Maybe it’s starting to feel like winter is over in the city, but Snoqualmie Pass set a record for snow this year and there is still a snowy wonderland just a short drive from Seattle. We’ve been loving cabin life in the mountains and the Summit is such a great mountain for families. Spring skiing conditions make it a lot easier for kids to play without feeling too cold.
We’ve really enjoyed skiing and snowshoeing a lot with our 7-year-olds. The boys can almost run in their snowshoes and I love that it’s far less equipment than getting everyone ready for skiing. And the guys love skiing. After a few years of lessons, they are confident on the mountain and on the chairlifts and they are already talking about the crazy runs they’ll ski next year. I heard that the mountain closes on April 17th so there are still a few weeks to get some runs in. I also noticed you can still tube at the tubing center and you can still book online for the weekend-and this weekend looks like the weather will be glorious!
I guess I never realized that spring is going to have to come one of these days…..mountain life seems to just freeze time. In Snoqualmie Pass, things become a little simpler and it’s easier to do a lot less and hang out a little more than we do when we’re at home. I guess our outdoor sports will just change as we move into warmer days.
For inside the cabin I tried out a Junior Explorers kit and it occupied the kids for a nice little while. It’s a box subscription for kids that teaches about different places and animals in that place. My kids were excited to receive the Junior Explorers Barrier Reef ‘suitcase’ in the mail and they liked the animal cards and word puzzles. These types of quiet activities are great for when we’re in between outdoor adventures.
They also enjoy a game called Roads Rivers and Rails and we’re getting into Monopoly as a family too. (This was my favorite game growing up and my husband loved it too!) I like that in the mountains we spend time together and we are forced to slow down our city life.
We cook together a lot. Sometimes we use mixes and sometimes we’re more adventurous. We’ve been loving a kids’ cookbook my sister recommended called Forest Feast for Kids. (I bought the grownup book too!) We also love the Silver Spoon Cookbook for children. I guess this is something we’ll still do in warmer months together and I love cooking with my kids.
The hubby finally decided on a Ski Key ski rack and we finally got it installed. I’m hoping we get a few more ski days in so we can put it to good use. And while I’m excited to see what the summer will bring here, I’m going to savor the winter in Snoqualmie Pass as long as I can.
(PS. I received a Junior Explorers product to try but I was not required to post and the opinions here are definitely my own.)
(PPS. we’re often asked what kind of snowshoes we have for the kids and we use Atlas Snowshoes.)
Terumi Pong is a Seattle-based family travel writer and mom of twin teenage boys. She loves coffee and pastries, shopping local and looking for greener ways to live. She is also known as Scout’s mom (Scout is a 5ish pound little black yorkie-poo)
What a fun looking outing for the whole family. Just goes to show that cold weather doesn’t confine us indoors!