SUNDAY
Our trip started on an early (I mean 5 AM early) Sunday. After having a bath the night before, the kids slept in their travel sweats so we could just wake them, drain their bladders, and buckle them into the car seats for our Swiss adventure. We arrived through many tunnels to a snowy Engelberg, Switzerland about 7 hours later, after paying 50 Swiss franks to enter the country and nervously climbing the snow covered hills leading up to our hotel (The Terrace) in the car wondering if it was time to whip out the snow chains for the tires. They are a requirement to have in your car for extreme weather conditions. As we entered the mountainous area, J’s nerves were already getting jittery. She made a few comments about skiing tomorrow on those high mountains. We finally convinced her that her class (and ours for that matter) wouldn’t be at the top of the peaks.
After checking into the hotel, we headed back down to the city below by elevator and foot. How fun for a 5 and 6 year old! It was still snowing and about 4 feet was already accumulated below. Of course the children just couldn’t stay out of it! They “accidentally” fell into a snow drift here and there, already utilizing their snow pants. We headed to the rental store to pick up our skis and other equipment. On the way, many teenagers had moon boots on and I told J that they were look alikes of the boots the astronauts used for walking on the moon. “You mean people have walked on the moon?” she asked, astonished.
MONDAY
We all met at a place called the station to find our ski instructors along with a few hundred others. R and J somehow ended up in the same class – which they changed for Tuesday because of J’s age. Mine was a 65 year old retired school teacher who had 5 times more energy than me and acted like he was on a caffeine high. In his free time he mountain climbs, sails, and plays the violin. He spoke about 5 languages, since everyone in my group was from different parts of Europe. K also ended up with my instructor after class on Monday, which was more exciting for us to be in the same class together.
I felt like a horrible mommy after I realized the children would be riding the gondolas up higher to the children’s ski school. I had told J the night before that she would be staying on very low ground. I could only imagine her terror looking down from the gondola thinking, “Yeah right, my mommy lied to me,” but she never mentioned it. Hopefully the hustle and bustle of everyone moving distracted her. I also was thinking that my children are extremely blessed to be having so many experiences. I never rode a gondola until after college, but that’s why we moved here.
After exiting the gondolas, my class put on our skis and skied down some so called bunny slopes through some thick woods to the practice area. I have never really skied before (just the bunny slopes at Paoli Peaks – Ha!) and I thought, “Oh boy, I’m definitely in the wrong class.” But, I didn’t fall off the few cliffs I did see, and thanked God when I hit flat ground safely. After duck walking for about 5 minutes, I sweated enough to make me think I deserve 2 Big Macs when I arrive in New York instead of just 1. Mind you, class had not even technically started yet, and I was ready for a break! Tomorrow I probably should take my asthma inhaler before class.
Overall, we all enjoyed our first day of ski school. With sore muscles and tired bodies, we all fell asleep before 9:00 that night.
TUESDAY
J started the day off nervous to leave her big brother and go to a different class. We had to pray that God would protect her and help her calm down, surrounding her with His angels. She loved the thought of being surrounded by His angels and just beamed after that prayer.
This was the day K and I started our competition to see who could become stuck in a snow drift with the longest stopwatch time to find our way out. Werner, our ski instructor, decided to take us on an exciting route down a blue slope, but it required going through an area that wasn’t plowed yet. Monday and Tuesday came with heavy snow both days and the slopes were being plowed. Who would’ve thought they’d want snow off the slopes? I thought the more snow, the better! K was right behind Werner and tried to follow him though the 2 foot deep snow, only to acrobatically ski on one foot with the other up in the air, dragging in the snow. He completed the move by landing face first, losing one ski along the way. Werner had a great laugh and K took a good 5 minutes to collect his items and rejoin the group. (My chance to keep up with his competition takes place on Wednesday.)
After lessons, we found Klostermatte, a kid area with a “magic carpet” lift which is basically a moving sidewalk up the mountain. J immediately felt at ease, as this was the exact place she had practiced all day. She brought R up the magic carpet and they both stunned us with their comfort level of skiing down the kiddy slopes weaving in and out of cone and hoop obstacles. J also decided jumps were part of her repertoire. We have no idea where that came from??
The view from the peak of Titlis.
Here R is receiving his medal.
Our trip started on an early (I mean 5 AM early) Sunday. After having a bath the night before, the kids slept in their travel sweats so we could just wake them, drain their bladders, and buckle them into the car seats for our Swiss adventure. We arrived through many tunnels to a snowy Engelberg, Switzerland about 7 hours later, after paying 50 Swiss franks to enter the country and nervously climbing the snow covered hills leading up to our hotel (The Terrace) in the car wondering if it was time to whip out the snow chains for the tires. They are a requirement to have in your car for extreme weather conditions. As we entered the mountainous area, J’s nerves were already getting jittery. She made a few comments about skiing tomorrow on those high mountains. We finally convinced her that her class (and ours for that matter) wouldn’t be at the top of the peaks.
