Vail 02/01/2017 Photo Album

Normally I limit my posts to fly fishing trips and extended vacations and road trips that differentiate my life from my daily routine. My day of skiing at Vail yesterday was so outstanding, that I felt the need to document it while fresh in my memory.

Jane and I took advantage of ideal winter temperatures; and we invited our friends, Dave and Karen Gaige and Fred and Douggie Young, to join us. As predicted the sky was bright blue, and the sun was brilliant during our five hour visit to Vail Ski Resort. The high temperature hovered around freezing, and these weather factors produced nearly ideal conditions for an enjoyable day of skiing in the Colorado high country.

The Turn for Little Ollie

After lunch our group of six ventured into Blue Sky Basin, and on the first descent of Little Ollie, Fred observed an inviting situation that demanded further exploration. A large bowl was positioned beneath the Skyline lift, and a huge cornice adorned the western rim. This natural snow formation builds throughout the season, and the wind blows snow across the lip and deposits it on the concave eastern side. As we skied by, Fred observed areas with a smooth collection of wind blown snow, and he suggested that we should explore it on our next run.

I reluctantly agreed, and we carefully skirted the edge of the cornice on our next loop. Sure enough as we slowly descended, we noticed a section that was as smooth as an untouched sand dune, so we decided to approach. The snow curled over the steep wall and created a C-shaped configuration. My heart pounded and jumped in my throat, as I gazed at the near vertical pitch of the snow wall that extended for ten feet below the cornice. Fred was undeterred, as he guided his skis to the edge, and then he took the plunge. He traversed a bit and then executed a sharp turn and zig zagged his way down the slope until he came to a stop 25 yards below.

I filmed a portion of his run with my camera, and as I was restoring it to my parka pocket, a group of four skiers approached from above. They watched Fred do his thing, and I heard the likely leader of the group comment that, “he did not sink in”. I was not anxious to wait for the four new arrivals to blemish the bowl, so I hurriedly approached the precipice and elevated my courage. In a flash I slid over the edge and followed Fred’s lead by traversing just below the lip for five feet, and then I twisted my lower body and launched a sharp jump turn. I will never forget the next vision. A wave of sparkling ice crystals initiated by my traverse tumbled in front of me, and I glided through it and reversed my course with another adrenaline fueled turn to the left. What a rush! My heart was pounding and endorphins flooded my brain, as I connected three or four additional turns until I came to a stop in front of Fred.

I Skied This

It was a two minute skiing sequence that I will never forget, and I have to admit that I was a bit energized by the group of four spectators perched on the rim of the bowl above me. In addition to the primal need to survive, I did not wish to embarrass myself in full view of the other skiers. Other memorable runs took place during February 1 at Vail, but the Lover’s Leap episode will never fade.

The first day of skiing at the start of a new season is always a challenge, but Friday December 21, 2014 proved to be a difficult day. Every year when I’m poised for my first run, I wonder if I’ll remember how to perform this slippery sport.

Nice Vista

On Friday I experienced the normal misgivings and muscle fatigue that accompany opening day, but the frigid temperatures and cold wind made the day even more of a shock to my physical well being. Jane, Dan and I arrived at the Breckenridge parking lot by 9AM, and the temperature in the parking lot was 14 degrees Fahrenheit. By the time we rode the gondola to the Peak 7 exit and climbed aboard the six person express lift, it was probably single digits, and a stiff wind was present most of the morning particularly at the high elevation areas near timberline.

Jane and Dave Cruising

We spent the morning on Peak 7 and Peak 8, and then after lunch we ventured to the six chair and then transitioned to Peak 9. After lunch the sun appeared more frequently and the temperature rose a bit, but my comfort level was severely dependent on two sets of toe warmers and hand warmers. During one of our rides up the express chair that begins at Beaver Run, we spotted a striking visual image as the sun reflected off the drifting snow on several ridges on the west side of Peak 10. Somehow in my effort to capture this vision on my camera while keeping my hands reasonably warm, I dropped my ski pole. I did not realize it had slipped away until I prepared to ski off the chair at the top of Peak 9.

