Ryder's First Ski Trip

We have a little snow bunny on our hands!

 

Ryder spent the weekend with us at White Pass and he had such a great time!

(Okay, he was kind of indifferent about the whole thing, but we had fun!)

 

 

We arrived on Friday evening and checked into our tiny studio at White Pass Village Inn. It was quite different than the larger units we used to cram six people and 20 cases of beer into.

 

We settled in, said hello to our friends, fed Ryder a late dinner, and then tucked in for bed. It was about then that the party started upstairs, complete with full volume, maxed out bass music, shouting, and stomping. This continued until about 4am, at which point I had not slept, and Ryder had awoken and been rocked back to sleep about eight times. Mamma Bear was not happy.

 

A complaint to the owner resulted in our quick move into a large, upper floor unit.

 

Jeez, who have I become? A few years ago it would have been us causing noise complaints. Now we're just lame awesomely responsible parents who go to bed at 10pm. I think it's the first time I've ever woken up on a ski trip without a hangover.

 

We let Ryder touch snow for the first time (he wasn't a fan) and took him on his first snowshoe hike. It was also my first time showshoeing at White Pass as well (I'm usually snowboarding) and I had such a blast! It was a great day to get out of the house and into the mountains. Although we didn't get any fresh snow, walking around the frozen lake in the sunshine and 55 degree weather was breathtaking. 

 

The last time I wrote about White Pass, we were there in early 2013 watching the Seahawks playoff against the Falcons. It was a heartbreaker. But this year we got to excitedly represent the 12s in our countdown to the Super Bowl!

And of course we also took the opportunity to take Ryder snowboarding for the first time!

Now, before y'all freak out...

{a} Stewart is an incredibly talented snowboarder.

{b} Ryder is safe and sound, strapped firmly to Stew's chest.

{c} We are at the bottom of the bunny hill, in front of the parking lot.

 

 

 

 Teach 'em young, that's our motto!

We also did a little sledding...

All the activities really tuckered our little guy out...

 

Cuddles with Baby Bear.

The trip was definitely quite a bit different than years past. We had to take turns going to the lodge for beers (no kiddos in the bar) and spending time in the hot pool with friends at night after Ryder's bedtime.

Honestly though, it was a nice change of pace, and despite us all being a little sick, we had an awesome time making new family memories. We have been going to White Pass every year with this group for eight years now, and it was so much fun to incorporate baby Ryder into our adventures.

We've always had the goal of continuing our pre-baby lifestyle with our little boy in tow. I can only hope that he learns to love and appreciate adventure, travel, and the outdoors as much as we do.