Reflections on Whitefish

Hello and welcome to the first Saturday of 2024 here at the Wannaskan Almanac. Today is January 6th and the FIRST Robotics Kickoff!

Last week, our family fulfilled one of my husband's lifelong dreams: to take his immediate family (us) on a mountain ski trip. Last year's attempt at the dream was, first foiled by bad weather and Amtrak canceling service to the West, then spoiled with the youngest getting a broken leg on his first run on the first hill at Lutsen on Minnesota's North Shore. With our Hindsight 20/20 glasses on, we optimistically booked a second attempt - Whitefish or Bust - for the 2023 Holiday Break.

To avoid the glazed-eye look from listening to someone talk way too long about their vacation, I've broken this recap down into categories. Peruse and skim at your leisure.

Travel by Train - Amtrak is awesome. We've driven west multiple times and, no matter how you slice it, it takes at least a day and a half to get to wherever we're going. The train ride took the pressure of driving off as we sat back in surprisingly roomy coach seats. This was my first Amtrak experience and I noticed right away how it's different from plane travel. First, no cramped seats. There's enough room to lean your seat back without landing your head in the lap of the person napping behind you. There's a footstool that you can pull up to rest your legs and a footrest bar attached to the seat in front of you that can be lowered. Second, our fellow travelers embodied a relaxed energy of "Buckle up, Betty; we're in it for the long haul." As we chatted with other riders, we learned that most of them, like us, were in for long journeys ranging from 6 to 48 hours. 

This collective "sit back and enjoy the ride" energy and mood was crowned with the cheerfulness of the lounge car with its windowed walls and ceiling offering ample natural light and views. Folks enjoyed snacks while playing games, reading books, or chatting with strangers. Never have I heard such an ample quantity of unhurried and polite, Excuse me, please, as I did on this trip.

The skiing - For a family with a wide variety of skiing abilities, my husband chose well. Whitefish Mountain Resort provides plenty of runs for all abilities. Unfortunately, with this drab, brown winter we've been having, 80% of the runs were closed. However, for the beginners and broken-leg recoverers in the family, there was still enough to overcome to fill our 3 days of skiing.

While my husband and the older 3 children went right to the summit and hit the hard slopes, I stayed with the Third Grader who was still in tears on Christmas Day at the prospect of strapping on ski boots and skis and putting himself at risk for another broken leg. Fortunately, Whitefish had not 1 but 2 bunny hills - one leading into the other - which gave him ample space to practice and remember that he used to enjoy skiing B.B.L. (Before Broken Leg.) The Sixth Grader took a nasty spill while skiing with the big kids on the big hills on our first day, which made her confidence and pleasure regress considerably. So, the younger two kids and I embarked on what I called the Graduated Skiing Plan. (What can I say except I've been thinking about the newly revamped FAFSA and student loans.)

Ski Day #1 had us confidence-building on the Easy Chairs. Ski Day #2 was spent on Chipmunk run where we worked on "making the pizza" and making S-turns. This day was rewarded with an afternoon upgrade to Hope Slope - a longer green run with some steeper, spicier sections requiring us to have a little faith in gravity as an advocate, instead of an adversary, to successful skiing.

Let me just pause here for a little PSA: I'm all for slow skiing. I am a Sunday driver kind of skier. I'll pick swish-swish over zoom-zoom any day of the week. However, there IS such a thing as skiing too slowly. If all you're doing is making the pizza and stopping more than starting, a) you'll never get down the mountain, and b) it's actually more work than if you just let gravity be a bit of a friend. Momentum, after all, is still needed if you want a little swish-swish.

On Ski Day #3, I knew there was one more green circle open to us on the other side of the mountain. I really wanted to try it because I'd heard the crowds were less, the skiing conditions were better, and the runs were longer. The scary part? We would have to go up two chairlifts to the tippy top - The Summit - then ski down a very steep part called Ant Hill to get back to swish-swishland of the Caribou run. Per the advice of the ski instructors, we'd stayed faithful to the recommended course: Easy Chair 1 & 2, Chipmunk, followed by Hope Slope. We'd conquered all and mastered the necessary skill, speed, and confidence. But were we ready for Ant Hill?

A Whitefish local assured us that if we could ski the top part of Hope Slope (which we had), then we could handle Ant Hill. I took it as a message from God and confirmation that we were ready for the final test. We were ready to graduate from the Graduated Skiing Plan.

The ride up the chairlift was breathtaking (as long as I didn't look down.) Blue skies and vistas gave way to the kind of craggy mountain ranges you see in calendars. Glacier National Park boasted all its rocky glory in the distance.

Yet, with those huge mountains in the distance, looking down on Ant Hill was terrifying. Then I remembered another piece of wisdom provided by another local skiing angel: "Just stay in the middle of the hill and make as much pizza as you need to. Take your time and you'll be all right."

Halleluja!

Triumph electrified my spirit and coursed through my body. Under the careful guidance and encouragement of my husband and three older children, the two younger kids and I all made it down Ant Hill.

We found the green circle symbol of Caribou run after one more easy slope pointing to the left, and it did not disappoint. We were rewarded with gentle humps (as opposed to mortifying moguls the more experienced crew of our family happened upon on Ski Day #1) that let us practice turning our pizza into french fries (straight skis) and putting on some speed for a tish of zoom-zoom. The run WAS long, the skiing WAS better, the crowds WERE fewer. And the best part? We all skied that last day - that last part - together as a family.

Lodging - Last year, we booked a VRBO right on the hill. This year, we opted for the Best Western Rocky Mountain Lodge because it was a stop on the S.N.O.W. bus route, had an outdoor pool and hot tub, and came with breakfast. Additional bonuses were that the hotel cost $1,000 less than the VRBO, allowed cancellation up to the last minute, and meant very little time spent cooking and more time with family. I was hugely impressed with this hotel. Exceptionally clean, very comfortable rooms, an AMAZING breakfast, sweet little extras like treat bags of hot chocolate fixings, tea, and popcorn, as well as free hot chili in the afternoon. The staff was very lovely as well. Oh! And they had a small collection of Sweet Valley High books - my childhood favorite.

Getting around without a car - It can make a body feel vulnerable traveling without a car, but, for this trip, it was totally worth it. Train travel provided rest and relaxation instead of white knuckles gripping the steering wheel worrying about the weather, exhaustion, and how far the next gas station is. The free bus shuttle was efficient, fun, and friendly. Our hotel was directly across the street from a grocery store, a hardware store, and a ski shop. Whitefish itself is an adorable, quaint town that is easily walkable. After days spent skiing, we were happy to remain at the hotel and Doordash provided us with tasty meals from unique local establishments. 

Would we do it again? - Absolutely. My husband was glum the entire trip because of the lack of snow. He lamented the snow that came this week after our trip and groaned about how we'd missed it. But I say that our trip had its own wins: The Third Grader faced his skiing fears post-broken leg; we had our first Amtrak experience, we got around an American holiday with no vehicle, there WAS enough snow to keep us skiing for our three days. We left feeling like we'd had a complete experience. And, of course, the family time. Being together is always worth it and the best gift (and point) of travel.

Antonin conquering Ant Hill