Snowed in

When we woke up this morning we cranked open the metal outside weather shades and saw snow up to our windowsill. The Saas Fee website still had our beginner slopes marked as open, so we hurried down to breakfast, but by the time we came back up to change there was an update: everything was closed! The website said "due to adverse weather conditions (avalanches, large snow drifts, more than two feet of snow, and continuing heavy snowfall)." That's pretty adverse!

L and T were very anxious to join the kids club and play with their friends all day. S and R hurried outside to build snow forts. E and I spent some time on the computer trying to decide whether we'd like to come back to Saas Fee in February or go to Bettmeralp, as planned. Today was the day to decide if we wanted our deposit back. We thought it would be nice to see somewhere new. But in Saas Fee we have wonderful childcare right in the hotel, ski lockers next to the ski school meeting place, a shuttle bus to and from skiing, and mid-day pick-up and a ride back to childcare for T. Bettmeralp had none of those things, and we couldn't find anywhere else in our price range at any resort that had them all. We liked skiing so much partly because everything was so easy - all we had to do was show up and have fun. Being totally new to skiing we had been worried or confused about so many little things. At Hotel Alphubel every one of those concerns vanished, so we are going back. I think we are going to have to write reviews on trip advisor, etc, because I can't think of anything (other than less time between dinner courses) that the hotel could have added or done better.

R and S eventually came in to warm up and we all played ping pong and playstation together. Then it was time to take L out in the snow since she hadn't had much snow play time. T wanted to stay inside. We took L outside and played on a sled for a while. She loved it! The snow was incredibly deep. On the East Coast when you get a couple feet of snow it's usually wet and compacts under your feet so you are never actually standing in two feet of snow.  Here we were constantly stepping into huge drifts. It was very hard to get around,  but the snow was so pretty. All the resorts have pictures on their websites of chalets and little huts that look like gingerbread houses that have been slathered with way too much boiled icing. That is exactly what it was like today.

Then back inside for more ping pong and playstation and the littles' playgroup dance party. T did not want to attend under any circumstances, but L had a lot of fun. They turned on the disco lights on the dining room dance floor and the cart driver who isn't surly acted as DJ in three languages. There was punch and the cookies the kids made yesterday were served. It was very cute. That was followed by the kids' dinner. T, L, and S are going to eat the early kids' meal and hang out in the room with S babysitting while the rest of us have the usual meal.

(At least that was the plan. While I've been writing this T came up early from dinner. We thought nothing of it since T has had the run of the place. But S just burst in panicked. She had been looking everywhere for T. He had someone bring him to the bathroom then made a run for it. No one knew where he was. Now the halls are ringing with his protests as E drags him downstairs to apologize.)