Some people might need hundreds of trails for a day of skiing and boarding. Not my family. We just need decent snow. The Portland area had a couple of good snow storms this past month, so we made some last-minute adjustments to our schedule to head to Shawnee Peak in Bridgton.
"Finally! We're finally going downhill skiing!" my 9-year-old told me as we got into the car for our first trip to the moutain in February.
I felt the same way.
There has been snow at the larger mountains up north but our busy schedules make the long travel a challenge. We've found that night skiing and half-day lift tickets at mountains closer to home suit our schedule and our budget.
At the beginning of the winter I found great lift ticket deals for families at Shawnee Peak in Bridgton and King Pine in New Hampshire. Both are within an hour's drive of our house in the Sebago Lake area.
For people who ski and ride a lot, these smaller mountains might be less attractive because they don't have as many trails as the bigger resorts. But we're lucky to get to the mountain four or five times a year so we're less concerned about variety. Plus, I find it's easier to keep track of my kids at the smaller resorts.
One thing we are particular about are the snow conditions. We went skiing and riding a couple of years ago on "packed powder." I had a hard time controlling my board on what I would call ice. It was not my idea of a good time. And the kids didn't care for it, either.
Our first afternoon of skiing and boarding (the kids ski, my husband and I snowboard) started off on an interesting note; as we were getting on the lift someone ahead of us dropped his pole. The lift attendant handed the pole to one of my daughters and she delivered it to its owner at the top. We ended up providing this service for several errant poles over the course of the afternoon for people of varying ages. The kids were happy to help and I found them looking around to see which one could spot the next dropped pole.
I'm not sure this kind of thing happens as often at the larger resorts but it's something we are accustomed to at the smaller mountains - novice skiiers and lots and lots of kids.
But as things sometimes go with us, my 8-year-old needed the favor returned when her ski fell off getting onto the lift. She worried about it for the entire ride. She even tried to convince me to carry her (as if I could actually manage that anyway). I suggested she pretend to be a trick skier. She gave me the look (the one that says, "you're crazy mom") but when the time came, she glided off the lift on one ski easily and was given her second ski without incident.
At some point during the afternoon, my boots were feeling loose and I went back to the lodge to tighten them. My hands were dry and I pulled my laces so hard that I actually ended up with some blisters. My husband suggested next time I tighten my laces with gloves on. My hands were grateful for the suggestion.
As we were getting ready to leave the mountain, my 9-year-old complained that her legs were sore. We had been skiing and riding for over five hours so I wasn't too surprised. I suggested she rub her legs for a few minutes while I finished packing up our gear.
"Mom look," she said, "There's a Christmas tree on my leg!"
It turned out that she had worn a pair of embroidered socks and it made an imprint on her leg.
"Mom, I am SO not wearing these socks skiing again!"
On our next trip to Shawnee Peak about a week later to try some night skiing, she wore different socks.
It seemed to me that the beginner lifts were less crowded that night. Since we're not out to prove how good we are, we happily stuck to the trails serviced by those lifts. Plus, it's a lot easier for me to keep track of the kids on trails I'm familiar with, especially at night.
One of the things my husband and I really enjoy about skiing with the kids is chatting on the chairlift ride. And unlike larger resorts with fast-moving lifts, the ones at the smaller mountains tend to move at a much slower pace. Many times they stop mid-ride to accommodate someone having difficulty getting on or off the chair. I think that situation also falls under the category of family-friendly. Most parents - including us - are grateful for the patience and sense of humor people have when dealing with kids, and adults helping kids, on the chair lift.
At one point during the evening, my 8-year-old started whining about the rest of us going too fast down the mountain. Usually she's the one bombing down but she was a little tired that day (one of the downsides to night skiing with kids). I also guessed that she was simply in the mood for some extra attention. I tried to distract her but I couldn't shake her from the subject. So I said that she sounded a bit like Shaggy from "Scooby Doo" because she was being so negative about everything instead of looking at all the great stuff she could do.
She didn't care for my analogy, but it got my 9-year-old thinking comparing our family members to characters from the movie. She decided she would be Daphne, my husband was Fred and then declared that Toddy (our overweight, blind cat) was Scooby. Apparently Toddy and Scooby are just the same.
"Mommy, they both like to eat all the time!"
But a question I never pondered until my 8-year-old did was, "Why is Scooby so skinny if he eats all the time?"
I wish I knew the answer to that too.
We continued talking about other movies and characters and by the time we got off the lift, both kids were laughing again.
Finding the time, money and energy to ski and board with my family has always been well worth the effort. I'm never quite sure what will happen when we head to the mountain but one thing I know for certain - it's never dull. And we continue to be grateful to live in an area with some great, affordable places for families to ski and ride.
Trip: Snowboarding/Downhill Skiing at Shawnee Peak
Town: Bridgton
Hours: Monday - Thursday: 9am‚9pm, Friday: 9am-10pm, Saturday: 8:30am-10pm, Sunday: 8:30am-4:30pm
Other: There are special promotional discount tickets available. Check out the mountain's Great Deals page for details.
Contact Info: (207) 647-8444; Shawnee Peak
Other: King Pine in Madison, N.H. also offers night skiing and special deals.
Originally published in the Maine Sunday Telegram, February 2006
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