Loon Mountain was the southernmost ski area not forecast to receive rain. After several weekends of doing mom & dad trips, this was Isaac’s day to have fun, so I tried my very best to not comment on his technique or teach.

We ran into Paul Pinkham heading in to the lodge as we started for the lifts, but didn’t have time for more than a brief hello. Isaac wanted to go ski the double black moguls like he had at Pats Peak, but when he discovered Loon’s black diamonds were steeper than Pats Peak’s double blacks, he picked a blue run instead.

We took Isaac on his first ride on the gondola. He spent the whole ride up asking questions. We skied down another blue and then Isaac was ready for the blacks. He must have been taking lessons from the snowboarders because he discovered he could slide slip down the icy sections. So the good news is that reduced his wedging on steep slopes, the bad news is we can’t complain about snowboarders any more.

I was carrying a newish thermos full of hot chocolate. We drank some on the first gondola ride. The next I saw of the hot chocolate was it dripping out of my pack when I put my skis back on after lunch. I had been suspicious of that thermos with its simple flip top. I need to find a proper screw top one for skiing.

Skiing the wide open slopes at Loon, I kept messing up my technique. If you give me some gnarly moguls or twisty trees, I can ski fine. But presented with a blank canvas and a drive for perfection, I overthink every turn.

The last run down, Isaac requested a brief Telemark lesson from Tyson. This trip, a lot of skiers and lift attendants commented on Isaac’s gear. Not many people had noticed other trips. We quit for the day before the lifts did. Isaac scooted away from me after I’d taken only one of his skis off. He goofed around until he could balance and slide down the hill on his one ski.

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