Spring has Sprung at Sunshine Village

Lookout Mountain and Goat's Eye in the background

Spring has finally arrived in the Rocky Mountains. We have had the chance to get out a few times in the last couple of weeks to enjoy the great conditions.

Just this past week we spent Mother's Day on the hill. We had an amazing blue bird sky, temperatures around 0^oC, snow that softened up as the day went on, but never became slushy.

Skiing the Dive

We're very lucky to ski at a hill that runs such a long season. While there are a number of great hills in the area near us, we call Sunshine Village Ski Resort home. This is a hill that offers wonderfully variable terrain for all ability levels. Sunshine offers a kiddy zone with a magic carpet for the little ones just starting out. There is also a day care for the little ones not yet on skis. Sunshine offers an entire chair (Strawberry chair) that services a great grouping of green runs – perfect for the beginner of any age. All other chairs offer a range of terrain, from green runs to blacks and double blacks. I have skied here with friends that stick to greens, while we head off for some tree runs and then meet at the chair no problem. It's really easy to accommodate all ability levels within a group and ensures that everyone is having fun.

Sunshine also has a number of distinct regions with in the hill. There's the main are, where the lodge, hotel and other building are, but there is also Goat's Eye. This area has great terrain, including the South Chutes, which are a super fun double black are to play in. A little open bowl and little tree skiing. Amazingly fun area! Beyond this they have two controlled areas that can only be accessed if you have PEEPs, shovels and probes. These are Delirium Dive and WildWest. I've not had the chance to ski WildWest, but I can tell you that the Dive is beyond fun. There are a few drop in points, all giving you access to superb skiing. Wide open bowls the whole way. There is a risk of avalanche, but they to control for it, unfortunately not like they can within the resort proper. So only enter with the required gear and if you know how to use it.

Chris and I in the Dive a few years ago

Outside of skiing they have a wonderful hotel. We stayed there for our wedding – yes, we got married at Sunshine. Words can express what a fantastic job they did with our wedding. They were very accommodating and went out of their way to ensure that we had a marvellous day. Chris even skied the day of the wedding. And we both hit first chair the next day. The hotel has undergone some renovations in recent years and is super nice. Prices often include lift pass as well and there are great mid-week deal to be found. A great place for a little get away.

There is not much to do up there during the evening, but they do have amazing food, a bar and a breath taking hot tub available. So if you desire world class skiing and quiet evenings, you will love the vibe at Sunshine.

All in all, we are super happy to have this as our home hill and never get tired of the terrain that it offers up. Check it out if you ever get the chance, you wont be sorry.  

Ahhhh, Hawaii

While I love winter, snow and skiing, there is something to be said for sun and sand in the middle of winter. So we jetted off to the Big Island of Hawaii for 10 days of paradise, getting back just yesterday. What a great vacation. While the flights were tough, the Kraken was a trooper and slept for most of them, both ways. Yep, we're lucky!

The island was amazing. We were walking distance to a great beach that had a little inlet that we could let the boy play in. And when we needed to dip ourselves we tossed a life jacket on him and took him into the deeper water. We had taken swim lessons with the Kraken before so I knew he was comfortable with the lifejacket and he seemed to really enjoy the warm ocean waters. Much cooing, chatting and water slapping made his feelings very clear. The great part of the beach was the amazing snorkelling. Chris said it was some of the best snorkelling he had ever done. There were times that I could see 15 or more species of fish in my field of view. Amazing! Not to mention all of the sea turtles snacking on the nearby rocks...

We had the chance to get a few drives in around the island, all timed around naps of course. And we saw some incredible areas. One major destination for us was Mauna Kea. We lucked out in that the mountain had snow while we were there. But this also meant that the upper part of the mountain was closed. This made little difference to us as we couldn't go to the top. It turns out going from sea level to the top of Mauna Kea is not a good idea for a number of people, one group being anyone under 12. So we stopped at the visitor centre and had a good look around. Chris was sad that we didn’t get to touch snow. But we got a great insider tip that the Mauna Loa access road was just a short drive away and from there we might be able to find snow. Adventure ensued, including a crazy narrow, rolling road that got us to snow. But we made it and felt snow on our flip flop covered feet while on a tropical vacation.

If you look closely you can see snow
capped Mauna Kea in the background.

Another wonderful day was taking to the road to find some beaches that we had been told about. We listened to some new friends and took off for Beach 69. Words can't express how amazing this beach was. We walked through a stand of trees to find paradise! We are talking salt and pepper sand, aqua blue waters, rolling surf and limited people. There were many little coves to pick from and we found a sunny spot near some gentle waves. Again the Kraken had a wonderful time. He really enjoyed the waters here and the sand was a joy for him and us. Part way through the day we left Beach 69 to find another great beach we had heard of that was not too far away – A Bay. Another wonderful beach. Super friendly beach for little people. The shore was gentle lapping waves with a slow slop into the water. Perfect for letting a kid play at the waters edge.

There are so many other adventures that we undertook and so many that we missed (swimming with manta rays), but we had a beyond amazing time. We've already started plotting our next trip. Maybe even with some grandparents in tow so we can go on some solo adventures.