Holiday Ski Trip Mix Up

Author's Preface: Happy Holidays. This is one of my entries in the Winter Holiday 2024 Contest.

Everyone in this story is eighteen years old or older. The story is entirely fictional. Any similarities to real people or events are purely coincidental. Constructive comments are always welcome.

Enjoy

Holiday Ski Trip Mix-up - A travel mix-up leads to an eye-opening vacation

Cliff and his wife Carol had met their neighbors, Martin and Megan, almost twenty years ago. They were newlyweds when each bought a new house in a suburban development in Florida. Cliff and his wife Carol moved in first and less than a month later Martin and Megan moved in next door. The couples instantly got along, and it was almost inevitable that they would become best friends.

Cliff and Martin's offices were near each other, so the guys carpooled most days. The couples usually ate dinner together. Cooking for four was no harder than cooking for two. The girls took turns cooking and hosting dinner. It was a rare day that they didn't see one another.

Megan and Carol were both gorgeous women. Carol was blonde and had a naturally athletic build with smaller breasts and a tight, compact body. Megan was a brunette and her body was, like a pin-up girl from the 50s-large breasts and curves in the right places without an extra ounce of fat. She was outgoing and loved to dress in sexy outfits and skimpy bikinis.

Carol and Megan got pregnant shortly after moving into their new houses. They each had sons four months apart.

When their sons were old enough to be left with a sitter, the girls started working out. In college, they'd been in great shape but between marriage and pregnancy, they had put on a few pounds and were getting soft. They got into the habit of working out daily, lost the weight they'd gained since college, and were even fitter. It helped to have someone who wouldn't let you skip a workout. Now, at twenty-five, the girls looked like co-eds and always got admiring looks whenever they went out. With Megan's encouragement, Carol started wearing sexier clothes, enjoying the looks she got. Cliff and Martin knew they were lucky men. After noticing that their wives were getting attention from other men, they started working out too. Even with desk jobs, they stayed in great shape. Their wives noticed and rewarded them.

Cliff and Carol decided to build a pool in the backyard. Martin and Megan thought about putting one in too, but Cliff convinced them not to. They put a gate between the yards, and everyone could use the pool. The boys would have a big backyard to practice sports and a pool to swim in.

The husbands loved the pool because their wives would be out there most of the year in skimpy bikinis. The girls had just turned thirty, continued to work out, and could still pass for co-eds.

The families went on vacations together. The six piled up in a minivan each summer and traveled around the country. When the boys were older, the parents would go on trips without them. The four of them needed some time without the children around.

Time flew by. The boys had been best friends since birth. They went to the same schools, played varsity soccer, double-dated, and grew up as best friends. Now they were off at college at the same school across the country and their parents missed them.

+++++

Thanksgiving was the first time the boys were home from college. Their families had a huge dinner and loved having the boys around even for just a few days. After dinner, the boys surprised their parents and told them they were spending Christmas with friends at a house in the Caribbeans. A small group from school was going; half were freshman girls.

Their parents were angry at first. It would be their first Christmas without the boys, but they understood. If they were eighteen again, the Caribbeans would sound better than home.

Since the boys weren't coming home for Christmas, their parents had no reason to stay home. The four of them could go on a winter vacation together. Christmas might be fun with only adults. The houses wouldn't need decorating-a big plus.

Cliff, originally from Colorado, and Carol, who grew up in Wyoming, reminisced about snow-covered mountains over the holidays. Christmas just wasn't the same without snow.

Martin and Megan were born and raised in Florida; it rarely snowed there. The most snow they'd seen was an inch or two and was gone the next day. Snow-covered mountains were something they'd only seen in pictures and movies. They were thrilled at the idea of a white Christmas.

Cliff and Carol suggested going to a ski resort. There'd be plenty of snow. They were skiers as teens, twenty-five years ago. Martin and Megan thought it would be fun to try skiing.

While looking for a destination on the internet, Megan found some luxury cabins available within a few miles of a ski resort. They all like the idea of somewhere cozy. Being at a hotel seemed a little sad over Christmas. After a little research, they found a two-bedroom, two-bath cabin far away from any other cabins. It had a large main room with a big table for dinner and a completely stocked full-size kitchen. It even had a four-person hot tub on the back deck. They could cook Christmas dinner and enjoy a white Christmas.

