First sight of snow

We took the kids skiing this weekend - it's only a 6 hour drive to the snow from Sydney and they are having a very good season.  We left on Thursday morning in 30 degree heat which made it very difficult to focus on the warm clothes we'd need as it felt like summer was here!  We stopped at Cooma where we got kitted out with skis, stocks, boots, helmets etc before finding our motel where we were staying the night.  The motel was like something out of The Shining - it was on quite large grounds set away from the main road and everything was beginning to fall apart.  The rooms were little more than cabins with uneven floors and our cabin managed to fit in an impressive 9 beds although mercifully it had what appeared to be a newly renovated bathroom and a very efficient heater.  

Can you see the snow falling?

We woke at 6 the next morning, got kitted out in our skiing gear and drove the final hour to the ski fields.  The forecast for Friday was lots of snow and strong winds so we chose to ski at Thredbo which is slightly lower and more sheltered.  The kids were delighted to see and feel the snow and jumped out of the car and started making snowballs in the car park - it was all we could do to tear them away to get them into ski school!  Lenka also spent the morning having a lesson and Jules roamed the mountains getting his skiing groove back.  The weather worsened progressively during the day laying down lots of beautiful powdery snow.  The downside was that higher up the mountain visibility was very poor and any trips on the chair lifts left you resembling a snowman.  At 4pm we called it a day, although Tom was furious that we wouldn't let him continue skiing, and headed back to our (again very basic) cabin in a National Park.  It was an early night for everyone after such an early start and so much physical activity.  

We were up bright and early on Saturday and this time the sun was shining and we were able to see the top of the mountain.  We were also blessed with the most amazing snow as they'd had an additional 30cm during the night and the instructors were saying it was The Weekend of the season.  Again the kids and Lenka headed off to their lessons whilst Jules was able to enjoy even higher runs in much more enjoyable conditions.  

Tess on the chair lift

Tess

Tess in blue, Tom in red

The kids did amazingly well with their skiing and both really enjoyed it.  If we'd stayed any longer Tess would have graduated to the runs up the mountain which she would have loved.  Tom loved the skiing and had a more gung-ho attitude than Tess but he was slightly frustrated that due to him still being 6 he was forced to ski with the younger kids and take it more slowly - next year (and yes, on the way back Jules was trying to explain to me why next year we should simply buy a season pass and go down as often as possible!) will be better for him.