Ellie’s spring break was a big week of snowboarding.  She starts the week out in Winter Park with Chase and Wendy.  She finishes the week in Vail with her sister.  The first day is a whiteout snowfall.  Ellie said the powder was so deep, it didn’t hurt to fall.

Chase skis but Ellie is able to keep up with him on her board.  Ellie took off day two to recover her legs and do some shopping.  The three of them watch movies every night and eat huge breakfasts that Wendy cooks each morning.  Ellie’s favorite is Custard French Toast with Pecan Crust.

I wonder if Wendy cooks like this when it’s just Chase at home?  I’m considering buying a 2016-2017 season ski pass to Winter Park for Ellie, just so she can have a hot breakfast.

Thursday is full sunshine.  I drive up to join them, my skin smothered in zinc, but get sunburned anyway.  This is my first time to snowboard in Winter Park.  Gorgeous mountain.  Maybe age has diminished my sense of balance, but the lifts at Winter Park eject me like catapults.  I fall getting off over half the time.

I’m serious about Winter Park ski passes.  Boarding with Wendy and Chase was a blast and it’s a great mountain.  Coming back for sure.

Ellie and I hook up later with Karen and Brit in Vail.  Turns out, this is Brit’s first time snowboarding in four years.  She’s still faster than me.

I show off my toe side here.  And I master hopping off the lifts – not pictured.

Brittany boards with some style.  Brit got me to try snowboarding about 10 years ago.  I finally bought a $40 board off Craigslist last year to hit the slopes with Ellie.  Glad I did.

Is Brit sticking her tongue out at me?  Millennials!  She’s riding Ellie’s board here and struggles a bit because she doesn’t like the parallel position of the bindings.  She falls getting off the lifts more than I did at Winter Park.

The difference between boarding with Ellie and Brit is that Brit drinks beer with me in between runs. I believe we both improved our form after each can of liquid courage.

Snowboarding with Brit on Friday, after a four or five year gap, brought back great memories. So good to know we can still shred the slopes. I expect many more years of this.

Brit and Ellie gear up Saturday morning to snowboard before the forecast rain begins.  Another day too warm to snow.  They get in some runs though.  Brit feels better on her own board with the bindings turned out.

Hail begins to fall on the mountain shortly after noon so the girls quit early to do some shopping.  Ellie finds a new, black GLCR 686 ski jacket, an early birthday present to herself.  Brit assumes this means she inherits Ellie’s green GLCR 686 jacket.  That’s how sisters think.

They catch the bus home just as it begins to rain.  Vacation is winding down as Ellie entertains us with her ukulele.  Another good spring break.