Martin asked, "Can you use a hot tub when it's that cold outside?"

Cliff answered, "Sure, the water is hot and feels incredible. It's a little cold getting in and out but that makes the hot water feel even better."

Carol said, "It's nice to go out into the snow after you warm up. You can get out and run around in the snow until you're cold then jump back in the tub and warm up again." Carol looked at Cliff and blushed.

"Why are you blushing Carol?" Megan asked. Carol had been her friend for so long that she could almost read her thoughts.

"Well, when Cliff and I were dating in college, we spent one Christmas at his parent's house; in different rooms of course. His parents had a hot tub, and when they went out, we used it without our swimsuits. It made running around in the snow and jumping back in, a whole new experience."

Megan looked at Martin and Cliff and said, "Don't get your hopes up, guys."

The guy's hopes were up as well as other things. Thinking that this trip might involve numerous opportunities for vacation sex, they called their doctors for some 36-hour boner pills. That night in bed, the girls got an idea of how much their husband's hopes were up. It would be an exciting trip.

The cabin was about ten miles from Snowbird Ski Resort in Utah. They booked the cabin and their flights for Monday, December 24th through Friday 28th.

+++++

It was an excellent plan, but Man plans, God laughs. What was supposed to be a wonderful trip rapidly became a logistical nightmare.

Cliff's office sent him on a last-minute business trip to Oklahoma City the week before Christmas. He tried but couldn't get out of it. Then Megan's sister fell and broke her leg badly in Los Angeles. She needed to care for her sister for a few days until her brother got there.

The group needed a new plan.

+++++

On Monday morning, Martin and Carol would fly together from Miami to Salt Lake City and rent a four-wheel drive SUV for the hour-long drive to the cabin near Snowbird Lodge. They would stop at a grocery store on the way to get food for Christmas night and the rest of the week.

When Cliff and Megan got to the lodge, Martin and Carol would drive down and pick them up.

+++++

Cliff was in Oklahoma City and Megan was in Los Angeles. They found flights that arrived in Salt Lake City at about the same time. From there the Cottonwood Connect Ski Shuttle would take them to the lodge where Martin and Carol would pick them up. The Shuttle was scheduled to leave at 4:15 and arrive at the lodge at 5:00.

What could possibly go wrong?

+++++

Martin and Carol

For Martin and Carol, everything worked as planned. The flight was on time, and they picked up the SUV. They stopped for Christmas night groceries and food for the rest of the week. After a quick stop at the ski lodge for directions, they drove to the cabin about twenty minutes from the lodge.

They turned at the last curve and saw a large modern log cabin tucked in the trees, surrounded by mountains, and facing the ski slope two hundred yards away. The cabin was extremely private. No other cabins were in sight and the only sign of people was the skiers far away going down the slopes.

Martin was amazed by the beauty of the surroundings. All he saw was the cabin, snow, and giant fir trees. They parked in front and then went inside. Outside it was colder than Martin had ever experienced but inside, it was warm.

The cabin was remarkably large and luxurious inside. There was a modern kitchen with a big oven, and a table big enough for a great Christmas dinner. It had huge stuffed furniture surrounding an enormous fireplace, and wonderful light from large windows. It was snowing a little making it look like a winter wonderland.

The bedrooms were attractively decorated. One had a king-size bed and the other had two queen-size beds. They'd have to flip a coin to decide who got which room although both were charming.

Most of the windows faced the front deck and the slopes. The deck in the back had a covered four-person hot tub with steam leaking out under the insulated lid.

"I'm sure glad we brought swimsuits," Carol said.

"Me too." Being alone with Carol was a bit strange for Martin. Although they'd been friends for twenty years, they had rarely been alone with each other. He couldn't keep from thinking of Carol in the hot tub wearing a tiny bikini.

The cabin owner stocked it with some food, wine, and liquor for an added fee. To celebrate their arrival, they started a fire and opened a bottle of wine. Sitting on the comfortable couch in front of the fire, they promptly fell asleep. The others wouldn't be at the lodge for hours.

+++++

Cliff and Megan were not that lucky

Since Cliff and Megan were coming from different cities, it was miraculous that their planes got in within an hour of each other on Christmas Eve. After grabbing their luggage, they headed to the Cottonwood Connect Ski Shuttle. It left at 4:15 and would arrive at the lodge at 5:00.

