We drove the twenty minutes up to the Government Peaks Recreation Area near Hatcher Pass and sat in the truck for a moment, just staring at the beautiful view from the parking lot/chalet. Then the work began, as we spent the next twenty minutes layering the babies in their warm snow clothes, strapping them into the Chariot and then tucking Steve's down sleeping bag under and around them to make doubly sure they stayed warm enough while we were out skiing.
It was our first time towing them in the Chariot rather than carrying them, and it went very smoothly. Pulling the extra weight while skate-skiing was definitely tricky, but it was a great work-out. I wouldn't recommend it for a beginner skier, I would definitely try classic skiing the first time out with the Chariot, but for intermediate skiers and beyond, I would say go ahead and try it. Downhills are extra fun with the added weight pushing you from behind too.
It felt so amazing to be outside with the kids quiet, happy and contained for an hour, both Steve and I resolved to get up there skiing more often. Riggs even skied for about 30 minutes, and I was so proud of him for trying so hard, even skiing up an entire hill by himself in the tracks (and with no poles!). Sharing my love of skiing with both kids is definitely going to be a highlight of parenting, I can tell already.
If you're in the Valley or in Anchorage and want a change of scenery, I highly recommend visiting GPRA - the trails are interesting and just hard enough and the views can't be beat. See a GPRA map, here, and the Mat-Su ski club webpage, here.
we saw three moose on the way up
