...Snugglers at Smugglers!
From March 24-26th, as our last hurrah of the snowboarding season, we decided to join a chartered bus trip to Smugglers' Notch. At the end of March, the weather conditions are hit and miss. We've all heard that March comes in like a lion and out like a lamb. Temperatures averaged about 7 degrees Celcius and fortunately, there was just enough snow (and slush) coverage on the mountain.
On the evening of March 23rd, we boarded a bus which would drive overnight to our destination. The intent was to sleep for the 9 hour ride and be refreshed and ready to ride upon arrival at the base of Smugglers' Notch Resort.
Kevin the stowaway. Due to a calendar mixup, Kevin was unable to join us on our trip. But now we know he would easily fit into our luggage!
The overnight bus riders.
Left: (back) Katherine, Janet (front) Jeff, Samson.
Right: Jon, Anna.
I don't think any of us got a restful night's sleep and It wasn't because Kevin was partying underneath us in stowage while his wife, Cathy, was away in Taiwan. There was a speaker just over our seating area that would spontaneously turn on and off blaring some crazy dance rhythms which would either wake us from the already restless dozing or prevent us from any sleep whatsoever. Katherine and I really paid for the lack of sleep with a weekend long fever in addition to a nearly complete loss of appetite. If I felt that ill on a work day or school day I am sure I would have taken a day off. However, it was the last chance to go snowboarding for the year so I popped some Advil's to control the pain and fever and hit the slopes!
Left: Beginner snowboarders Jeff and Jon preparing to conquer the slopes.
Right: Samson with the girls, of course!
Day 1 began bright and early since we arrived at 8:00am. Jeff and Jon picked up their rentals and went off for their lessons on Morse Mountain. Janet got private tutoring from the See-Fu Samson on Madonna Mountain.
After a full day of snowboarding, Samson and I volunteered to go for the grocery run. That's when the lack of sleep really caught up to me. I passed out on the ride to the store and had to force myself off the bus to go shopping. I also passed out on the ride back to our condo and started to get a headache along with hot and cold spells. I struggled to put one foot in front of the other. Thank goodness Samson was resistant to my coodies and had the strength to cook dinner for us all. We were so exhausted that bedtime was a very early 9:30pm that evening. We ain't young no more!
Left: Caught on camera sleeping on the job while on grocery duty.
Right: Group photo at dinner.
So sick and sore that I didn't even care that I was massaged by Samson's feet!
Day 2 and the coodies were spreading. Janet was starting to get sick as well. Jeff headed to the base lodge convenience store really early in the morning and picked up some cough and cold remedies for us sickos. Very thoughtful!
Left: Katherine feeling nasty.
Right: Janet hibernating.
Katherine and Janet baked themselves in the condo for the day instead of snowboarding. After turning up the thermostat to sauna-like temperatures, I think they went from rare to well-done by the end of the day. Meahwhile, I popped a couple more Advils to fight off the hot and cold spells and caught the shuttle bus to Madonna Mountain with Samson. We heard the rain beating on our windows overnight which could only translate into snow at the 3640' elevation peak. Sure enough, there was 2" of new snow!
Madonna Mountain 3640'. View from the highest peak at Smugglers' Notch.
Jon and Jeff headed out and continued to practice their new found skills. Excellent balancing accomplishments by Jon who was able to ride down the beginner's hill without falling after only one lesson! Meanwhile, Jeff linked his turns after only 2 lessons! A medal for bravery should go out to Jeff who bypassed the mid-station drop off on the Lower Morse Lift and decided to take it all the way to the 2250' elevation at the top of Morse Mountain. We warned him about the very steep drop off at the top. We emphasized this fact by recalling that Samson, Katherine, Janet, and myself had fallen coming off that very lift the day before because of the surprisingly slippery and steep pitch. Jeff would not be cowed! Later he told us that coming off the lift and riding the top half was much worse than he had expected and that Morse Mountain "ate him up and spit him back out again".
Left: Jon with the Chius
Right: Jeff with the Chius.
Samson and the girls decided to go shopping after the lifts closed for the day. The coaches drove into Burlington to the Burton Factory where the head offices and flagship store are located. Afterwards, we were dropped off at the Burlington Town Center downtown for additional shopping.
Left: Inside the front entrance of the Burton Factory.
Right: The Ring, starring K.Ho, "...7 days!"
Left: The girls shopping with Samson in Burlington, VT.
Right: History and progression of snowboards throughout the years.
Since the coach didn't bring us back to our condo until 10pm, Jeff and Jon were left to have dinner without us. However, they used their culinary talents to bake us some chicken and cook some mixed veggies for our late night dinner...oh Diana! Hey, even marinating with Diana Sauce and opening cans of Del Monte vegetables takes skill!
Day 3 was a chill out and relax day for Katherine, Jon, and Jeff who stayed at the condo which was a designated late checkout room. They had to manage the high traffic and the dumping of everyone's luggage which would be stored until it was time to board the buses that would take us home in the afternoon. Samson, Janet and I headed out for our final day of snowboarding and spent the day on Madonna Mountain.
Our driver had swapped buses with another driver so the ride home was much more peaceful without the sudden blasts of the faulty radio. We watched a lot of movies to pass the time including 40 Year Old Virgin, Hitch, and Wedding Crashers. By the time we arrived back in Toronto, the bus was found to be leaking coolant and so the engine risked overheating. The driver was racing to drop off all the passengers and return the bus to a garage at the Pearson International Airport before the bus shut down completely. After dropping off the bus, he still had to drive home to Cambridge. I sure hope he made it.