Nice Sun Reflection

Another skier on the chair behind us approached me and informed that I dropped the pole just before support pole number 29. We immediately skied to this area, but we were unable to locate any sign of a ski pole, so we continued to the Beaver Run base and did a second ride to the top. On the second trip down the slope, I carefully inspected the entire area beneath the chairlift, but once again I failed to spot a ski pole.

Mechanical problems plagued the Superconnect high speed quad, so Jane and I decided to abandon a trip to Peak 8 and the gondola, and instead we skied to Beaver Run and boarded the red bus for the parking lot. Before doing this, however, I used the unexpected detour to Beaver Run base to check in at the guest services hut. Two ski patrol members were in the hut, and they reported that no one had delivered a Rossignol ski pole, but they invited me to inspect the barrel full of singles that was visible in the corner. I ended up swapping my Rossignol single for two non-matching poles that were slightly shorter than my original and, therefore, and better fit for my height.

Despite the frigid temperatures and adverse wind chill, I had a fun day on the slopes of Breckenridge. I once again proved to myself that I could ski, and I began the long process of conditioning my body for the rigors of downhill skiing.

Vail 04/18/2014 Photo Album

Friday, April 18 at Vail was more about lunch and grilling than skiing. Jane and I were anticipating a warm sunny day during spring that would allow us to pack some brats and beverages and head to the top of Blue Sky Basin to do outdoor grilling. When we saw the five day weather forecast that projected highs in Denver in the upper 70’s for Friday, April 18, we initiated our plan.

Jane contacted our friends, the Gaiges and Youngs, and invited them to join us for a day of skiing at Vail including grilled bratwurst at Belle’s Camp at the top of Blue Sky Basin. In a short amount of time we learned that the Gaiges were in, and Fred would join as well although his wife Douggie had other plans. Karen Gaige volunteered to bring along food as well, and we were set.

On Friday morning Jane and I drove to Frisco and met the other three at the parking lot just off the second exit from interstate 70. We combined our food and ski gear and proceeded to the Lionshead lot at Vail. As we boarded the gondola at 9:30, the temperature at the base was already in the low 50’s. We all wore backpacks stashed with food for our lunch, and I attempted to include a bottle of Lefthand Milk Stout Nitro in my small day pack. Unfortunately for the first time all season a security person was inspecting packs and confiscated our one brew. Evidently they were scrambling for beverages for their Friday after work party.

Jane Rocks China Bowl

Our group of five spent the morning largely in the back bowls sticking mostly to groomed terrain to avoid the crusty conditions that existed before the snow softened. By 12:30 we managed to arrive at the cluster of picnic tables at the summit of Blue Sky Basin next to Belle’s Camp. Quite a crowd had already gathered, but we managed to snag one of the two remaining tables, and Karen and Jane extracted the package of bratwurst and secured some grilling space at the most western grill. Everyone was in a festive mood as they stripped down to T-shirts and soaked up the strong rays of the sun. We noticed bottles of alcohol everywhere and speculated that many skiers had large hidden pockets or knew the protocol for bribery.

Karen and Jane Find Space for Brats

Jane tended the brats on the grill while I obtained some tap water from the Belle’s Camp snack shack; and Karen, Dave and Fred spread out the other tasty items on the picnic table. In addition to bratwurst there were clementines, carrots, apples, Easter candy and brownies. Once the brats were cooked and singed a tempting shade of brown, we stuffed ourselves and relaxed and soaked up the sun. This was definitely the highlight of the day.

Mmm. Brats Ready for Consumption

We snapped quite a few photos to record our fun event and then cleaned up our table and prepared to ski for the remainder of the afternoon. The skiing was actually rather anticlimactic as we found soft sticky slushy snow everywhere. One could straighline steep expert slopes from top to bottom with no concern over loss of control due to the extreme sticky consistency of the snow. Catwalks and gradual slopes were another matter, as they delivered a fairly strenuous upper body workout required to pole through the slush. Every transfer from shade to sun was an adventure and provided a lesson in physics and the forces of momentum.

