Sugar Mountain Skating

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I took SO MANY photos from all the fun of our visit to Sugar Mountain near Boone, NC that I couldn’t fit them all in one post (or even a few posts broken up). So, I put together a little photo gallery for you guys. Please note feed/Reader friends, the photos look best in the post, so click on over for the best viewing experience! 😉

In the event you don’t make it through the gallery right away, here are some highlights and extra photos…

The view from our cabin.

Our cute front porch. It was way too cold to hang out there, though. lol. I think the temperature was around 17 degrees F when we arrived the first night.

Lucky us, Ben + Michelle brought Great Harvest Cinnamon Chip bread and The Bee’s Knees PB – it made for a great breakfast the first day.

On the way to Sugar Mountain.

The lifts and ski areas ahead! Looks scary! Like a giant, more natural theme park ride.

I’ve never really been skiing before (ok twice in France when I was on exchange, but that seemed different). When we arrived in the parking lot, it was surreal being in such a different environment. Everywhere were people dressed up in crazy ski gear with bright colors, flashy patterns and weird, spiky hats. It was like being in a different world!

Jen and I thought these ski holders on the sides of the shuttles were interesting. The snow boarders had to bring their snowboards into the bus unfortunately.

Most of the people there were for…duh…sking! There were people there from all over – even different countries!

But not us!

We were there to SKATE!

I kind of wanted to ski, but I think it would be better to go for a few days before trying skiing. I’ve never ever done downhill skiing, so I’d like a couple days to get used to it. Since our trip was short, I decided to stick with something I was more comfortable with. Not to mention, I’ve been itching to go skating for the last few months and just haven’t found the time!

No matter the city, the ice is my home away from home. I love it there!

Check out Jen doing some mad swizzles! Go Jen!

Sadly, I haven’t skated in probably well over a year. But I guess muscle memory is a lot strong than I ever thought because I was still able to do most of the same spins I used to. I didn’t try anything too crazy because I was worried about getting hurt. I’m a chicken. Bok bok bok! 😛

By the way, I’ll be posting an exclusive video for Facebook friends later, so go ahead and “Like” The Chic Life for more exclusive fun. 🙂

After skating, we went back to the busy part of the mountains (where all the skiers were) to find our friends at the lodge.

I loved seeing the ski people in their natural environment. hehe. Seriously…it reminded me a bit of how other hobbies I do have their own quirks. I was a little jealous that I didn’t know how to fit in and navigate the slopes so naturally.

We took Eat In Month to a new level and brought food to make lunch at the lodge. I had a turkey/muenster sandwich (with Earthfare deli fare) and Great Harvest honey whole wheat bread, plus Annie’s Cheddar Bunnies. And thanks to Michelle, I tried my first Salt and Vinegar Chips – nommy noms! 🙂

Shortly after lunch, Jen, Michelle, hubby, and I left Ben and Jeff to enjoy the slopes some more and headed out in search of Boone’s finest coffee shops and bakeries!

More on that in a minute…plus photos from THE book I mentioned last night!

Ooh and be sure to check out the gallery photos above!

Are you a skier? Are you new to skiing or did you grow up doing it? What do you think about the ski culture?