After checking into the hotel, we headed back down to the city below by elevator and foot. How fun for a 5 and 6 year old! It was still snowing and about 4 feet was already accumulated below. Of course the children just couldn’t stay out of it! They “accidentally” fell into a snow drift here and there, already utilizing their snow pants. We headed to the rental store to pick up our skis and other equipment. On the way, many teenagers had moon boots on and I told J that they were look alikes of the boots the astronauts used for walking on the moon. “You mean people have walked on the moon?” she asked, astonished.
MONDAY
We all met at a place called the station to find our ski instructors along with a few hundred others. R and J somehow ended up in the same class – which they changed for Tuesday because of J’s age. Mine was a 65 year old retired school teacher who had 5 times more energy than me and acted like he was on a caffeine high. In his free time he mountain climbs, sails, and plays the violin. He spoke about 5 languages, since everyone in my group was from different parts of Europe. K also ended up with my instructor after class on Monday, which was more exciting for us to be in the same class together.
I felt like a horrible mommy after I realized the children would be riding the gondolas up higher to the children’s ski school. I had told J the night before that she would be staying on very low ground. I could only imagine her terror looking down from the gondola thinking, “Yeah right, my mommy lied to me,” but she never mentioned it. Hopefully the hustle and bustle of everyone moving distracted her. I also was thinking that my children are extremely blessed to be having so many experiences. I never rode a gondola until after college, but that’s why we moved here.
After exiting the gondolas, my class put on our skis and skied down some so called bunny slopes through some thick woods to the practice area. I have never really skied before (just the bunny slopes at Paoli Peaks – Ha!) and I thought, “Oh boy, I’m definitely in the wrong class.” But, I didn’t fall off the few cliffs I did see, and thanked God when I hit flat ground safely. After duck walking for about 5 minutes, I sweated enough to make me think I deserve 2 Big Macs when I arrive in New York instead of just 1. Mind you, class had not even technically started yet, and I was ready for a break! Tomorrow I probably should take my asthma inhaler before class.
Overall, we all enjoyed our first day of ski school. With sore muscles and tired bodies, we all fell asleep before 9:00 that night.
TUESDAY
J started the day off nervous to leave her big brother and go to a different class. We had to pray that God would protect her and help her calm down, surrounding her with His angels. She loved the thought of being surrounded by His angels and just beamed after that prayer.
This was the day K and I started our competition to see who could become stuck in a snow drift with the longest stopwatch time to find our way out. Werner, our ski instructor, decided to take us on an exciting route down a blue slope, but it required going through an area that wasn’t plowed yet. Monday and Tuesday came with heavy snow both days and the slopes were being plowed. Who would’ve thought they’d want snow off the slopes? I thought the more snow, the better! K was right behind Werner and tried to follow him though the 2 foot deep snow, only to acrobatically ski on one foot with the other up in the air, dragging in the snow. He completed the move by landing face first, losing one ski along the way. Werner had a great laugh and K took a good 5 minutes to collect his items and rejoin the group. (My chance to keep up with his competition takes place on Wednesday.)
After lessons, we found Klostermatte, a kid area with a “magic carpet” lift which is basically a moving sidewalk up the mountain. J immediately felt at ease, as this was the exact place she had practiced all day. She brought R up the magic carpet and they both stunned us with their comfort level of skiing down the kiddy slopes weaving in and out of cone and hoop obstacles. J also decided jumps were part of her repertoire. We have no idea where that came from??
WEDNESDAY
For some odd reason we haven’t figured out yet, J was extremely hyper this day and asked about a hundred random questions. Maybe it was something she ate? We still aren’t sure. Some of the questions included, “Does ‘Jingle Bells’ ever end?”, and “How do puppies come out of their mommy’s tummies?” with R responding, “That’s a good question, J.” He then added, “I sure wish Kelsey (our family dog) would have puppies so we can see them being born.”
During ski lessons, it was my turn to ski off the slope into a snow drift while Werner laughed saying, “Amber, are you okay?” Yes, it just hurts my pride! My skis were still attached and I made it out okay. It’s amazing how you feel like a toddler trying to pick yourself up after a wipe out, especially with 2 long sticks attached to your feet. After ski lessons today, we rode gondolas and a rotair (a rotating gondola) up to the top of Titlis Mountain to see the view of the whole area. It was breathtaking, but R and I are a little nervous with heights. We walked around a little and J again, asked more questions such as,”Are we in outer space up here?”
Wednesday ended with a strange theme at the hotel for dinner. Each night has a different theme with decorations and food to go along with it. Monday was Switzerland night, with Tuesday being Italian night. Out of the blue, the night’s theme was vampires and they had a live person standing in a box made up to look like he was straight out of a haunted house back home. He stood perfectly still, staring into space. R couldn’t get enough of him. He just stood about 4 feet away staring back wondering what the guy would do. Every once in a while when someone touched him, he’d yell, scaring the person, and the rest of us too.
For some odd reason we haven’t figured out yet, J was extremely hyper this day and asked about a hundred random questions. Maybe it was something she ate? We still aren’t sure. Some of the questions included, “Does ‘Jingle Bells’ ever end?”, and “How do puppies come out of their mommy’s tummies?” with R responding, “That’s a good question, J.” He then added, “I sure wish Kelsey (our family dog) would have puppies so we can see them being born.”
