EmzeDoodle skies with Eagle Mount all winter, and every year, toward the end of the season, they host a family day. This fun event is open to the families of participants. Eagle Mount provides lift tickets and lunch. We’ve been looking forward to it all season, and we certainly didn’t want to let 18 inch spring snow storm surprise keep us from a day of family skiing.

My friend offered to watch my two youngest, so I was excited at the prospect of a full day of skiing with Rick and my oldest three.

Spring Snowstorm Surprise

I checked the weather sometime last week, and the 10-day forecast said no snow. I wasn’t thrilled with that because I always hope for more snow, so I never checked it again. 

I woke up the morning of the Eagle Mount ski program family day and stood agape at the window. 

There was So. Much. Snow. 

I’ve lived in the Gallatin Valley for nearly two decades, and I don’t ever remember so much snow dumped in one storm. We had close to a foot and a half.

Since I love snow, I was thrilled. But, at the same time, the grand plans of attending family day started melting away — unlike the snow.

The Honda Odyssey Versus 18 Inches of Snow

I told Rick, “We’re going to get stuck. I have been stuck in this van so many times.” Yes, we were driving a Honda Odyssey. I love my Odyssey. But I am realistic, and I can admit it’s not an offroad vehicle. 

Our road had not been plowed. So 18 inches of pristine snow stood in our path.

Rick thought we should go for it. So, we shoveled a path down the driveway and gave it our best shot. Backing down the driveway was easy. Shifting the van from reverse to drive proved problematic. We got stuck in the road in front of our driveway.

We shoveled, and our neighbor helped with her snowblower. Finally, after about a half hour, we got just the tiniest bit of traction, and Ricks said, “OK, let’s go!” 

If it were me, I’d have pulled back into the driveway, but Rick is the more adventurous one.

We crawled out of the subdivision. I thought Rick was taking his time and driving carefully. But, come to find out later, he was flooring it. We were going about five mph. We couldn’t see the road, so we had to aim for the space between the trees lining the streets. The snow was so deep it was blowing over our windshield. 

So, there we were, floating down the road. Sometimes we had a good idea of where we were going, and other times we made our best guess.

Spring Snow Matchup – Odyssey Vs. Suburban

Miraculously, we made it out of our unplowed subdivision with 18 inches of snow. I can say with confidence we were the first people to drive the roads.

And we drove to our friend’s house to drop off the littles. She said, “Do you want to borrow our Suburban?” Yes!

You have to understand that Rick has wanted a Suburban forever. And, like I said, I love my Odyssey, but I’m realistic. The difference in handling was night and day between the two vehicles. It wasn’t a fair fight, but to make things clear, a 4WD Suburban is the hands-down winner when driving through 18 inches of snow.

Rick drove ever so smugly, knowing he was just fueling his argument. 

We wouldn’t have made it to Bridger Bowl in our minivan. But we made it without a problem in our borrowed Suburban. 

Full Day of Adventure After an Already Full Day of Adventure

When we reached the Eagle Mount Hut, I felt like we had already lived a long and crazy day. But the fun was just beginning. 

The powder was amazing. The lifts had lines, but they moved quickly. We skied the intermediate lifts most of the day, but Rick and I were dying inside, imagining how good the steeper stuff was.

So, we talked the kids into going to the infamous Pierre’s Knob and skiing the South Bowl. While I thought the conditions were epic, it was overwhelming for the girls. I thought it might take a while for them to make it down, and I wasn’t sure if we’d have time for another run. So, I told Rick to ski the run he wanted, and I’d follow the girls and be okay because “they won’t both fall at the same time.” Famous last words.

Loo was off on her own with friends, so I was going to keep tabs on Jelly and Emze. Unfortunately, no sooner did they start than they had both fallen. So, I skied down the South Bowl picking up children and putting their skis back on every couple of turns.

Falling in the Deep Powder

At the bottom of the bowl, Emze had gone in search of fresh powder and gotten herself stuck on the flats. In my attempt to pull her out, I fell into two feet of flat powder, and I could not get up. So, directly in view of the lift, I flopped around like a beached whale for 10 minutes until I gave up, took off my skis, and walked to freedom. It was embarrassing.

We made it to the bottom at 3:59, and what that means to us is we have time for one more run. The lifts close at 4:00. So we went up again. We briefly mentioned that we wondered where Loo was but didn’t think too much of it.

Loo’s Adventure With the Lifties

Loo had skied down the South Bowl with her friends and then went to the lodge to use the bathroom. She skied back to wait for us at the lift but must have arrived immediately after we took off. 

So, she waited. And waited. And waited. It took us a long time to get down. The awesome Bridger Bowl staff took her under their wing. She got to hang out in their hut, which we found out isn’t heated. Brrrr! And they told her stories. She had a blast. 

When we closed down the mountain — believe me, there was no one behind us — we heard, “Hey!!” coming from the bottom of the lift, and there was Loo with her new friends.

Friends Who Feed You After a Day of Getting Stuck, Shoveling, and Skiing

The same friend who watched my youngest two all day invited us over for dinner! And there’s no better ending to the day than that.