Weekend Skisteins

Growing up, my parents continually created experiences for our family to be together; vacations are rooted in my memory as the happiest family times. As a child, I longed for family adventures coming in the form of roadtrips to Colorado, a cabin in the mountains of Oregon, volcano hiking in Hawaii, or backpacking/camping on Rock Island. I looked forward to the nights where we would play cards as a family or mornings spent making pancakes; the games on the road were always a highlight, as well as trying new restaurants each night. Everything felt right when we were with one another, cozy and peaceful, because there was nowhere else to go and nothing else to do besides be together.

That same nostalgia for family vacations returns as an adult. For Christmas this year, my dad gave us an Experience instead of a Material Gift... A gorgeous log cabin on the slopes of Keystone, CO... a weekend of being cozy in a lodge whilst shredding the slopes. And when Sibsteins get to Skistein, there's truly nothing better.

On the mountain, Minibar de Mikey was fully stocked, my bro being notorious for holding everything from whiskey to Bailey's in his fannypack, complete with a few flasks of Fireball (for survival purposes) which was passed from person-to-person keeping our insides warm on the frigid lifts. Daniel's skiing tagline "slightly out of control, but having a blast" was in full effect as he raged down moguls and had us all eating the snow off the trail of his skis down blacks. And then Jill, who insists she took "the fall of her life" as she gracefully toppled down the side of a backbowl, which only proved to even out her almost flawless ski-form. And then my Dad, who despite being our earliest ski teacher, consistently held up the rear of our ski train down the mountain "playing it safe to keep his shoulder intact."

We returned each day to a nap by the fire, hot chocolate on the stove, and the sight of snow falling outside the window. There's nothing that could've made the weekend better - except maybe my ski legs being little more prepared or my lungs acclimated - but in the end those are just slight details ;)

We took this same pic on the Bridge 3 years ago! Its become a tradition...
Someday there might even be spouses and babies involved...!