Future Ski Bum

Mark and Morgan had a father-daughter day on Sunday. He took her up to Echo Mountain for her first time downhill skiing. Echo is a new, very small resort by Evergreen. Although it is small, it has it's benefits, especially for kids starting out.

• It is 30 minutes from downtown Denver with no I-70 traffic. If your kid puckers out early, you didn't waste a long drive.
• It's very cheap. Kids under five are free and over five is $19 for the beginner area. Regular lift tickets are $43.
• There are two beginner areas - one with a magic carpet and one with a hand tow.

This experience could have gone either way. Morgan is an adrenalin junkie and loves thrill rides, sledding, and fast boat rides. However, she also is really good at psyching herself out into an all out panic. I am happy to report that she loved it. Apparently she had issues with walking in her ski boots, but Mark helped her get through it. She can not yet turn or stop, but she was able to hold herself upright unassisted while going down. Mark did not use a harness but ran behind her (he got his exercise for the day!). At one point, she started heading toward the orange plastic fencing. Instead of panicking, she simply fell down on her butt, got back up and was ready to go again. They were on the mountain for two hours!

Here is the day according to Morgan: At first I was scared, but then I realized it was totally awesome. I want to go again, but on the big mountain.

Hopefully Mark will be able to take her up one more time this year. He would like to take the Parent and & Me class where they teach him how to teach Morgan. I'm so glad she enjoyed it.

Mark took pictures on his cell phone of the days events. He said that he would get them to me today, so stay tuned.