pack extra extra gear, water, and food, and we make sure to make noise so we don't startle any 4-legged furry animal out on his own moonlit trek.  We are usually on familiar trails (especially at night.)

Posing where we had taken a picture two years prior on our second date!

This winter with two kids (and one old enough to appreciate the adventure) we are excited to explore outside in different ways.  We believe in appreciating nature in ALL its forms (darkness included) and develop a respect (including the safety aspect) for that in our kids.  Now all we need is some SNOW! :)

This week over at Active Kids Club, they have teamed up with Polarn O. Pyret, to encourage families to get outside EVERY day this week with the "Every Day is Play Day Week."


Here's the challenge:
As a parent and educator. Like both Polarn O. Pyret and ActiveKidsClub.com Facebook pages and during the week of Novemeber 14th - 19th share your fun ideas with us on how you embrace the elements. Get deals, win prizes and participate in chats on how we can best embrace the elements with some fun outdoor play ideas.


If you are an educator let us know how you get your kids outside at your school for recess or how you incorporate outdoor learning in your curriculum.


Don't miss this incredible opportunity.  Yes, it is a challenge and may not be easy, but your kids will thank you for it! (and YOU will be a better person because of it!)

Summer - Short and Sweet!

I am not a fan of the heat.  I would rather be cold a million times over than be hot.  My theory is you can always add another layer if you are cold, but if you are hot, you are just out of luck (there are only so many layers you can take off!)  Living at 7000 feet, we don't have TOO many days that stop me in my tracks (thanks to the dry climate) but July and August are usually plenty hot enough for me (must be my Alaskan blood!)

However, it still amazes me that we (meaning Husband and J) were skiing in June (this adventure taken less than a week before P was born...I adventured by going along and waiting in the car :/ ) and we had our first snow this past weekend.  That means we had three months snow-free (barely since made it JUST into October before snow) and I have to mention that it is not unheard of for it to snow on the 4th of July.  I love the crazy weather patterns living in the mountains!

p.s. It was 78 degrees two days before it snowed. :)

Heading out to Ski Two Ocean (J slept the whole way up and giggled the whole way down!)

Not the best snow, but Husband loves saying he skied in June! :)

It was super warm this day - J was toasty in just his snowsuit and his BumGenius! :)

When Adventures don't happen like they are supposed to....

We have had our fair share of attempts at getting outside and enjoying the family that have ended in frustration, crying kids and a less-than-ideal situation.  The reality is that those days just happen and we are slowly learning to not see it as a "failure" but rather a "learning experience".  Since Husband is a wild-land firefighter and summers are busy, most of our full-family adventures happen in the winter (and we do love our snow! :))  This winter will be a whole new experience with another baby around and a fuller load to haul, but we are determined :)

Here are some things we have learned the last couple of years:
- When it is windy (which it often is here) absolutely bring the Chariot - it provides wind protection and a lot happier kids.
- Bring way more clothing than you think you will need and layer up.

it was -20 degrees this time, so all the layers were a necessity and he stayed toasty warm!

- Investing in the good stuff (as far as winter clothing) for kids is worth it for your sanity.  But, if you get desperate and forget stuff, use that extra clothing you brought (J has worn our coats on occasion thanks to Mama's forgetfulness!)
- Better yet, don't forget the extra clothing....especially important things like coats.
- Hand warmers (those little things that come in packages that you shake to get going) are a very good invention.
- They do make baby ski goggles.

- Never, NEVER leave home without a TON of food, especially if your crowd includes toddlers and/or pregnant women.  Chocolate chip cookies work miracles....

Feel free to leave comments with any other tips you have (winter or summer recreation!)