If you want to know how the snow is, here is a good indicator. I was in church the other day and the girl playing the keyboards was wearing a t-shirt underneath a hoodie that zipped up. The zipper was partly un-done and I could read what her shirt said. It read, “Jesus is King.” What I thought it said was “Jesus is Skiing.” For about five minutes, I thought what a cool shirt until I realized what it said (still a cool shirt but it would be cool to have one that says, “Jesus is Skiing”). Easy to see where my brain was at the time -- the amazing snow on Sunrise.

The new snow has brought many skiers and snowboarders to the mountain. Tons of people from all over the state and different countries all up enjoying the amazing weather and crazy good snow. We see couples up skiing together, groups of guys or girls but, more than anything, we see families. Sunrise is such a great place to bring the family to ski but I feel that I need to offer some advice. What qualifies me to give you advice? Well, I have been skiing since the Paleozoic era; I have been a kid on ski trips; I have taken my kids on ski trips and, more than anything, I see families at the resort every day. Some are super happy and many not so much. Not because of the snow conditions or anything the ski area has done but simply from lack of preparation. 

Here is the advice: Simply be ready. Know what it is going to entail to take a trip to the mountain. First, you need to make the time and devote it solely to the trip. Plan on the costs involved. There will be gas, lodging, ski rentals, lift tickets, lessons, food at the resort and food before and after your day and more. Keep in mind that, if you have new skiers, they are going to take special attention. If you are going to teach them, be in the mindset that you are not really going to get to ski (not like you want to anyway). It is all about the little ones and teaching them how to do it so that each trip they get better. The better they get, the better the future trips are. Investing time in them early will pay dividends later. My suggestion is to put them in a half day lesson. You ski your brains out until lunch and then the afternoon is all about them.

Kids get cold. Be prepared. Dress them appropriately. Even if they are dressed properly, they will still get cold. What do kids do when they are cold? They whine. What do kids do when they get tired? They whine. What do kids do when they are hungry? They whine. What’s worse than you not getting in your ski time? Whining kids. What drives parents crazy? Whining kids. Again, invest in them early and it will pay dividends later. Put your own wants about the trip aside and focus on them. Quick tip -- snacks, lots of snacks!

Amongst it all, stay calm. Don’t get upset. Kids will be kids. Be patient because it will not help anything if you lose your cool. It will just get worse. I speak from experience. Be prepared -- both mentally and physically -- and your trip will turn out better than you can ever hope. Go with the flow. When all else fails, think: What would Jesus do? Jesus would go skiing.