Fresh Powder is a marvelous thing.  Ask any skier, they'll tell you it's the stuff they all dream of!

I say "they" because if you saw me ski, you'd see what I mean...  It's been 11 years of "beginner classes" and then some.

But hey, I love my family, so I keep going!  One of these days I'll get it right yet!

So, anyway, back to my fresh powder story... We get to Steamboat for our annual ski holiday, and there's NO powder, anywhere!!!  The grass is green, people are walking around in T-Shirts and we're thinking: Good thing there's a pool!  

It's a little disappointing to go all that way, spend all that money and end up sitting at the pool all week, but hey, it's family time.  I won't complain (see second paragraph!)

However, as we're getting dinner ready for 35 PEOPLE (!!!) we look outside and its snowing... it's not just snowing, it's SNOWING!  Falling by the FEET, not inches!  So I put on my skis - Jascha say they'll eventually expire for the lack of use, just like my golf clubs, but hey, maybe then I'll be able to trade them for a snowboard - and off I go!

 There's no way that I'll take my expensive professional camera on the hill, so I go with my little trusty iPhone and here's the shots.

All skiers, prepare to drool...

There were times my boots were completely buried in the snow!

Here's the ski village shortly after.  On the bottom left you see grumpy pants, Sabrina (from the back), not impressed to have to walk in ski boots.

That one day was the "funnest" day I've ever had skiing!  Thank you Hans Jr and kids for skiing with me and being so patient waiting for "Tante Patty".

I really think that maybe I need to give up the two planks and just go for one... (ie Snowboard).  What do you think?  Is it waaaaay harder?

 Oh, and on getting stuck... One of the prices you pay for all this beautiful "fresh powder" is that you just can't drive on it!  So, because every trip needs a good story, we ended up spending 24 hours stuck in Laramie, WY, in quite the "horror flick" motel, until the roads opened up.  

All in all though, great trip, awesome company, great family and friends and hey, FRESH POWDER!