Spring Crowd Enjoys the Sun

Despite the slow afternoon skiing, it was a great spring skiing day highlighted by a delicious lunch and capped by a stop at Prost in Frisco for some German beer and a soft pretzel. This may be the last ski post of the season, but then again A-Basin may remain open until the Fourth of July. Our group of five already discussed taking the Smokey Joe to the Beach at Arapahoe Basin. Stay tuned.

Blue Sky Runs Beckon after Lunch

Arapahoe Basin 04/12/2014 Photo Album

As mentioned in the previous post, Jane was unable to accompany John, Dan and I to Vail on Thursday, so we planned to make a compensatory trip to A-Basin on Saturday. A-Basin is a small high elevation ski area on the west side of Loveland Pass, and it represents a much shorter drive than the other areas available to us on our Epic Pass. We also agreed to take our time and arrive late and then limit ourselves to three hours of skiing.

Skiers Appear as Tiny Ants on the First East Wall Chute

We held to these commitments and had a very enjoyable day at The Legend, the marketing term that Arapahoe Basin advertises. It was sunny with the air temperature in the high 30’s when we arrived and began skiing at approximately 10:30AM. We warmed up with a few runs on the front side and then climbed over the incline to Montezuma Bowl where we executed another three runs in the bowl. We finished our day with three or four runs on the front side and then packed our skis and returned to Denver.

Dave at Top of Montezuma

The bottom one-third of the mountain had soft spring snow, but above the Black Mountain Lodge we were dealing with winter snow conditions. It was fun to have the option to choose between winter or spring skiing on the same day at the same area.

Looking Northeast Toward Loveland Pass

Skiers Hike to the Top of East Wall

My favorite aspects of the day were enjoying the companionship of my wife, sweeping down the wide open Montezuma Bowl on fast firm snow, and ending the day with three strong bump runs on the soft moguls populating Ramrod near the bottom of the mountain.

With colder weather and more snow forecast for today, I suspect there will be a few more skiing posts mixed in with fly fishing entries in April.

Vail 04/10/2014 Photo Album

What do freeskiing, 60 degrees and Vail have in common? Me. Let me explain.

My friend John Broadbent, who works in St. Louis, MO two or three weeks each month, was back in town the week of April 7 so we made plans to schedule another day of skiing before the resorts shut down. When I contacted John on Monday, he mentioned that he was also planning to ski with his son, Dan, and at the time Jane was also planning to take a day off work to enjoy some weekday spring skiing. After a few phone exchanges we set Thursday, April 10 as our ski day.

Unfortunately Jane’s devotion to work got in the way, and a deluge of new deals arrived on Wednesday forcing her to cancel from the scheduled trip leaving John, Dan and I to fend for ourselves. John and Dan arrived at my house a bit early on Thursday morning, and we were on the road before 8AM. We did not want to arrive too early in case there was a freeze overnight. Skiing on refrozen thawed snow is one of the worst experiences one can encounter on a ski slope.

Everything worked according to plan, and we arrived at Vail by 10AM, and we parked in the heated covered Golden Peak Passport Club parking area for free. In addition, I had a free lift ticket resulting from renewing our Epic Pass early, so I donated that to John, which prompted Dan to suggest that John should buy us lunch since he saved $150 on a lift ticket and parking.

As our threesome boarded the chairlift at Golden Peak, the air temperature was 52 degrees at 10:30AM, and we were more concerned about sunburn than frostbite. We did one quick warm up run in the terrain park and then headed to the top of the mountain where we enjoyed runs in Sun Up Bowl and China Bowl. The snow was already soft in these areas due to the southern exposures.

Sun Up Bowl

For lunch we returned to the Vail Village base and enjoyed a filling lunch at Los Amigos on the patio overlooking the mountain. It was amazing to be seated instantly during the lunch hour at this popular establishment below the Vista Bahn gondola. I chose to sit in the sun facing the restaurant to avoid too much sun exposure to my face, but the tradeoff was a very toasty back. John graciously picked up the tab as suggested by his enterprising son.