The ride through the snow-covered mountains looked like a scene from a Christmas movie but was much better in real life. Megan loved it and couldn't stop talking about it to Cliff.

"I can't wait to see Martin. It's been a whole week since I've seen him and when he's gone, I really miss him," she said.

"Yeah, I can't wait to give Carol a big kiss."

"I've got more than a kiss waiting for Martin," she teased.

Cliff didn't want to say anything to Megan, but he noticed it was snowing harder and harder. At about 4:45, the shuttle driver announced that the weather forecast had changed. It was snowing hard, and the driver said they would be at least 15 minutes late. Megan was nervous about driving so fast in the snow.

Cliff tried to calm her down. "These guys drive this route every day. The driver knows what he's doing and is safe driving in the snow."

"If you say so but look at that steep drop-off on the side of the road," Megan said.

She grabbed Cliff's hand and squeezed it the whole way. Cliff wasn't sure he'd ever held Megan's hand before. It felt strange but not unpleasant.

Cliff called Martin and told him the situation.

"Just call when you get there," Martin said and went back to sleep.

They got to the lodge forty-five minutes late and it was snowing heavily as the shuttle bus pulled into the ski lodge parking lot. The snow was up to the top of the wheel wells on the few cars remaining in the lot. The shuttle bus driver couldn't drive back to Salt Lake City that night, leaving people stranded at the resort.

Cliff called Martin from the ski lodge, waking them again. Martin said they were ready to come pick them up.

"I don't think so," Cliff said. "Have you looked outside in the last few minutes?"

"No. We closed the curtains because it was a little cold and fell asleep," Martin said. He looked out the front door and the rental car was buried in snow above the wheels. Martin went out and tried to clear the snow off the car, but it was snowing too hard.

Cliff said, "The weather shifted due to a low-pressure area in Canada. Instead of getting 3-6 inches of snow, the latest forecast predicted 3-4

feet

of snow overnight. Trust me, no one is going anywhere for a while. Tomorrow the snowplows should be out."

Martin told Carol about the snow. She went out to look, talked to Cliff, and told him there was no way to make the drive.

Cliff said, "Stay safe and take care of Martin. We'll stay here tonight and talk with you in the morning."

At the cabin, Carol told Martin that Cliff and Megan were stuck at the ski lodge for the night.

"Damn, I was looking forward to seeing Megan. I miss her," Martin said.

"I missed Cliff too, but there's no way to get them here tonight. At least they're safe. Welcome to winter in the mountains."

+++++

Cliff and Megan went to the front desk and tried to get two rooms. The clerk laughed. "I've got one tiny room left and it's not a regular room. It's more like a closet with a small bed in it. We don't usually rent it. Sometimes the ski instructors use it."

"I guess we'll take what we can get," Cliff said and got the key to the room.

The restaurant was empty. Most of the staff left early while they could. All there was to eat were cold sandwiches, chips, and a drink.

Cliff and Megan went to their "room," and it was smaller than advertised. It had a single bed, pushed into the corner, and a bathroom you could hardly turn around in. Their luggage would barely fit inside. A small window was in the room that did nothing but make the room colder.

Megan said, "There's only one bed and it's tiny."

"I can sleep on the floor," Cliff offered.

"Attention." A voice blared through a loudspeaker, "Due to the extreme conditions, the main power has gone out and one of our generators won't start. We have to turn the heat down and will only have emergency power."

+++++

Megan picked up the phone to call the cabin. Carol answered. "We're OK for now but the snow's very deep. The cabin owner was going to bring us some firewood, but I don't think he'll be here tonight. There's a little wood on the porch and we still have power so it's warm. We didn't think to unpack the car before it was buried, and our heavy clothes are out there."

Megan said, "The lodge is turning down the heat here, I hope it doesn't get too cold. One of the generators is out. Lots of people got stuck here. People are doubling up in rooms. The lodge put us together in this tiny room with only one bed. This could be the start of a murder mystery."

The phone went dead. Megan looked at the phone and there were no bars.

"The cell tower must be out," Cliff said.

"It must be scary at that cabin. I hope their generator keeps working and they can stay warm," Megan said.

