Hruby Herd

Hello and welcome to the last Saturday of 2025 here at the Wannaskan Almanac by way of the ski slopes. Today is December 27th.

The time has finally come for the annual Hruby ski trip. This year we are at Giant's Ridge ski resort. Today is our second day skiing here, and we have (including today) two more full days of skiing left. Oftentimes, we start planning the trip a few months in advance, always debating the following things: Where should we go skiing? Where should we stay? When should we go? How long should we go for? Should we do anything different? 

To start off, the first question is always a debate between two places (besides Whitefish, where we went once): Lutsen Mountains Ski Resort or Giants Ridge Ski Resort. Both have their positives and negatives, and we usually compromise SOME aspect of our experience by going to either one. Lutsen objectively has better skiing because it has bigger hills and longer trails giving you a more traditional 'mountain' type ski experience. However, finding a place to stay close to the hill is difficult, and we often find ourselves having to shlep our family 20 miles every day. This can lead to hectic days, spots getting taken at the chalet, and can be very exhausting. 

Giants Ridge, on the other hand, while it doesn't have as good skiing as Lutsen, is a much more family-friendly option. We often stay at The Lodge at Giants Ridge, a hotel-type place right on the hill. It's closer to home, cheaper than Lutsen, and we can start skiing whenever we want and end skiing whenever we want. Oh, and I should mention also, night skiing. Lutsen may have four mountains, but it's only open till 4pm. Giants Ridge, on the other hand, has skiing till 8pm, EVERY day. I (david btw) personally don't mind which place we go to. I love the skiing at Lutsen, but Giants Ridge is just as enjoyable. 

When it comes to finding a place to stay, it seems like an easy question until you remeber: We are seven people. Every year, this challenge gets harder because we are no longer all children. There are five adults, one teenager, and one almost teenager. We fight. We take up space. We need more spots to sleep. We also outgrew our 7-person van and need 2 cars to fit all of our gear and bodies. Combined with the fact that it would be extremely convenient to be on the hill, finding a place to stay is the most challenging. So with this knowledge, you might think we'd have a nice 2-3 bedroom hotel room, with plenty of kitchen, counter, and living room space. 

We have a 1-bedroom spot meant for 2-4 people max.  I'm surprised we haven't killed each other yet.  But it's on the hill, so that's a plus!

Figuring out when to go is an equally challenging problem. Five adults (2 parents plus 3 older children), all with completely differing schedules, seems like hell to schedule, and I give full props to my mom for figuring this all out. Really, she is amazing. Over the last few years, we've been going towards the end of December, simply because it's the timeframe where we all have a stroke of free time. This year, we left on Christmas Day, and we will drive back home on the 29th. Just enough time to enjoy Christmas, and coming back just in time for New Year's. 

This leads us to the last question: Should we do anything different? My response is always no. But every few years, we like to shift things around. A few years ago (during the super warm winter year), we went to Whitefish in Montana. Because it was super warm, the skiing wasn't great, and that left a pretty bad taste in our mouths. So this year, while it never came into fruition, we had devised a hybrid type plan. The idea was to book a refundable ski trip for both Whitefish and Giants Ridge, and depending on the winter weather results, we would cancel one and go to the other. I thought it was an alright idea, but I'm glad we didn't do it. I like being close to home. 

Okay, so now that I've talked everyone's ears off, the big question you all are probably asking is, How is the skiing? It's awesome! I've had a great time so far, and so has everyone else. While the logistics aren't perfect, the entire idea of the trip is to ski and be together, and I think we have had an amazing time doing that. We laugh on the hill, we cry on the hill, we fall on the hill, we woosh down the hill... There is also something heartwarming that sparks inside of me when I see all seven members of our family lining up to get on the chairlift. We're like a little herd. 

Lol, We're The Hruby Herd. 

See you on the Slopes!

WAKWIR (1.0)*

WAKWIR 2.0 enjoying a break from the blog.

*Wannaskan Almanac Kid Writer-in-Residence