2 Wildcat lift tickets: $18
lunch for two: $17
transportation: $187 (driving at 55 cents per mile)
skiing with my daughter Alexa: priceless
It's been years since we skied in New England and, in the meantime, we have become accustomed to the conditions and terrain at Jackson Hole, WY. So after the first run down the icy, cold (10F), crowded, gradual pitch slopes at Wildcat Mountain, I was about ready to have an early lunch and head home. But after a couple more runs, the joy of skiing returned. Even on less challenging terrain you can work on finding the balance point and holding a good edge. We even had fun on the green trails, turning only when the trail turned on its serpentine patch through the woods. An added bonus: the snow was better on these easier trails. We spent about half the day on the ungroomed trails, relearning how to ski icy bumps. A reasonable level of competency soon returned, until the added difficulty of thin cover and exposed rocks threw me off balance again.
We drove for 7+ hours to ski for 5+ hours, but it was worth it. Wildcat was celebrating its 51st anniversary and offering $9 tickets (as opposed to the usual $60) so it was a not-to-be-missed deal. I took the day off work (Friday), and Alexa was between mid-term exams and classes starting back up (Tuesday). A nice mini-vacation.
The directions were so easy, I-95 N to 16 N, that I didn't even set the GPS. Alexa and I were chatting about school and next thing I knew we were at the roundabout in Gloucester. We flew right past the point where I-95 and 128 separate and ended up driving an extra 30 miles.
Coming home, we had no problems with the directions but we almost didn't get out of the parking lot. In the morning we parked in a line of cars, bumper to bumper down the middle of the lot. In the afternoon, we skied down the mountain and right across the snow-covered lot to our car, popped our skis off, loaded everything into the car, and drove straight ahead to what I thought was the exit. Turned out it was the trail we just skied down and the front wheels sank axle-deep into the snow. Fortunately, two college-aged boys came and pushed us out, without even commenting on my bonehead driving maneuver.
The trip up was 188 miles at 65 mph avg for 38 mpg. The return trip was 153 miles at 55 mph avg for 41 mpg. The Mini Cooper is a great 2-person adventure car, add a third person and it is very difficult to fit all the gear, whether it is skis or sleds or backpacks.
lunch for two: $17
transportation: $187 (driving at 55 cents per mile)
skiing with my daughter Alexa: priceless
It's been years since we skied in New England and, in the meantime, we have become accustomed to the conditions and terrain at Jackson Hole, WY. So after the first run down the icy, cold (10F), crowded, gradual pitch slopes at Wildcat Mountain, I was about ready to have an early lunch and head home. But after a couple more runs, the joy of skiing returned. Even on less challenging terrain you can work on finding the balance point and holding a good edge. We even had fun on the green trails, turning only when the trail turned on its serpentine patch through the woods. An added bonus: the snow was better on these easier trails. We spent about half the day on the ungroomed trails, relearning how to ski icy bumps. A reasonable level of competency soon returned, until the added difficulty of thin cover and exposed rocks threw me off balance again.
We drove for 7+ hours to ski for 5+ hours, but it was worth it. Wildcat was celebrating its 51st anniversary and offering $9 tickets (as opposed to the usual $60) so it was a not-to-be-missed deal. I took the day off work (Friday), and Alexa was between mid-term exams and classes starting back up (Tuesday). A nice mini-vacation.
The directions were so easy, I-95 N to 16 N, that I didn't even set the GPS. Alexa and I were chatting about school and next thing I knew we were at the roundabout in Gloucester. We flew right past the point where I-95 and 128 separate and ended up driving an extra 30 miles.
Coming home, we had no problems with the directions but we almost didn't get out of the parking lot. In the morning we parked in a line of cars, bumper to bumper down the middle of the lot. In the afternoon, we skied down the mountain and right across the snow-covered lot to our car, popped our skis off, loaded everything into the car, and drove straight ahead to what I thought was the exit. Turned out it was the trail we just skied down and the front wheels sank axle-deep into the snow. Fortunately, two college-aged boys came and pushed us out, without even commenting on my bonehead driving maneuver.
The trip up was 188 miles at 65 mph avg for 38 mpg. The return trip was 153 miles at 55 mph avg for 41 mpg. The Mini Cooper is a great 2-person adventure car, add a third person and it is very difficult to fit all the gear, whether it is skis or sleds or backpacks.
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