With much anticipation, my 4-year-old twin sons started and finished the December Bombers program at Breckenridge. It was a fantastic experience for them. In October (when registration occurs) it felt like I was registering my kids for an exclusive preschool. The program is well organized and I received several emails with all the information I needed to register. All my questions were answered promptly, too. My greatest worry was that while registering one twin, the other would lose a spot. I was also under a lot of pressure because Gabriel was totally motivated to potty train — because he wanted to get on the mountain!
Registration is only done via the website. Prior students get first choice, so if you’ve never been enrolled in the program, the competition is great. A shorter three-session December program was added this year, which I decided to enroll my kids in. Since there were no prior students, I had an equal chance of enrolling my sons. (There is also a 7 week, January – February program.) Registration began at 8:30 a.m.; at 8:20, I was sitting at my computer ready to go. I’m not a skier, so I was totally stressed about getting the right equipment. I decided to rent skis from Colorado Ski & Snowboard, since it is on the floor below my office. Dennis fitted the boys quickly and efficiently. I pounded the streets of Breckenridge for mittens that go up the arm and found them at Annie’s Alpine Kids on Main St. I purchased used goggles at Recycled Sports in Frisco for $16 each.
Luckily, I had planned to get fresh, hot donuts at Kava’s Café on Main St. (close to the gondola) and started to dress the boys early because I could not get Michael’s boots on. So, we got as ready as we could and headed back to the ski shop. There was nothing wrong with the boots; of course they slipped on easily for Dennis! We finally made it to the meeting spot and I met George, the boy’s teacher. He gave me a card with his cell number, which was very reassuring; I was very nervous about the boys being on their own for the day.
While we were waiting for one more student to arrive, I suddenly realized I had forgotten the ski passes! (4 year olds get free ski passes from the resort. To get them, you have to go to the season-pass office with some form of identification that proves the age of your child.) We live only two blocks from the gondola, so I ran home and retrieved the passes.
Once I left the boys and realized I had the whole day to myself, I started to relax a bit. I did get the fresh, hot donuts for Michael and Gabriel when I picked them up at the end of the day. I couldn’t believe the smiles on their faces. They loved it! I got a report from their teacher and we were done for the day. The second Saturday was the same when I picked them up; they were ecstatic!
The third and last Saturday, Mom was a little off. We were in the garage ready to go — and I realized I had forgotten to put on their snow pants. So, we had to go in and take everything off — boots, helmet, coats, mittens, the works — and start over with the snow pants. Oy!
The third Saturday, I took the gondola up the mountain, met the kids, and was able to observe them a little bit. It was reassuring that when I tried to enter the magic carpet area, the instructors told me no one was allowed in the area. So, I had to catch a small view from behind the fence. The kids had a lot of help from all the instructors.
Michael and Gabriel enjoyed themselves so much, I’m sorry I didn’t try to get them in the longer seven-week program. They have ski lessons at their pre-school and will continue, but they loved the bomber program. The smiles I got when I picked them up at the end of the day said everything!