The Gifts of Winter: Pico Trip 12/27/2014-1/2/2015

In the "Spirit of the Season" and for the love of being in the gifts of nature, we are brought together with family and friends; both old and new.

This recent trip to Pico had a few surprises for us, and pleasant they all were.

First we were asked by a close friend if we could take his late teen daughter skiing over her break. Her name is Brigitte and she had skied a few times her life and according to her dad, my friend. According to him, Brigitte was cool and he trust her with us. Needless to say, we were flattered and honored to take her. We noticed right away she was eager to get better and sure enough, she did and quick.

Secondly, my identical twin brother and his kids also made the journey to Pico. We were blessed to spend time with them on the mountain which is something we hope to do with them often now that my twin has invested in downhill skis and we have a ski house for the season.

Then we had surprise visitors Chris Crowley and kids whom we ski at Mad River Glen with and spend many winter and summer days together with. Chris and his family have a long history at Mad River Glen and if you are up there be sure to ask for him. Chris can show you around the mountain and the secret stashes of powder that at times bless that place.

Lastly, a ski friend we made in 2011 at Sugarloaf happened to call and had plans to be in the area, he surprised us with good music, fun times and some incredible switch ski technique. I hope my kids and I can learn some new tricks!

We had a few days on the mountain during our kids Christmas break, and considering how much thaw there was in a week, the mountain still had plenty of snow, with many fun options to ski. The cold weather was a bit rough for our youngest but, Nevada forged on and skied as soon as she warmed up. Overall I would say the conditions were really good considering and every day we had a dusting of snow which helped with the hard pack and ice that developed.

We hope you enjoy this episode of our trip titled "The Gifts of Winter". Skiing brings families together. We hope we can ski together with you all one day this season.