During ski lessons, it was my turn to ski off the slope into a snow drift while Werner laughed saying, “Amber, are you okay?” Yes, it just hurts my pride! My skis were still attached and I made it out okay. It’s amazing how you feel like a toddler trying to pick yourself up after a wipe out, especially with 2 long sticks attached to your feet. After ski lessons today, we rode gondolas and a rotair (a rotating gondola) up to the top of Titlis Mountain to see the view of the whole area. It was breathtaking, but R and I are a little nervous with heights. We walked around a little and J again, asked more questions such as,”Are we in outer space up here?”
Wednesday ended with a strange theme at the hotel for dinner. Each night has a different theme with decorations and food to go along with it. Monday was Switzerland night, with Tuesday being Italian night. Out of the blue, the night’s theme was vampires and they had a live person standing in a box made up to look like he was straight out of a haunted house back home. He stood perfectly still, staring into space. R couldn’t get enough of him. He just stood about 4 feet away staring back wondering what the guy would do. Every once in a while when someone touched him, he’d yell, scaring the person, and the rest of us too.
The view from the peak of Titlis.THURSDAY
Our last day skiing…should we book another trip or not? Well, the way it started, I was ready to go back to the hotel and leave a day early. This was the first day K and I weren’t in lessons, so we ventured by ourselves to the same practice slopes. It all started with the T-bar lift. I hate that thing! The only way I can make it up is to go alone. K talked me into going with him, side by side. The kids in front of us piled up one after another near the exit, falling into a giant heap of kids. So, I guess this made me feel like I needed to take the embarrassment off them onto myself, dragging K along with me. We both fell only to have my ski knocked off. Without the need to exaggerate, it seriously took me 15 minutes to get my ski back on because I kept trying to knock the snow off my boot, only to find out that it was ice, and K finally picked it off for me. Then, to add to the chaos, we started to ski and he fell face first down the slope, which another ski instructor told us was impossible-we don’t believe him now! He completely face planted and we knew our day had started off on the wrong foot for sure!
We finally started skiing better and had a great day. We ate lunch with another couple we met in our lessons and the man asked K to go up to a higher blue slope with him and a buddy. I was completely excited. It was just what K needed…a challenge, and with someone to go show him the ropes. He had a blast and met up with me at the bottom station. We then watched all the ski school kids skiing down the blue slope by the station as they had all week, when R’s class ventured down as well for the first time! (Mind you, this is a pretty difficult slope that freaked me out on Tuesday with Werner.) The kids didn’t have poles, so they were easy to spot and just like ducklings following the mama, they weaved back and forth down the hill until halfway down when R decided he’d head straight down…kind of like how his mom skis! After he received his medal, we again headed over to Klostermatte for the afternoon with the kids. Both children amazed us with their fearlessness and abilities! J followed K down the slopes with expert turns and R went even higher to showcase his on his own. I think the only nervous one was me…sending my 5 and 6 year olds that high up!
Our last day skiing…should we book another trip or not? Well, the way it started, I was ready to go back to the hotel and leave a day early. This was the first day K and I weren’t in lessons, so we ventured by ourselves to the same practice slopes. It all started with the T-bar lift. I hate that thing! The only way I can make it up is to go alone. K talked me into going with him, side by side. The kids in front of us piled up one after another near the exit, falling into a giant heap of kids. So, I guess this made me feel like I needed to take the embarrassment off them onto myself, dragging K along with me. We both fell only to have my ski knocked off. Without the need to exaggerate, it seriously took me 15 minutes to get my ski back on because I kept trying to knock the snow off my boot, only to find out that it was ice, and K finally picked it off for me. Then, to add to the chaos, we started to ski and he fell face first down the slope, which another ski instructor told us was impossible-we don’t believe him now! He completely face planted and we knew our day had started off on the wrong foot for sure!
We finally started skiing better and had a great day. We ate lunch with another couple we met in our lessons and the man asked K to go up to a higher blue slope with him and a buddy. I was completely excited. It was just what K needed…a challenge, and with someone to go show him the ropes. He had a blast and met up with me at the bottom station. We then watched all the ski school kids skiing down the blue slope by the station as they had all week, when R’s class ventured down as well for the first time! (Mind you, this is a pretty difficult slope that freaked me out on Tuesday with Werner.) The kids didn’t have poles, so they were easy to spot and just like ducklings following the mama, they weaved back and forth down the hill until halfway down when R decided he’d head straight down…kind of like how his mom skis! After he received his medal, we again headed over to Klostermatte for the afternoon with the kids. Both children amazed us with their fearlessness and abilities! J followed K down the slopes with expert turns and R went even higher to showcase his on his own. I think the only nervous one was me…sending my 5 and 6 year olds that high up!
Here R is receiving his medal. 
J is skiing through the hoops, but I couldn't bring my good camera, so you have to click on the picture to see her closer.
R makes a snowplow stop!
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