Winter Wonderland: Ski Weekend

This past weekend we headed north to enjoy a few days of skiing in Maine. We'd been planning this weekend since before Christmas (ski ticket gift cards for xmas worked out well!) and I was so excited it was finally here. In addition to J & I, J's brother & fiance joined us, as well as my sister.

The drive up to Rangeley, ME is long. It took us more than 5 hours to get up there from Boston Thursday night due to icy roads. But, it is just so nice to wake up and already be there. We planned to ski at Saddleback Mtn on Friday and see how we felt for Saturday.

Um, I honestly don't remember the last time I had the chance to ski on a weekday, non-holiday. It was a dream. No lines, no one on the trails. Fresh powder, light snow coming down, temps above freezing. The only downside? The visibility. Oh my word, the visibility stunk. At first, our goggles were getting covered in ice by the time we made it down a trail, but by the end of the day the heavy fog set in and even though our goggles were clear, the air was not. But we had so much fun Friday, we decided to head back to Saddleback Saturday versus driving a bit further to Sugarloaf.

Here are a few photos I snagged on Friday. At the top of the mountain, there was so much snow, we were skiing near the tops of the trees. J may have even fallen on a tree at one point....I hear it didn't feel so good.

 View from the top, looking over the edge of a trail. Pretty creepy!

This is going to sound strange, but I don't know the last time I was surrounded by so much snow while skiing. No need for the snow makers here.

 J taking down some fresh powder, moguls, and a few baby trees hidden beneath the snow.

A view from the chairlift Friday. The mountain was all ours.

 J got me these new goggles for Christmas this year. First time I think I've ever had reflective lenses. Isn't he darling with that face?...

 Reflective lenses lead to some pretty awesome photos. This is all J's work. And I love it.

All weekend I kept telling myself to snag a group photo and what do ya know, it never happened. Bummer. But I couldn't have asked for a better group to ski with. We were all close enough in skill level to ski the same trails, and even push ourselves to try more challenging ones. Needless to say, I need to do a few more squats before ski season next year, my quads were burning by the end of each day! It was such a great weekend. Looking forward to planning another trip next year!

NYE 2012

Happy New Years! Did you stay awake late enough to see the ball drop? We are getting so old.....pretty sure I was in bed by 12:35. But after 2 days of hitting the ski slopes, I was exhausted.

So, how did we spend NYE this year? At Sugarloaf Mountain. It was awesome. I am so glad we decided to get out the city this year and do something active. To be honest, we've never spent a lot of money on New Years in the past and I was definitely hesitant at first but I am sooo glad I bit the bullet and went in on a ski in/ski out condo on the mountain. How have I never stayed in one of these before?! We were so spoiled! It was so ideal to be able to ski right to the condo for lunch, to warm up. etc.

Day 1 was freezing! It snowed all day/night Saturday which was greatfor the trails, but the wind was almost unbearable. It was the first time I broke out some hand warmers in a very long time.

The picture on the left here is actually from Day 2, when we basically had the mountain to ourselves. Unbelievable, right?! The lifts opened up late on Day 2 (12/31) due to wind so it seems as though most people opted for a voucher, or just decided not to get tickets since we're talking about close to noon before any good trails opened.  Having the mountain to ourselves for 4 hours was worth every penny of the full ticket.

 View from the bottom, view from the top - both breathtaking.

I really wanted to get a picture of J and I together but that just never happened. We're both sporting our new ski/snowboard jackets we got for Christmas. Love them! And J also got me new goggles, which I looove! They have a rose tint and the sides have a design with fuchsia, just like my jacket.

You can count on 2 hands how many times J has snowboarded. So the fact that he was keeping up, and even passing me by day two (!) is nuts. And he was determined to land a jump. Color me impressed.

 Even though we could ski right to our condo, stopping by the lodge is a tradition. And with Carabassett Pale Ale's on draft, it was a must!

After 2 days of skiing/snowboarding, NYE was here! Some themes were thrown out and somehow, hunter/hunted won. So absurd. But also hilarious! Yes, that is face camouflage. I didn't have too much time to spend looking for my costume thanks to work, but my recent consignment shop visit for an ugly xmas sweater also turned up a turtleneck covered in dogs. Yep, I bought it just because. Just couldn't pass it up, and will probably wear it out anyways.

And to finish off the celebrations, hunter/animal party decor thanks to Meg, and fireworks at the mountain we were able to see from the deck at the condo.

Happy New Years! Any resolutions? I don't have any crazy resolutions really - just the usual eat healthier, work out more, make the bed daily, etc. But I do have some goals for the year that I'd like to achieve - a new car probably, a new home possibly, another half marathon, travel to somewhere new. We shall see!

Ski Season

I owe you a recap of our trip to Charlotte, I know. But I've decided to save my two posts on this for Monday and Tuesday, in keeping with the loose blog schedule I've beent attempting. Monday will be my first ever house crashing tour. Just wait, J&A's new home is straight of a magazine. And Tuesday will be our travel recap. Get ready!

I've been taking things slow since we got back. Slowly getting the Christmas decorations out, getting some online shopping done, etc.

One thing we have finalized since getting back from our weekend away is NYE! Finally, we are getting out of the city for New Year's Eve. I couldn't be more excited. We've rented a ski in/ski out house at a ski resort in Maine for the long weekend leading up to the New Year. Judging by the group we'll be celebrating with, it's going to be a great weekend.

Between our busy schedules and the warm weather last year, J & I hardly got out on the slopes. Our goal is to drastically change that this year.  We're both hoping to get new ski jackets for Christmas; I desperately need a new one. Here are a few I'm loving, as well as a great winter vest. I threw in a pair of ski and boots too, though those aren't on the wish list just yet.

Ski Season by talkative-tlc on Polyvore

I can't wait to hit the slopes this year! We've lined up another long weekend in March with siblings and plan to fit some day trips in there too. 

What's your favorite winter sport?