Yesterday I was at Stratton with my three kids (11, 9 and 5). Mom was cleaning the house after being away for much of the week and, hopefully, resting some too.
After arguing with his big brother about what way to get to the Ursa chair from the top of the AMEX chair, the middle kid skis off in a huff. I turned away briefly to attend to our youngest and he was gone.
So, the rest of us proceed to the Ursa chair and we cannot find him. We figured he would have beat us but we give him a couple minutes and he doesn't show. We wait a few more minutes.
It is amazing what goes through your head during these few minutes...
We get down to the gondola and we don't see him. I figure I'll check with guest services about this sort of thing. I tell my other two kids to wait there for him. I give them money for waffles.
The woman at guest services asks, "How long has he been gone?" That is when I realize that it has only been a couple minutes. In my head I am realizing her point, that sooner or later, the odds are he will show up somewhere. So I reply, "He has been gone longer than I want him to be."
She was very kind and started making calls when all three of my kids walked in.
I was quite proud of my brave young man. His eyes sure were big.
I asked him what happened and he said he couldn't find the Ursa chair. So he asked someone at the mid station lodge. They told him how to get there. He went to the Ursa chair and waited and figured we went down to the meeting point. I asked how he found the main lodge from the mid station and he said, "I read the signs for the main lodge."
So he asks me, "What were Ben and Emily doing in the line at the Waffle Haus? Were you getting waffles without me?"
I couldn't imagine what it would be like to have to wait for an extended period of time. There really is no way they can send people out to look for a lost kid and even if they could, they would not be able to find him/her. They suggested the sign boards at the lifts. The public address system? Every time I hear it at any ski area the first thing I think was I didn't hear what they said.
In the end, keeping my cool and trusting my kids paid off.
We continued to ski for the rest of the day.
Speaking of waffles, there was a thread about the waffles at the waffle haus. The secret is pearled sugar. It is coarsely ground and mixed into the batter. When it is cooked it becomes carmelized and that makes for a nice and crispy exterior. You have to really watch the waffle iron. It'll turn to carbon if it cooks too long. Google pearled sugar for some recipes. One of them uses real butter in the batter too. Mmmmmmmm.
After arguing with his big brother about what way to get to the Ursa chair from the top of the AMEX chair, the middle kid skis off in a huff. I turned away briefly to attend to our youngest and he was gone.
So, the rest of us proceed to the Ursa chair and we cannot find him. We figured he would have beat us but we give him a couple minutes and he doesn't show. We wait a few more minutes.
It is amazing what goes through your head during these few minutes...
- "Boy am I angry with him! He knows better than to ski away from us"
- "Should I beat him when I get my hands on him?"
- "We had a plan. We said to meet at the bottom of the gondola if we get separated."
- "He's pretty smart. He's in the accelerated group at school. He'll remember the plan."
[*]"Oh no, he's in the accelerated group at school. He doesn't remember anything." - "Ohhh, he really likes to ski along the side of the trails and in the trees. He might have taken a shortcut… and hurt himself."
- "I wonder what his mother will say?"
- "Let's just say a little prayer while we are going down to the meeting area."
[*]"Please god, don't let my wife find out I lost one of her kids!"
We get down to the gondola and we don't see him. I figure I'll check with guest services about this sort of thing. I tell my other two kids to wait there for him. I give them money for waffles.
The woman at guest services asks, "How long has he been gone?" That is when I realize that it has only been a couple minutes. In my head I am realizing her point, that sooner or later, the odds are he will show up somewhere. So I reply, "He has been gone longer than I want him to be."
She was very kind and started making calls when all three of my kids walked in.
I was quite proud of my brave young man. His eyes sure were big.
I asked him what happened and he said he couldn't find the Ursa chair. So he asked someone at the mid station lodge. They told him how to get there. He went to the Ursa chair and waited and figured we went down to the meeting point. I asked how he found the main lodge from the mid station and he said, "I read the signs for the main lodge."
So he asks me, "What were Ben and Emily doing in the line at the Waffle Haus? Were you getting waffles without me?"
I couldn't imagine what it would be like to have to wait for an extended period of time. There really is no way they can send people out to look for a lost kid and even if they could, they would not be able to find him/her. They suggested the sign boards at the lifts. The public address system? Every time I hear it at any ski area the first thing I think was I didn't hear what they said.
In the end, keeping my cool and trusting my kids paid off.
We continued to ski for the rest of the day.
Speaking of waffles, there was a thread about the waffles at the waffle haus. The secret is pearled sugar. It is coarsely ground and mixed into the batter. When it is cooked it becomes carmelized and that makes for a nice and crispy exterior. You have to really watch the waffle iron. It'll turn to carbon if it cooks too long. Google pearled sugar for some recipes. One of them uses real butter in the batter too. Mmmmmmmm.