Dan in Soft Snow on Genghis Kahn

After lunch we rode the WiFi equipped gondola and then connected with Mountaintop and dropped into Sun Up Bowl one more time. By this time all the slopes were exhibiting the texture of mashed potatoes, but I enjoy these conditions and the carefree attitude that seems to accompany spring skiing. After our final brief encounter with the back bowls we descended to the Golden Peak terrain park. Dan Broadbent is a freeskiing enthusiast, and he wanted to brush up on some of his jumps and moves, so John and I tagged along to observe. Well at least we thought we were observers until Dan coaxed us into executing some slides over the fun boxes positioned along the left side of the terrain park. The olympics are not in our future, but we did manage to slide across the box in lame fashion so that we can say we were freeskiing.

Dan After His Turn in the Half Pipe

There you have it…the convergence of warm temperatures, freeskiing, and Vail ski resort. What a blast!

Dave Does the Fun Box

Vail 04/04/2014 Photo Album

Jane and I took off work on Friday, April 4 and paid a visit to Vail for a day of skiing. We planned to meet our friends the Gaiges for lunch, but at the last minute they decided to ski at Breckenridge, so we thought we had the day to ourselves. As it turned out we found a new friend, and we embraced the role of mountain guides for much of the day.

We took our time preparing for our day of skiing on Friday morning and thus didn’t walk off the Lionshead gondola until around 10:30AM. It was shaping up as a gorgeous day with blue skies and sunshine, and the temperature at 20 degrees as we began. In fact Friday would develop into one of the nicest days of the season from a weather perspective with sunshine most of the day and only some gray clouds blocking the sun from 3 until 4PM. Vail had received a decent amount of snow on Thursday, but it was largely carved up and tracked out except for a few of the more remote areas of the mountain.

When we reached the top of the gondola, we decided to ski south into Game Creek Bowl, and when we arrived at the chair at the base, we matched up with a young lady bundled up  to the point that we only knew she was a female because she wore a pink helmet and pink, purple and white parka. Halfway up the chair I began chatting with our fellow rider, and discovered that she was from Brazil and spending a year at Cornell University. I don’t think I learned much else, but after descending The Woods trail in Game Creek and returning to the same lift line, we matched up with  the same young woman dressed in pink.

Jane Looking Good in Some Recent Snow

During the second ride we learned more about our new Brazilian friend and discovered that she was staying in Breckenridge with 30 Cornell students, but she had missed the bus that left for Keystone and hitched a ride with two male students and ended up at Vail. The two guys were better skiers and left her on her own. Jane and I described Blue Sky Basin and encouraged her to check it out before the day was over. Upon further discussion, we decided that we were headed there and invited her to tag along.

One thing led to another, and we eventually learned that our new friend’s name was Gabriela, and she was an electrical engineering major. Her English was quite good, and Jane and I were very impressed that she was taking electrical engineering courses at an Ivy League school using her second or third language. She was a solid intermediate skier and quite fearless for someone coming from a tropical country such as Brazil.

Jane and Gabriela After Lunch at Two Elks

We escorted Gabriela on three or four runs in Blue Sky Basin until she informed us that she was feeling a bit weak and needed to eat. She contacted her two friends from Cornell, and they were at the snack hut at the top of Blue Sky, and we gave her the option to continue skiing with us as we were ready to head to Two Elks Lodge for lunch. I think she realized that if she met the guys for lunch, they would probably resume skiing more difficult terrain, and she’d be left on her own again, so she decided to join us.

We had a very pleasant lunch with our new friend and learned more about her family, her country, and her career interests. I gave her my business card with my email address in hopes that she will remember to email us so we can remain in contact in the future. We even discussed the possibility of a vacation trip to Brazil, and that would offer Gabriela the opportunity to perhaps guide us for a day in her home country.

Looking Good on the Turn

We did a few runs after lunch including China Bowl, Gabriela’s favorite, and Blue Ox. By 2:30 she received a text message from her ride, and they were ready to leave, so we parted company at the base of the Northwoods lift.

