Good Cold Fun!

Everyone’s heard the phrase “good clean fun,” but really—how much fun can it be if you don’t wipe out just a bit? Good Cold Fun makes good on its name with the promise of a GREAT time in cold climates. During this Winterim, students will participate in some of the best activities that Colorado winters have to offer, and the skills they learn can be used for many winters to come. Activities include snowshoeing, cross-country skiing (don’t worry—there will be a day of lessons for those unfamiliar with this Nordic sport), ice skating, and, to wrap it all up, a day of tubing in Rocky Mountain National Park—this is not your average sled hill! From Eldora to Estes Park, this promises to be a week of winter action.

Day 1

Good Cold Fun was a bit more dusty and less snowy than we would have liked, but the only one grumpy about that was Ms. Rako! And how quickly the students changed her mind. We were up at Hidden Valley in Rocky Mountain National Park, busting out the snow tubes to enjoy the sledding hill. The students careened down, then did subsequent bumper car style runs and finally a few brave folks stood on the tubes and raced down. This is a crew of students that goes for it. We enjoyed lunch outside, built some snow structures and even sprinted through the woods for a few games. It was a fantastic start to the week.

Day 2

...I mean, between the ice skating and rock climbing, we kept this crew busy! Once again though, they rose to the challenge and showed us not just increased skills but an amazing attitude. We watched them help each other on the ice and grow more confident in their abilities. By the end of the session, there was a game of sharks and minnows that had the teachers (who were safely on the side lines) stressed as they skated after each other as fast as they could. And just when we thought they were ready to leave, a few kids requested directions in spinning on the ice, it was awesome.

After a quick sugar interlude at Dairy Queen, it was on to the Climbing Collective. They scrambled, they fell and up and up they went. It's such fun watching them tough it out, try new things and cheer each other on. This is a group of students that pushes each other to succeed!

Day 3

I feel like that fine dusting of snow on the grass this AM was taunting me a bit...you know, the day we had a hike planned and the weather decided to give us some actual precipitation?!

But the hilke at NCAR was still fantastic, really, the whole time at NCAR was awesome. On a slightly geeky note, I would highly recommend their free public tours to all of you. Between the history of the organization, what it's currently doing and how their work affects so much of what we do, it held everyone's attention for almost 90 minutes. The students asked questions, answered several and were a hit with the five random strangers that were also on our tour.

Before the tour we took a short hike on the property and enjoyed being out and about. The rule was, you had to remain in earshot of your teachers who weren't rambling up the slippery rocks quite as speedily as the kids.

Please note, amongst today's photos, they're a few that might be labeled "ironic" in terms of our winterim theme and how we would've loooovvveeddd a bit more snow! But honestly, we're still having the best time.

Day 4

...So Johannes Klaebo, the great Norwegian xx skier, won 6 gold medals in the Olympics a few weeks ago. Well, he better not rest on his laurels, because we're coming for him.

Yes, we actually got on the Nordic trails today! Yes, there were some gale force winds, icy conditions and rather steep terrain, but don't think that deterred us. Our instructor was fantastic and after getting us to a more open area, we played ultimate frisbee, we limboed (some of us on one ski), we played tag...the goal was to get us lighter on our feet and it worked. Similarly to the skating, the students took to the skill and were just awesome. We lapped a trail hill several times and even though the kiddos could've gone on longer, after 2 plus hours, Ms. Rako and Ms. Billet were done.

Day 5

After a busy week, we figured we'd close out "Good Cold Fun" with curling...nothing too strenuous, right? I'm going to say that any curling you've ever seen on the television does not do the sport justice. You are on ice, with brooms, a giant stone and one slippy shoe. This is not a sport for the faint of heart. But of course, our students rose to the challenge and three hours after starting, they had the lingo down, they were shouting directions and scoring big. They also helped their teachers on and off the ice, noting that we adults were much more fearful than them.

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