"Yeah, it's getting cold outside fast," Cliff replied.

Cliff and Megan at the lodge

Megan said, "It's already cold in here; probably less than fifty degrees. I think the best we can do is stay in the room, bundle up, and try to get some sleep. At least we have heavy clothes."

Cliff said, "I almost forgot. I didn't know the liquor laws in Utah, so I packed some just in case." He opened his suitcase and pulled out bottles of vodka and tequila. "Which do you want?"

Megan laughed and said, "What? No mixers? A couple of shots of tequila would help us stay warm." He found some paper cups in the bathroom and poured them generous shots to warm them up. There was no reason to stay sober. Cliff made a pallet of clothes on the floor to sleep on, then poured them another shot.

"Cliff, what the hell are you doing? You're not sleeping on the floor. You'll freeze to death down there."

"But we can't sleep in the same bed," Cliff said. "Carol and Martin wouldn't like that. Besides, I don't think we'll both fit in that bed."

"It'll be tight, but we'll fit. Carol would kill me if I let you freeze to death."

"I'm fine on the floor," he said.

"You'd rather freeze to death than sleep in the same bed as me. You'll sleep in this bed or I'm going to be insulted. We both have clothes on. Do you think I'll attack you and have my way with you?"

"No, I guess not."

"We need to put some heavy clothes on first," Megan said. She got out her thermal underwear and took off her pants.

Cliff said, "You can change in the bathroom."

"I doubt it. It's too small and why bother?"

"You're in your panties."

"My bikinis are much smaller than these panties. Get over it."

She pulled on her thermal bottoms and removed her jacket, shirt, and bra. Cliff quickly turned around.

"I always thought you liked my boobs. I've seen you stare at them."

"I do and you know it."

"You're safe now," she said.

Cliff turned around and her big breasts were exposed.

"Made you look," she teased then pulled on her top.

"Your turn."

Cliff got out his thermal clothes, turned his back, and changed.

"No fair!" Megan said. "I didn't see anything."

Cliff turned around and Megan said, "Mmm, I can see how much you like my tits."

"No more booze for you." Megan went over and poured herself another shot and downed it. Then she poured one for Martin. She put on a pair of flannel pajamas over her thermal underwear and got in bed with her back pressed against the wall. Cliff piled the clothes from the floor onto the bed for extra warmth. He put on some warm pajamas, crawled under the covers, and hugged her to get warm.

"Ooh, I feel much warmer now," Megan said.

"Would Martin and Carol want us hugging like this in bed?" Cliff asked.

"If Martin and Carol were in this situation, would you want her to freeze to death to avoid cuddling up with Martin? They don't want us to die. I don't think they'd mind us sharing a bed to stay alive. I don't care right now; I want to be warm, " Megan said.

"Good, I can tell them you insisted," Cliff responded.

They finally felt a little warmer, but it was early, and neither was sleepy.

"Thank you for holding my hand on the bus trip. I was frightened and it made me calmer to hold your hand." Megan kissed him on the cheek.

"No thanks necessary."

After a few minutes, Megan said, "Cliff, what's that I feel pressing against me?"

"It's what you think it is."

"Why?"

"Because I'm in bed with my arms around a beautiful woman."

"You think I'm beautiful? Enough to make you stiff in this cold? I'm flattered."

"And you just flashed your boobs at me. That's why I need to sleep on the floor. I'm getting out of this bed before I get myself into more trouble."

"Don't you dare. You're keeping me warm." She wrapped her leg over his. "Actually, you're making me a little bit hot." She giggled and pushed her hips against him. The tequila had gone straight to her head, and she felt a little flirty.

"How long have you thought I was beautiful?" she teased.

"I can't tell you that."

Megan reached down and cupped his butt. He inhaled sharply. "Tell me," she whispered.

"OK. For a long time, and don't pretend you didn't know," he said. "Do you remember that first pool party the neighborhood had? That was the first time I'd seen you in a bikini."

"Oh yeah," she smiled. "I remember that tiny bikini. It barely covered my nipples. That was before I got pregnant, and I looked hot that day. But you never flirted with me like most of the guys did."

"We're both married to other people and we're friends, remember? But I've thought about it over the last twenty years. It was one of the reasons I wanted a pool." he said wishing he hadn't.