On the evening of March 23rd, we boarded a bus which would drive overnight to our destination. The intent was to sleep for the 9 hour ride and be refreshed and ready to ride upon arrival at the base of Smugglers' Notch Resort.
Kevin the stowaway. Due to a calendar mixup, Kevin was unable to join us on our trip. But now we know he would easily fit into our luggage!
The overnight bus riders.
Left: (back) Katherine, Janet (front) Jeff, Samson.
Right: Jon, Anna.
I don't think any of us got a restful night's sleep and It wasn't because Kevin was partying underneath us in stowage while his wife, Cathy, was away in Taiwan. There was a speaker just over our seating area that would spontaneously turn on and off blaring some crazy dance rhythms which would either wake us from the already restless dozing or prevent us from any sleep whatsoever. Katherine and I really paid for the lack of sleep with a weekend long fever in addition to a nearly complete loss of appetite. If I felt that ill on a work day or school day I am sure I would have taken a day off. However, it was the last chance to go snowboarding for the year so I popped some Advil's to control the pain and fever and hit the slopes!
Left: Beginner snowboarders Jeff and Jon preparing to conquer the slopes.
Right: Samson with the girls, of course!
Day 1 began bright and early since we arrived at 8:00am. Jeff and Jon picked up their rentals and went off for their lessons on Morse Mountain. Janet got private tutoring from the See-Fu Samson on Madonna Mountain.
After a full day of snowboarding, Samson and I volunteered to go for the grocery run. That's when the lack of sleep really caught up to me. I passed out on the ride to the store and had to force myself off the bus to go shopping. I also passed out on the ride back to our condo and started to get a headache along with hot and cold spells. I struggled to put one foot in front of the other. Thank goodness Samson was resistant to my coodies and had the strength to cook dinner for us all. We were so exhausted that bedtime was a very early 9:30pm that evening. We ain't young no more!
Left: Caught on camera sleeping on the job while on grocery duty.
Right: Group photo at dinner.
So sick and sore that I didn't even care that I was massaged by Samson's feet!
Day 2 and the coodies were spreading. Janet was starting to get sick as well. Jeff headed to the base lodge convenience store really early in the morning and picked up some cough and cold remedies for us sickos. Very thoughtful!
Left: Katherine feeling nasty.
Right: Janet hibernating.
Katherine and Janet baked themselves in the condo for the day instead of snowboarding. After turning up the thermostat to sauna-like temperatures, I think they went from rare to well-done by the end of the day. Meahwhile, I popped a couple more Advils to fight off the hot and cold spells and caught the shuttle bus to Madonna Mountain with Samson. We heard the rain beating on our windows overnight which could only translate into snow at the 3640' elevation peak. Sure enough, there was 2" of new snow!
Madonna Mountain 3640'. View from the highest peak at Smugglers' Notch.
Jon and Jeff headed out and continued to practice their new found skills. Excellent balancing accomplishments by Jon who was able to ride down the beginner's hill without falling after only one lesson! Meanwhile, Jeff linked his turns after only 2 lessons! A medal for bravery should go out to Jeff who bypassed the mid-station drop off on the Lower Morse Lift and decided to take it all the way to the 2250' elevation at the top of Morse Mountain. We warned him about the very steep drop off at the top. We emphasized this fact by recalling that Samson, Katherine, Janet, and myself had fallen coming off that very lift the day before because of the surprisingly slippery and steep pitch. Jeff would not be cowed! Later he told us that coming off the lift and riding the top half was much worse than he had expected and that Morse Mountain "ate him up and spit him back out again".
Left: Jon with the Chius
Right: Jeff with the Chius.
Samson and the girls decided to go shopping after the lifts closed for the day. The coaches drove into Burlington to the Burton Factory where the head offices and flagship store are located. Afterwards, we were dropped off at the Burlington Town Center downtown for additional shopping.
Left: Inside the front entrance of the Burton Factory.
Right: The Ring, starring K.Ho, "...7 days!"
Left: The girls shopping with Samson in Burlington, VT.
Right: History and progression of snowboards throughout the years.
Since the coach didn't bring us back to our condo until 10pm, Jeff and Jon were left to have dinner without us. However, they used their culinary talents to bake us some chicken and cook some mixed veggies for our late night dinner...oh Diana! Hey, even marinating with Diana Sauce and opening cans of Del Monte vegetables takes skill!
Day 3 was a chill out and relax day for Katherine, Jon, and Jeff who stayed at the condo which was a designated late checkout room. They had to manage the high traffic and the dumping of everyone's luggage which would be stored until it was time to board the buses that would take us home in the afternoon. Samson, Janet and I headed out for our final day of snowboarding and spent the day on Madonna Mountain.
Our driver had swapped buses with another driver so the ride home was much more peaceful without the sudden blasts of the faulty radio. We watched a lot of movies to pass the time including 40 Year Old Virgin, Hitch, and Wedding Crashers. By the time we arrived back in Toronto, the bus was found to be leaking coolant and so the engine risked overheating. The driver was racing to drop off all the passengers and return the bus to a garage at the Pearson International Airport before the bus shut down completely. After dropping off the bus, he still had to drive home to Cambridge. I sure hope he made it.
posted by AChiu @ 1:00 p.m.
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