manning park

 we didnt even get winter this year in the valley, so our family had to travel to find it.  back in feb. we loaded up and drove the arduous 110km to manning park.  a short trip, but a big difference in climate as soon as we climbed out of the valley.

 the first thing we did when we arrived was to go for a hike in the deep snow.

 this bridge was fun but a little sketchy with the slippery snow and a reasonable creek flowing underneath.

 lucky for us levi loves the backpack.

 we rented a cabin in the manning park resort, utilitarean but perfect for our robust family (ie. if someone kicked a hole in the wall it wouldnt be the first!) 
the best thing about the resort was the groomed beginners hill and other snow games, located steps from our door.
our friends lent us some kids skis and boots so both ty and zeke got multiple short ski sessions.

 i was particularly proud of ty.  he was brave and had good control.  he even did the steeper toboganning hill on his own, unfortunately (due to his father's poor judgement) he yardsaled his last attempt at the steep hill and was quite distraught.  he did recover better than i expected though, and did a couple of easy runs before we left.

 zeke enjoyed his first exposure to skiing, but liked running and sliding on the skating rink better.

 we brought niko along for his dose of snow therapy.  another reason we were happy with the utilitarian accomodations.  manning is a gorgeous place to walk your dog every morning and evening.

 the resort's recently built pool complex was a hit every night before dinner.

 between playing in the snow, skiing, going to the pool and hiking we had a fun filled few days.  we'll be back for sure!