The Griswolds Ski Sun Valley!

That's right: Clark, Ellen, and the rest of the gang (AKA the Boehms) graced the friendly locals of Sun Valley, ID with out presence for our 2008 family vacation. And, of course, they were pleased as punch to have us - just ask the staff at Casino!

We flew out on January 3, 2008. Check out the Wasatch Mountain range right outside Salt Lake City. When Leslie saw these snow-capped behemoths, which reminded her of her lovely three month stint in Denver, Colorado, she got a little confused. Apparently, she was convinced that Idaho was not that far west, that it was "near Ohio or Michigan or something like that." All I can say is thank God she's pretty!

When we arrived in Sun Valley, Leslie and I went straight to Grumpy's, where we caught up with Mom, Dad, Brian, and Chris for some burgers and some big ol' beers! Later that night, after we had settled in at the pad, we all went to eat an inaugural vacation dinner at a pizza joint where Brian had flipped pies for a summer back in '03. It had been a long day traveling, so we went to bed early, mentally preparing ourselves to "shred pow-pow" early the next morning.

Here we all are on the bus to the slopes. It's always a little uncomfortable putting on your ski suit for the first time in several years. The socks itch, the boots hurt, and the extra layer of longjohns makes your back sweat. I think that may explain the somewhat strained look of excitement on our faces as we made our way to the first lift. Of course, the fact that none of us had skied in over six years may have had something to do with it. For Brian it had been twelve... that's why he looks especially sheepish. We might have grinned a little bigger if we had known that, over the next few days, we'd get about thirty inches of fresh pow-pow. (That's powder for you squares out there!)

Mom, as always, was as graceful as a gazelle when she hit the slopes. Here she is standing outside the lift line, ready to carve up some snow. Looks like a natural, don't she?! But Leslie was the most accomplished skier of us all. She didn't let a little thing like being three months pregnant stop her from rippin' snow at maximum capacity. Check her out diving in to this badass slope! BANZAI!!!
OK, let's cut to the chase: check out this video of the Boehm's skiing for the first time in years. We start with Brian (Leslie apologizes for the shaky camera work), move on to Christopher and the infamous "pizza plow," and end with the graceful, impressive ski-work of one M. Halligan Boehm. What can I say... I'm straight up Extreme!