It was a fun day, and we enjoyed meeting Gabriela, and hopefully she had more fun hanging out with us seniors versus skiing on her own at a vast ski area with no guidance.

A Big Smile from Jane Near the End of the Day Friday

Breckenridge 03/20/2014 Photo Album

The story of March 20th actually began with my birthday, sort of. I came down with food poisoning and pretty much shared my birthday with the bathroom and bed for an entire day. Consequently I missed the Runnin’ of the Green, a 7K St. Patrick’s Day road race that I’ve participated in for the last four years. Our friends Allan and Beatriz, who live in Houston, TX were arriving in Denver on Sunday, and we made plans to meet them for brunch once I returned from the race. Finally Jane was planning to prepare salmon wrapped in pancetta and grilled on a skewer for my Sunday birthday dinner. I missed it all.

I also knew my friend John Broadbent was in town the week of March 17, and we made plans to go skiing during his last one week stay during the ski season, so as I suffered with my illness, I worried that I’d miss the opportunity to spend a day with John on the slopes. My recovery was not an even, positive sloping trend line, and I continued to fret about whether I’d recover enough to join Allan and Beatriz and John for a day of spring skiing. Even when feeling 100%, skiing difficult terrain at altitude in frigid temperatures is a physically taxing prospect.

I felt much improved by Wednesday evening, so I made the decision to make the trip on Thursday, March 20. Jane had already cleared Thursday as a vacation day, so I contacted John, and he volunteered to meet us at our house at 7:30. Allan actually called me, and we arranged to meet at the Peak 8 lodge at 10AM. I was now committed, so hopefully my body would cooperate.

The Whole Crowd Except Dave

As it turned out, I made a solid decision. The weather cooperated and we enjoyed blue skies and sunshine, although the air temperature remained in the thirties thus avoiding slushy snow conditions, yet allowing reasonably comfortable air temperatures despite some ever-present wind. Jane and I had a great time skiing all the peaks of Breckenridge with several of our best friends. A highlight of the day occurred during the afternoon when we ventured up to the new Peak 6 area and had a blast swooping down the moderately moguled bowl from the top of the six person chairlift. Jane and I both resolved to return to Peak 6 before the season ends to build on our small sampling of new terrain.

Jane Celebrates Completing the Bowl

Allan and Bea treated us to a satisfying lunch in their ski in/ski out condo near the Quicksilver lift, and for apres ski we reciprocated by serving them with some tasty vanilla porter draft beers. It was a fun day, and we were all in the mood for celebrating. My birthday travails are quickly fading into a forgotten memory.

Three Amigos

Arapahoe Basin 03/05/2014 Photo Album

Arapahoe Basin touts itself as the legend. I’m not sure it’s a legend, but it surely has an aura and feel of ruggedness that hard core outdoor enthusiasts appreciate. A-Basin is certainly not attempting to appeal to the cushy tourist crowd that the large ski areas compete to attract. Nestled in a high country basin three-fourths of the way up Loveland Pass, A-Basin’s high elevation bowls showcase steep terrain and numerous cornices for the fearless leaping skiers. There is an intimacy about this place that harkens back to small family-owned ski areas that flourshed before the ski industry went corporate. The free “beach” parking, the rustic base lodge, and the reasonable food prices are extras that increase my enjoyment of a day of skiing at the legend.

Great View of A-Basin and Loveland Pass Road

I contacted my regular ski buddies to see if anyone was available for a day in the high country on Wednesday, March 5. The only available taker was Fred Young, so I agreed to stop at his mountain house near Dillon by 8AM, and we tentatively planned to go to Breckenridge from there. Unfortunately Denver received three or four inches of snow Tuesday night into Wednesday morning, so the drive was a challenge, particularly the stretch from western Denver to Idaho Springs and then from Silver Plume to Silverthorne. Fred was waiting in his garage when I arrived ten minutes late due to the slow going, and we quickly assessed the options and decided to change our destination to Arapahoe Basin.

