Adventures in Waterville

 Some friends told us about skiing at Badger Mtn just outside of Waterville so we decided to go check it out this weekend.  They said they had free rentals, cheap tickets, was close by and was great for beginners.  Sounded like just what we were looking for.  It was a beautiful day, sunny and in the 40's.  When we got to Waterville I ran into a gas station to ask directions since we hadn't seen any signs and weren't quite sure where the ski hill was.  The lady working inside laughed and said we were there, it was just behind the gas station up the road a little ways.  So we followed her directions,- up the road, left at the house, right at the stop sign - still not seeing any signs.  We came across some cars parked on the side of the road next to the one and only sign that said Badger Mtn. Ski Hill.  At this point we were a little confused because all you could see was a hill with some people in the distance, no road, no parking lot, no lodge.  Thinking we must be in the wrong place we continued up the road a little ways before calling the ski lodge.  They confirmed we had been in the right place before.  You have to park on the side of the street and walk in!  No worries, it's only about 1/4 mile over a couple hills in the snow!  So we unloaded and set out across the hill carrying Cassie, 2 snowboards, 1 set of skis and ski boots, 2 pairs of snowboard boots, a diaper bag, and an array of coats, hats, goggles, gloves, etc.  At this point I opted to leave my camera bag in the car and just use my phone for pictures.  Seemed way easier.  It really was about 1/4 mile up and down a couple hills.  When we got inside the "lodge" we found out the ski hill is run by the local Lions Club and they had held a meeting the night before and decided they would no longer be offering rentals for liability reasons.  Well, Chris and I do not have skis and snowboards.  The kids all got equipment for Christmas but we decided to wait and rent for this season.  Lucky for us a friend from our ward happened to be there with a group of scouts and had some connections.  So Chris and I rented our equipment, bought our tickets, had lunch and were off.  Now the reason badger Mtn is so great for beginners is that there are no chair lifts!  They had 2 hills with rope tows and one with a T-bar lift.  Cami and Carter spent the afternoon on the bunny hill while Cade went back and forth between the 2 rope tow hills with a couple friends who were there with the scout group.  By the end of the day everyone had mastered riding a rope tow.  Cami was able to ride up and ski down the little hill by herself.  She didn't even take anyone out, although there were a couple near misses.  Carter found a little jump and had fun trying to get air.  Cade had fun boarding with his friends and even admitted it!  He was convinced when we got there that this was going to be horrible!  The little hill was nice because Chris and I could just walk up and down and help the kids.  It was warm enough for Cassidy to be outside watching the other kids and sledding. 

 Cade on the rope tow

Carter snowboarding - attempting a jump

Cami skiing

 

 Cass and Cami sledding

When the day was over I was not looking forward to the trek back to the car, especially since everyone was tired and Cami was having a major melt down.  Lucky for us the owner offered to give us a ride to the car on this tractor thing which we gladly accepted.

Gotta love a fun adventure!