Probably the question we get asked the most during the winter is, “How do you actually teach your kids to ski? I mean how to you physically help them on the hill?” Today we are going to attempt to answer this question or at least share a few ideas. There are so many good ways…

If you’ve been around the blog with us, then you know we are more of a “teach our kids ourselves” sort of ski family. But this time we took a parent’s day off and entrust our ski-cuties to the Canyons Resort Ski School.  We prepped our youngest (age 3) for her day in Canyon Cubs, a…

Canyons Resort, Utah is Vail Corporation’s newest ski area and one of the nation’s five largest ski areas with a total of nine peaks and 4,000 skiable acres. As a parent, I am often scared off by the large resort thing.  I want 1) simple, 2) straight forward, and 3) relaxed. Cause chances are my…

I wear a lot of hats as I travel the long hours from sun up to sun down. And chances are you do to. I am mom. Teacher. Athlete. Friend. Wife. Writer. Photographer. Adventurer. Some of you have more hats. Like boss, doctor or engineer. One of the best things about the “fitwear revolution” (the…

We’ve teamed up with Snowbasin Ski Resort as a part of their Powderoy Blogger Team for the 2013-2014 season. But before the chance of working together with Snowbasin was an option, we’d already decided to spend the bulk of our time there this season. Here are the reasons why Snowbasin is great for our family:…

If you are just dropping in, don’t miss our great giveaways from earlier this week! Day 1: Mad Rock Climbing Shoes + Chalk Bag Day 2: Chrome Industries Merino Hoodie And today is a great prize package for those adventurous kids in your life, or adventurous families. Hi-tec Kid’s Hiking boots of your choice +…

“In The Open 2014” consists of the gear we choose, use and abuse every time we step out the door. It is the gear we love and need. The gear we’d recommend. This is by no means a comprehensive list, and we have by no means tested or tried every great piece of gear out…

Last week we published a basic guide to kid jackets, collecting and publishing a handful of favorites from other outdoor enthusiasts. This is the follow up post, as today I am sharing #OutdoorFamilies favorite ski and snow pants. Updated as of Winter 2016/2017  Click on the photos below for a link to a more detailed…

I’ve asked my favorite group of #OutdoorFamily Bloggers for their favorite winter jackets and below are the results! This post is newly updated [as 2016/2017] and these are tried and tested, used, spilled on, washed, and (when applicable) passed on to siblings. These are the jackets that tag along on our adventures and we would…

One year ago I started running. Sure, I’d run before, but this was different. I was chasing a goal which for me was unimaginable. I had been tricked into signing up for a race lottery, and now the starting line for my first Half Marathon was staring me in the face. Now for the rub. It was in…

This last week we decided to seize one last weekend before snowfall by going to one of our favorite fall destinations: Southern Utah. And we weren’t disappointed. The leaves were peaking, the temperatures hovered right around 72 degrees, and the skies were cobalt blue. It was perfect. We headed out to a new crag for…

Last month I received a copy of “Tell It On The Mountain”, a walking documentary of life on the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). The PCT is 2,663 miles long and extends from the U.S. border with Mexico to the U.S. border with Canada near British Columbia. This movie documents the lives of a dozen or…

Not all outdoor sports require a ton of skill and gear in order to get out and do them! And that is what keeps us from pursuing certain activities as parents, isn’t it? Cost. Time. Cost. Danger. Cost. But certain outdoor sports are not only easy to get “into” but flow with their natural inclinations….

For most parents I talk to, getting into outdoor sports with their kids is a lot of work. But it doesn’t have to be. My son has been riding a Strider bike since he was 22 month old. And at age 4, he graduated to pedals. We’ve done nothing special. The majority of his time…

This is likely to be an “alpine start” I am never going to forget. For those new to outdoorsie lingo, here is a brief definition: alpine start- 1. To make an efficient start on a long climb by packing all your gear the previous evening and starting early in the morning, usually well before sunrise. My…

This last weekend my daughter ran her first 5K. She is seven. And it is funny…while brainstorming tips for helping your kid “Run Their First 5K” I came up with a whole bunch of warnings. If, like us, you are building a lifestyle of running, your kids will notice certain things, certain habits and will…

Balancing kids and climbing can be quite the task. This is what a weekend at the crag looked like for 9 adults and 13 kids: After the fourth reading of “Big Girls Use the Potty” we get the: Mom, I am hungry. Can I have some chips? It is only 9am. They just had breakfast…Imagine…

“Hey, Tom! How has the week been?” “Girl, I love your new swimsuit! Where are you guys headed after paddling?” And so the conversations continued, swirling around me in a vortex of water, paddles, boards and beauty. Community. Somehow people had bottled all the laid back, relaxing, and positive energy of a local surfing scene…

As we walked through preparing for our first family backpacking trip I noticed something: there are a ton of articles on backpacking with kids in their teens. Even a few with middle schoolers. But I found only a couple posts on backpacking with young kids… seeing as our kids are ages six, five, and three, I just…

As small coastal towns faded into our rearview mirror, a new type of water started to dominate the landscape. Rivers. Big Rivers. And cities. So it seemed some good-old-fashioned urban paddling was in our future. Spending a few days in Salem, OR meant we had to check out the local paddling scene on the Willamette…