I had not yet skied at A-Basin in 2014, so I was open to making it my ski playground for the day, and Fred stated that Breckenridge and A-Basin both received approximately three inches of new snow. Fred’s wife Douggie had ski lessons at A-Basin on her schedule, but we departed ahead of her in my SUV to obtain prime beach parking next to the slopes. It worked out, and I backed into a nice spot seven spaces west of the picnic tables by 8:25. We prepared to ski, but neither the Mountain Express nor the Pallavicini lifts were showing any signs of movement. Eventually Fred asked a lift operator at the short beginner chair across from us and learned that the main lifts didn’t open until 9AM on weekdays.

Fred Glides Off Montezuma Bowl Cornice

A large gray cloud hovered over the mountain as we finally boarded the Pallavicini lift and made the quick ride to the top. The cloud cover remained and compromised the lighting for most of the morning, however, we still managed to ski International, Radical, Standard, and Slalom Slopes. These were all moguled black diamonds, and the fresh snow combined with poor lighting made recognizing the variations in terrain very difficult.

Finally by 11AM some periods of sun broke through so Fred and I did a couple double black diamond runs on Montezuma Bowl. These were a blast as we accepted the challege of dropping off the ten foot high cornice and then jump turning our way down the steep face. We returned to the front side for a maiden run down the skier right side of Pallavicini and ended our morning with a couple runs off the Lenawee lift and then retreated to the base lodge for lunch by 11:30 or 12:00.

After lunch we attacked Pallavicini for a second time although we stayed to the left of Spine, the higher backbone that runs down the center. Next we dazzled the ski lift riders on International and then ended our day with a sprint down West Wall and then took the Lenawee chair to the summit to position ourselves for a traverse and descent of East Wall.

Fred Below in Pallavicini Chute

It was a fun day of skiing nearly 100% black diamond terrain, and I was both exhilierated and exhausted by 2:30 when we called it a day. We met Douggie, and she agreed to accept her husband as a passenger, so we transferred Fred’s gear, and then I made my return trip to Denver over Loveland Pass

I’ve always been an admirer of simple elegance, and A-Basin certainly fits that description. Pure and simple beauty and elegance combine with rugged above-timberline terrain to create a legend.

Vail 02/28/2014 Photo Album

Skiing with a group of friends is a lot of fun, and Friday was one of those days. A group of eleven gathered at Vail and enjoyed some fine weather and fresh snow while renewing friendships. The most difficult aspect of the day was trying to keep a group of eleven together, and we did not succeed, but it was a great time nonetheless.

Our friends, the Gaiges, hosted their daughter Jacy and boyfriend Billy for a short winter break as they flew to Denver from Washington DC on Wednesday. The Gaige family joined our other friends, the Youngs, at their rental house near Dillon, and their son Brady and wife Kara joined the group on Thursday night. Jane and I drove to Frisco on Friday morning where we met the rest of the group, and then we car pooled from Frisco to Vail.

Unfortunately when we arrived at the Lionshead parking lot at Vail by 8:45AM, we learned that the Born Free express chair was not functioning so there was a one hour wait in the gondola line. We elected to board a shuttle bus and transferred to Vail Village where we found the line for the Vista Bahn gondola shorter than the lift lines at Lionshead. We were finally able to launch our ski day by 10AM.

The Gang Minus Karen and David Gaige

It was well worth the wait as the clouds burned away, and we experienced sunny skies and temperatures in the low 30’s most of the day. The four inches of fresh snow was mostly chopped up by the time we touched down in Game Creek Bowl, but we still managed to find some nearly trackless powder. Even the slopes that were tracked out held nice light snow, so while not fresh untracked powder, the snow conditions were still quite conducive to soft turns and controlling speed on moguls.

Jane on Genghis Khan

A Look at Blue Sky and Lovers Leap

Perhaps the highlight of the day was our apres ski stop at Q4U, a “hole in the wall” barbecue joint on Summit Avenue in Frisco. Our group met there after an active day of skiing and enjoyed two pitchers of beer and fine barbecued meats. It was a great way to begin a weekend in February.

Top of Little Ollie