49 degrees North Race...

Josie and Landon were in the Sandpoint newspaper for their achievements in the Friday night race series.

The kids didn't have school on Friday due to a snow make up day that never happened this year. Josie's team had a Super G training on Friday so we headed up Thursday night. Josie's friend Annie came with us because her parents couldn't get her to the training. This was me trying to get a picture of the girls with Landon interrupting the pics:)

 The girls playing cards in front of the fire.

Friday I skied with Landon, Josie had training and Luke worked on his skiing with a friend. Landon knows the mountain better than I do now so he wanted to take me on some of his favorite runs. Turns out they are Double black diamonds...through the trees! The morning was great and the snow was very deep.

 The wind and snow picked up right when I was trying to get a picture of Landon in front of the sign of the run we were doing. But landon was trying to block the wind and snow, so he was not smiling:)

 Landon took a tumble in the powder and it was so deep he sunk in up to his chest!

 Friday night Luke took Josie and Annie to a town called Chewelah. It is a small town in north Washington. It is also the closest town to the ski resort called 49 degrees North. The girls had their first Super G race on Saturday. They don't let you race super G until  you are 10 years old due to safety I'm assuming. In Super G they go very fast and the gates are further apart than normal racing. Landon still had training on Saturday afternoon so I stayed at Schweitzer on saturday with Landon. We free skied together in the morning...We once again took his favorite Double Black diamond run...the weather was better, so I snapped a new pic.

 I think Landon was doing some weird thing with his eyes in this picture?!?

Saturday afternoon I was riding one of the old 2 person lifts with Landon, we went to get on the lift when my ski tips got caught in the snow as the chair was picking us up...It made the chair tip forward and poor Landon fell off the chair! It wasn't very far off the ground and he was fine. My ski's didn't pop loose so it drug my legs under the chair and I nearly fell off too....I have seen this happen to others on this same chair, but now we are part of the club I guess...I took a couple of videos of Landon practicing his turns....Here he is practicing his big Super G turns...I can't ski as fast as him so he dissappears for a second and then pops out at the bottom.

In this video he is practicing his smaller turns

Saturday afternoon after  I was waiting for Landon after his training and he never showed up! no one knew where he was and I was in a panic. Just as they were going to send ski patrol out to find him, I randomly saw him calmly walking through the village. I ran over to him and he said that he thought he was supposed to meet me at the car. We have never met at the car so I have no idea why he thought that....The best part is that he never carries his ski's and poles because they are 'too heavy' but for some reason he carried them all the way to my car, randomly my car was unlocked so he put all his gear in the car and then came back to find me!? I was completely terrified that he had been stuck in a tree well somewhere on the mountain and here he was being all independent and doing what he thought was right. I wasn't sure if I should be mad or proud. We headed back to the condo, packed up and took off to meet Luke and Josie in Chewelah for the GS race on Sunday that both kids were in. At the last minute we found a motel with one bed to stay in for the race. It was very small but clean. Landon and I played some war while we waited for Luke and Josie to arrive back from her Super G race.

 Josie did really well in her Super G race and really liked it. There is a bell at the top of the mountain that you are supposed to ring for good luck.

 The race venue was hard to take videos and pics from because it was hard to see the whole course from one place. I didn't get many pics. Josie skied the best she has this year and finished in 15th place. Landon finished 2nd. I love the look on Landon's face. I think he is glaring at the first place finisher (who is double Landon's size). Landon has beat him before so he said he will at the next away race.

 Lila placed in the top 10 for the first time this year. She was very excited. Poor Josie has never placed in the top 10 so it is hard for her to watch her brother and friends place. She is a pretty good sport about it. We keep reminding her that ski racing is not about the placing, but about all the fun times with friends, memories and experiences we have along the way. Not to mention she is an amazing skier.