DAY 8

Karen Sanchez and Christian Rice

We all woke up to a bright, sunny day in Vermont. The snow was glistening and the wind was barely blowing. The forecast predicted temperatures in the 40s and that is exactly what it felt like all day. Since we had our group meeting the night before, we didn’t have to meet in the morning and could go on the trails as early as 9am, which is when the lifts open. The lessons run from 10am to 12pm and they have proved to be truly rewarding for those who have taken them. Paulina had her second snowboarding lesson and nailed her first jump! Karen and Graylen had never skied before yesterday, but by the end of the day they were skiing down from the top of the mountain with Mr. Raebeck (Okemo has beginner runs from top to bottom). Noah has also been getting better at snowboarding, covering most of the mountain with his lessons, then joining the gang afterward. After our second day of lunch at Base 68 , we headed back to the mountain for our afternoon sessions. The lifts close at 4pm, so we’re getting 3-plus hours in the afternoon, after a solid 3 hours in the morning. Christian, Matthew, Anthony, Cutler, Ben, Lillian, Viktor, and Dylan all went up to the top of the mountain after lunch. Dylan really surprised the group because it was his 4th time skiing and he was making solid turns and skiing with control. The group did a trail through the woods, then went to the terrain park. The conditions were perfect. It was sunny, warm, and all of the jumps were perfectly groomed because they were just made that morning and the sun made the snow soft. After Dylan met up with Noah, the rest of the group found a fun run that consisted of the tree trail, and then two different terrain parks. Anthony, Ben, Viktor, and Christian all called it quits for the day, while Matt and Cutler hit the park for two more runs. Matt landed a sweet board slide and Cutler said that he’s never fallen more in his entire life! By 4 pm, everyone was exhausted. Ms. Del Giorno and Cutler went to the grocery store to stock up and get the food for dinner. Karen made a mixed chopped salad and Ms. Del Giorno made pasta with tomato and meat sauce and garlic bread. Everyone finished with happy, full bellies. Karen has been hand washing the dishes instead of using the dishwasher in order to save water and energy. Tonight, the boys in Cutler’s condo were assigned to help out by drying and putting away the dishes. After that, we hung out in the girls’ condo and watched television, played card games, and laughed until we all called it a night.