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Thursday, April 24, 2008

Spring Break Skiing

After debating long and hard between the spring break options, Chris and I opted to go skiing, just the two of us, instead of trekking to Costa Rica with his section. We hear that they had a great time in Costa Rica, but it was great to getaway with just each other. HBS leaves little time for spending alone time together. The majority of our alone time is spent with me watching TV and Chris studying, not too much conversation going on there, LOL!

We stayed at the Mount Washington Resort, which is an extremely old hotel in Bretton Woods, NH. The scenery was so beautiful on the drive up. We weaved in and out of the mountains for 2 and 1/2 hours before we arrived at our destination. We picked up our rental skiis and made our way to our hotel. I have to tell you that the minute I saw the hotel I thought, oh no, we are staying at the same hotel where they filmed The Shining. Chris has never seen the movie, so he had no idea what I was talking about. Take a look at the pictures below of the hotel. Have no fear, the outside of the hotel used in the movie was in Oregon and the inside of the hotel was filmed in London. So, we defintiely didn't stay in The Shining hotel, but it was as close as I want to get to it!

Here is the picture of Mount Washington Resort, where we stayed.



Below is a picture of the hotel that inspired Stephen King to write The Shining. The place where they filmed it isn't nearly as exciting, so I will spare you the picture.

Our hallway


And...here is a picture of the hallway where the little boy rode his tricyle down with the girls saying "Redrum. Redrum. Redrum." If you haven't seen the movie, this just so happens to spell murder backwards. I, of course, said this line from the movie every time we were in the hallway. I think it started to freak Chris out, haha! The hallways aren't exactly the same, not even the same color, but they seem very similar to me. I think creepy is the word I am looking for.
Here is a picture of our room at the resort. It was very cute and cozy. I thought it was pretty romantic as well.


Okay, onto the skiing....the reason for the trip. I have to admit that I got a pretty good kick out of staying at the hotel that reminded me of a ridiculously scary movie though. So, this just so happened to be only my 2nd time skiing, ever. Chris and I made our first skiing trip to Lake Tahoe with my parents and brother in January of 2006. We went to ski school together and Chris ended up failing ski school while I rode the lift to the top of the mountain. After ski school was over, Chris and I both went up to the top of the mountain where he turned pro and I still looked like a beginner. I think I went down the easiest run on the mountain twice that day and did not go back during our entire stay. Chris did and he got better and better each day. Chris also took a weekend trip skiing with Teal and Luke in January of this year where he honed those skills that he hadn't used in two years.

I know I probably don't have to mention it, but I was extremely rusty and terrified! The first run down the mountain was slightly stressful for me. I think we stopped 4 or 5 times and I think I was crying during a few of those stops. I just did not feel comfortable on my skiis. I was constantly thinking about hurting myself or someone else. Chris was very patient with me and always skied right in front of me so that I could follow what he was doing. I would rest while he went down the harder trails by himself. I just enjoyed the relaxation after using all my energy to come down the mountain. I got a little better by the end of the first day, but I was able to turn back to the right and left by the end up day 2. Day 3 turned out to be my best skiing day, but my legs were so tired from the previous two days. Chris, of course, skied like a pro. Although, he did come back from skiing on his own several times with snow all over himself. Hmm, I wonder if he took a few spills too. LOL! Love you Chris! Below are a few picks of us on the mountain.

On the chair life on the way to the top!

Don't make us go back!

Okay, okay. We'll try to enjoy ourselves.

I was pretty pooped the entire time we were there!

Chris with Mount Washington.
The highest recorded wind in the world was recorded here at 231 mph.


Another pic of Mount Washington from the ski lodge.

Proof that I actually did ski.
Below is a video of Chris doing his best impression of ski jumping!!!


So, our trip to Lake Tahoe a few years ago that consisted of getting up early to go skiing and then staying up into the wee hours of the morning to gamble was not my cup of tea and not what I imagined at all for a ski vacation. My dream ski vacation would be to ski all day, come home to relax, go to dinner and then come back to the lodge/house to sit by a fire and drink hot chocolate. On our second night at the Mount Washington Resort, we got to do just that. It was so perfect and relaxing!!!! Chris agreed!

Chris and I had a great time skiing in Bretton Woods! It was so much fun that we plan to incorporate a skiing vacation into our yearly routine. I WILL love skiing eventually, but I already love the relaxation that happens after a day of skiing! We do not, however, plan to go back to Bretton Woods. There really isn't much in the small town of Bretton Woods except for the ski trails. We ate at the same restaurant two nights in a row and decided to just settle for Quizno's on the third night. Overall, I think we made a great choice to spend spring break in the mountains with just me and Chris.