Tuesday, February 17, 2009

The Saunders come to town

This weekend we had a visit from the Saunders. They are neighbors and friends from our Raleigh abode. From left to right are Jim, Alexandra, Briana, and Carmella.



We skied all four days over at Deer Valley. The first day the two young ladies were in an all-day ski school, while the adults went off on our own. The next day, we got to see what they had learned.

Alexandra was always the first one down the hill, not stopping when the adults paused to gasp for oxygen. Welcome to 7500+ feet of elevation!



Here she is on Hawkeye demonstrating her transition from "pizza turns" to "french fry turns".



Briana, with Deer Valley and Park City slopes in the background.



How is it that even young women learn to make men do whatever they want. Briana decided that her boots had too much snow on top so Jim was brought over to clean them.



Carmella went through some of the same learning curve as her daughters, but without the help of an experienced instructor. Instead, she got Julie and I. Carmella hadn't skied more than a few days over the past ten years so she had to relearn the feel but during that time skis have changed dramatically.



Carmella posing with her primary instructor (me). She gives out nice compliments, but her tips would be hard to live off of.



Jim is an excellent skier. He had great form, especially in the bumps. I contrast that with my own skiing style, which when applied to the bumps, looks like a seizure on big sticks.



Even after a long day, they seem quite happy.



Of course, if you know us, you know we eat as much or more than we ski. We did the Sunday Brunch at the Stein Erikson Lodge. This is Alexandra's 3rd or 4th plate of food. If you'll notice, there are five desserts on the plate. She, unlike Jim and I, has the figure to eat all this and get away with it.



An excellent visit with tons of great snow, skiing, food and friends.

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