Zermatt: The Matterhorn

Our second day of skiing, we rode the gondola above the clouds and enjoyed a beautiful, clear day right next to the Matterhorn.  We were fortunate to have an entire day of sunshine, a rare opportunity since the Matterhorn is typically blanketed in clouds. 

Cortina Ski Trip

For our first long weekend following Donovan's return, we headed several hours north to the little town of Cortina d'Ampezzo for a couple days of skiing and spectacular mountain views.  It was a weekend of fun times with good friends, delicious food, and lots of powder. 

Bulgaria and the World Cup

As you know, this past weekend we traveled to Bulgaria for yet another ski vacay.  This one was a bit different though, in that we happened to be there at the same time as the men's World Cup.  While this made for some crowded skiing, it was also a really neat experience and definitely not an opportunity you get very often.

In between watching we the pros ski, we hit the slopes ourselves.

The best part of the weekend though?

Humongous Milka chocolate bars.  Milka is amazing.

On the move again

Donovan and I are packing our bags yet again, this time making our way to Bulgaria.  Apparently the skiing in Italy isn't exciting enough anymore, so we're going to see what Bulgaria has to offer.  Either that or Donovan is in pursuit of Lindsay Vonn...we keep missing her by mere days.  Whatever the case may be, we're looking forward to another weekend of hitting the slopes!

I'll be back next week with lots of pictures.  Enjoy your weekend everyone!

Ski Weekend

Last weekend we took advantage of an extra day (apparently the Superbowl is a valid reason to get Monday off) and took a little ski vacay.  We headed a couple hours north to Alpe di Suisi in the Dolomites, which is absolutely gorgeous.  The views were incredible and the skiing/snowboarding wasn't so bad either.

And of course no ski day is complete without a hot chocolate break.

For our second day on the slopes we moved a little further down the valley to a different ski area.

Another awesome weekend enjoying this amazing place we live!

Skiing in the Alps (Part 2)

We loved Les Houches so much, that we went back for our third and final day.  The weather cooperated nicely and gave us a gorgeous Christmas Day.  

A big thanks to my talented sports photographer and his backward skiing capabilities.

Donovan and I shared a plate of spaghetti and some red wine for Christmas dinner.  Not exactly traditional, but tasty nonetheless!  

A great way to wrap up 2011 and hopefully we'll be able to get in some more good skiing soon!

Skiing in the Alps (Part 1)

For our first day on the slopes, we headed to Argentiere, on the north side of the valley.  The weather was perfect...we were on the shady side of the mountain most of the day but it was still comfortably warm.  Also, it was a nice clear day, so the views from the top were incredible.  Can't beat skiing in the Alps!  Or snowboarding, in my case.

For our second day of playing in the snow, we moved to Les Houches at the opposite end of the valley.  This ski area is home to the famous Kandahar World Cup downhill race.  This year the race will be in the beginning of February, so we may head back to partake in the festivities.  

...to be continued in part two...