Day 51, Level 1: For the love of Skiing, Heavenly Lake Tahoe, and Pita bread

Day 51 of level 1 ... It's kind of a meaningless reference these days. No one refers to levels any more in NZ! We're just living life - a little differently.

Eyes are turning to the NZ election, coming up on 19th September. Already, the political fisticuffs are out, and shambles is being well and truly spread across the floors of parliament for the unwary to slip on, slither over and end up in. Surely the slopes of parliament can't get any steeper or slipperier? But they will.

Meanwhile, it's winter in NZ - and talking of slippery slopes ... people here have been enjoying the skifields which were very busy during the school holidays. There's plenty of snow in the south, but ideally more is required in the central North Island at Mt Ruapehu to get it up to full speed. Being a rocky volcano, the mountain needs good coverage to get fully operational. It's best for spring skiing, with bluebird days and corn snow, so patience is a virtue.

Michael went down to ski Mt R (Turoa) last weekend with mates - had a great weekend but said the queues were horrific and it was pretty icy in parts (although great in others and they did get out off piste into the really good bits). But, regardless of the skiing, the social times made it all worthwhile even if conditions weren't perfect! Stamina is required for a weekend like that - I've done plenty of them! Memorable times for sure. I'll wait for spring!

Brett and I are long-time ski fanatics - in fact, a love of skiing is what drew us together in the first place. And when the boys came along, we made sure we continued our ski odyssey by ensuring the boys were on skis as soon as possible. They both took to it likes ducks to the proverbial water and it's a sport they both love very much - must be in the genes!

We used to drive to Mt Ruapehu almost every weekend since they were born. They were only months old when they were up that mountain, in the snow, experiencing what Brett and I have loved for a long time. Snowballs and sledding before their legs could deal with skiing, but as soon as they walk - they were on skis!

Forgive me if I've mentioned this scenario before, but ...

Looking back I can't even begin to fathom the management of it all. We had a ski house down in Ohakune throughout the 1990s and had many fantastic times there - with kids, friends and family. But talk about full-on. We'd leave Auckland after work on a Friday night, arrive around 11pm, with two sleepy boys, set up the house, get it warm, conk out ... and then up the mountain we'd go on Saturday morning, ski all day, managing the kids (it's a blur), then enjoy great apres-ski, sleep like the logs on the fire, and then ski Sunday and drive all the way home, arriving around 10pm.

And then it was work on Monday - and daycare, kindy, school or whatever. And, come Friday, we'd do it all again! It's all a bit of a blur how we actually managed it, but we did. Best times.

Several friends with kids the same age did this too - so we were all in it together. The juggle was huge - but so worth it. Such a great family sport. And now the boys head off skiing with mates, knowing exactly what is what.

When the boys were a bit older, towards teen years, we sold the ski house and joined a ski club in Ohakune - more years of good times and lots of fun.

These days, we all ski as and when it suits.

For me, that's not often enough but other things amuse me just as well these days, and with a bung knee, I need to be a bit circumspect about when/how I get out on the slopes. Ice and crowds - no! Blue skies and cruising on perfect snow - yes! I'll ski until on those days until I literally can't.

In 2004 we had a family ski holiday in Lake Tahoe, USA - skied all the various resorts in the area, it was fantastic. The resort of Heavenly was a hit - it straddles the states of California and Nevada and is aptly named, especially on a bluebird day like this!

Boys all set to ski (Sam 10, Mike 7)

Wheeeeeeee, what fun!

Ski day perfection!

Squaw Valley was probably my favourite field in the Tahoe region - they had the Winter Olympics there in 1960.

Squaw Valley
Lake Tahoe makes a great backdrop from most of the skifields in the area

I'm not sure whether I'll get skiing this winter or not - we have all the ski gear, as well as Mt Ruapehu Life Passes, and a friend with a great motel in Ohakune (The Hobbit Motorlodge) so everything is in place to make skiing as easy as possible - but to be honest, the snow will have to improve, the crowds abate and the weather be stable. For all those things to align is not highly likely, especially as Kiwis head to the ski slopes in droves this winter to compensate for and make purpose of not being able to go to the GC or Fiji.

If the conditions aren't spot on, I'm happy to live with the glorious ski memories I have banked over many years. I've skied obsessively for 35 years, all around the world, at some fantastic ski resorts - but to be honest, these days I'm very happy chilling at Omaha in peace at the weekends. A sneaky mid-week hop to the mountain when the weather looks likely is always a good call - but it can also turn to custard in a jiffy if the weather gods are feeling grim.

It's a sport that's perceived as one for the rich and privileged - but to be honest, back in those days, it was for the passionate and persevering. We did it on the smell of an oily rag - but our passion and priority for the sport was such that it got a look in before other elements of life. We don't regret it for a moment. And it's a lifelong gift we gave to our sons.

SHARE-NOTE OF THE DAY:

Pita Bread ...

Superb middle-eastern style bread, versatile and yummy, goes with everything. In NZ there are many varieties and I've yet to find a bad one. People making this bread know what they're doing and they do it well Yum. Danny's and Jabal are top of my own pops. I also like a nice fresh Turkish pide!