Snowboarding...not me...them!

So this past weekend was a little bitter sweet. We finally got some snow. It felt like it took FOREVER for this winter to come. Weird, never ending rain and unseasonably high temps. Well that's all over now! We got a good dusting Saturday evening and through the night. When we woke up on Sunday morning, everything was covered and we had about 5 inches accumulated on the ground.

Nic and my dad decided on Saturday to head to the mountain for opening day. It was very limited since Okemo (at that point) had very little natural snow and had blown most of what they had on the trails. I tagged along to snap a few pictures of them headed out and to say Hi to a lot of people from last winter. It was a big bummer that I couldn't go out there with them but nice to be in the lodge too. As it turns out, Saturday was a bust for them. Since the trails that were open were so limited, the experience level was more of an intermediate to expert. Not exactly the day for dad to get on a snowboard for the first time. None the less, he was able to strap in, stand up and skate around a little bit. It got him familiar with the equipment, the feel of the board on snow and what the mountain looked like. All in all I think he was glad he at least got that much out of the morning.

Sunday was game day! With all the snow that we got the night before, the trails were well covered and there was more beginner level areas available for dad to practice. Just like my dad, he was worried about holding up Nic and that he would rather be out doing some real boarding. Nic isn't one to think like that but after several pointers dad convinced him to go take a couple runs while he continued to practice. They were gone from 8-2:30 and totally enjoyed themselves. Dad didn't fall as much as he had expected to and didn't come back with any bruises. :-) That's always a good thing! He made it very clear that he's eager to give it another shot and expressed how he could see how we got so into this sport. It's fun!

Sunday for me though was completely different. I stayed home. I got the pictures that I wanted the day before and knew that they would be out there a while. It wasn't a good day for me. I didn't realize how much I was going to miss being on a snowboard this winter. This was something that Nic and I enjoyed together and it was difficult seeing him go off and do it without me. By no means did I want to hold him back because I am pregnant but I couldn't help but throw myself a pity party. :-( I cried a bit...OK, a lot...but I got over it. It's hard being such an active person to 9 months of...you can't do that! I tried not to let it effect the guys because I knew they were really going to have some fun. Nic does his best not to rub it in and will stop talking about it if he sees that it's bothering me but there was no way I could hinder his excitement on his first day of the season. He really was like a kid on Christmas morning. He was talking about this boarding season before last season even ended and it continued through the summer. There was no way I was holding him back! So, I sucked it up, had coffee with them in the morning and turned into the mopey, snot face after they left to go have fun.

So, without further ado...here's the pictures that I managed to grab as the guys were getting ready for their trial run on Saturday.

Dad, ready to learn!


Almost looking the part. ;-) We need to work on some boarding pants that cover the boots.


Dad: Should we wait up for her?
Nic: Nah, she'll catch up!
Me: Thanks guys...I guess I'll just meet you up there with this backpack full of your mittens and scarves and whatnot!
HAHAHAHA!!!


They weren't really like that. Nic knows that I sometimes drop back to snap a few photos. ~Sigh~ He's used to me by now and rarely looks back because he knows I'm going to snap his picture.

It was a good thing that they talked to the person at the ticket counter about the conditions. This is where they discovered that it wasn't a good day for beginners. They decided to hold out on getting the tickets until after the 'First hour free' period.


Chomping at the bit.


Dad...


...getting last minute pointers.


I thought I was going to be able to get a few shots of them headed to the lifts but they fooled me and sat down!


Oh yeah. Tying the boots. That could be a little important.


He did get the pant leg over the boot but he still needs more water resistant pants!


It's amazing the men in my family know when they're getting their picture taken. I think it's because there are so many snap happy women that they just keep their head down!


My honey bunny! Be safe out there!