I am sure glad that the Obamas and Bidens are "Sharing in the sacrifice"

Michelle Obama Goes Skiing in Colorado

by KEITH KOFFLER on FEBRUARY 19, 2011, 11:34 AM

First Lady Michelle Obama is on “a private family trip” in Colorado where she is skiing with daughters Sasha and Malia, according to an administration official.

“The First Lady and several close friends are  chaperoning their children on a ski trip,” the official told the press pool reporter who is following President Obama today.

Reports coming out of Colorado say she arrived Friday night and is staying at theSebastian Hotel on Vail Mountain. Rooms start at $605 per night for a room with two queen beds and head north of $2,000 for multi-bedroom suites.

Here’s a description from the hotel’s website:

For the best in Colorado vacations, stay at The Sebastian - Vail and enjoy Vail’s newest boutiqueslopeside hotel. In the heart of the Vail Village, The Sebastian is welcoming and pulsing with life. There’s Bloom Spa, Frost Bar, Market for nibbles, our visionary Block 16 restaurant. There’s a mountain-view pool, hot tubs and a roaring fire pit. Base Camp offers ski-in ski-out access from Vail’s Vista Bahn lift, just at the foot of Vail Mountain. Our ski valets will help you into warm ski boots and out onto the mountain.

Mrs. Obama has decided to jet out to Vail – instead of visiting slopes closer to Washington DC in Virginia or Pennsylvania – despite already incurring criticism for taking opulent excursions, particularly a trip last summer to Spain. There, she stayed at the country’s swankest hotel and, like this weekend, was traveling without her husband.

Mrs. Obama also raised eyebrows in December when she left earlier than President Obama for their annual vacation in Hawaii, incurring added expenses for taxpayers that likely ran well in excess of $100,000.

The trip to Vail, which almost certainly requires use of a large Air Force jet, would likely be much more expensive for taxpayers than a shorter journey by chopper or motorcade to a resort near Washington. Mrs. Obama will likely pay for a portion of her trip, but many costs of a first lady’s travel are borne by taxpayers.

President Obama today went to serve as the “parent coach” for for Sasha’s basketball team, even though Sasha was not there.

Meanwhile, Vice President Biden and his wife are spending the weekend in Key Largo.