Our daily blog…
Todd and I put up the Christmas tree about 4 weeks ago… Teddy, our adolescent cat, has been getting more intrigued with the tree as the weeks progressed. This morning I couldn’t find Teddy for the longest time, until something caught my attention…
Where is Teddy?
Boy, did he get in trouble!!!!
Summit County, CO
December 2008
Day 07 - 1900 mst (2000 cst)
Today was my last day on the slopes before I have to return to good old Chicago…
It really snowed last night, and Breckenridge reported 10″ of fresh powder this morning! I decided to head on over to Breckenridge to check it out.
I have limited exposure to deep snow, and even less on a snowboard… so, I knew today was going to be fun and nerve-racking at the same time.
I met a nice guy while waiting at the bus stop… and we decided to stick together for the day. This was a nice change of pace for me, since I have been snowboarding on my own for the entire week!
My new friend, Alex, was originally from Latvia and had grown-up in the Soviet Union before the fall of communism. He and his wife live in Pasadena, CA. He works at CalTech.
Alex and I hit the slopes hard and non-stop… We started on some of the “blue” runs that I had been on earlier in the week… The snow was indeed deep powder, so much that we decided to move up to the “black diamonds” just to have a steeper slope to keep our momentum up! I learned quickly to place a lot of weight on the rear of my snowboard to keep the nose of the board from ‘diving’ down into the deep powder.
We then decided to go to the summit and try a couple of the Bowls… I would have never of gone up there unless I was with a partner to help me should I fall or worse.
We did Imperial Bowl twice before heading over to Horseshoe Bowl. Horseshoe Bowl was treacherous, with numerous exposed rocks scattered about its steep slope. My snowboard clipped a couple rocks before I elected to stop and rethink my line. At this point, Alex fell and one of his skis came loose and proceeded into an area of deep powder.
We searched and searched for his lost ski, but after looking for over 30 minutes in deep powder Alex gave up and proceeded to walk down the remaining portion of the bowl. I waited for him to reach the bottom of the bowl before I continued down on my snowboard. Alex told me to go ahead and enjoy my day and not to worry about his situation. I felt bad leaving him, but he insisted that I go on without him. I stayed with him until we got to a chairlift that could take him to the mountain base.
At this point it got very cold and began snowing pretty hard. I ducked into a ski lodge to get something to drink before heading down to the base. During my break I noted that our search for the lost ski really wore me out! I decided to go down an easier “blue” run to finish off my snowboard trip.
Tonight I have to start packing for my return journey tomorrow afternoon!
Summit County, CO
December 2008
Day 06 - 1630 mst (1730 cst)
I thought it would be fun to snowboard the brand-new Montazuma Bowl at Arapahoe Basin… The recent addition increased the size of the resort by 80%!
I jumped onto the bus headed for Breckenridge, then transfered onto the bus headed over Swan Mountain Pass to Keystone. I finally arrived at Arapahoe Basin after sitting on my butt for about 1.5 hours.
Then, I found out that Montazuma Bowl had not opened for the season because there were numerous areas that still had inadaquate amounts of snow!
I was totally pissed that I had not checked the terrain report before departing on my adventure! I spent a couple hours on the front side of A-Basin before I had completed all of the runs that I felt were within my ability.
I got back on the bus, pissed that I had wasted my day… and decided to go home and then to the movies.
After showering and a quick lunch consisting of fish tacos, I was off for the movies! I decided to see ‘The Day the Earth Stood Still’, since Jaime hates sci-fi movies. The movie was pretty good, besides the acting by Will Smith’s son… I would give the movie a solid 3 out of 5 stars.
Summit County, CO
December 2008
Day 05 - 1415 mst (1515 cst)
Today has been the best day so far… Moderate temps in the mid-20’s, clear sunny skies.
I am at Keystone again today… Snowboarding all over the mountain! I started on the North Peak, where they opened ‘Star Fire’ today.
They also opened two black diamond runs (Mine Shaft and Diamond Back) that I spent a lot of time on!
I alternated between Dercum’s Mountain and the North Peak, depending on the length of the chairlift lines.
On Dercum’s Mountain side I enjoyed cruising on Bachelor, Whipsaw, and River Run… The snow is wonderful today with ~ 3″ of new snow since yesterday!
I got pretty hot today with my long underwear and a fleece… So, I ditched the fleece and tied it to a ski rack at the base of River Run. I was worried someone would steal my ‘precious’, but it was still there when I was done snowboarding for the day. Jaime can’t stand the fleece, which I found in the lost-in-found at my college dorm more than 12 years ago. (better luck next time Jaime)
Summit County, CO
December 2008
Day 04 - 1415 mst (1515 cst)
I had a late start today because dad had to get his Southwest Airlines boarding pass at 1010 mst…
The weather this morning was 01 degrees F with winds of 15-25 mph. The equivalent windchill was -20 degrees! The winds were gusting to 45 mph at the top of the mountain.
None the less, your hero (Todd if you have forgotten) bundled up and headed off to Keystone at 1015 mst. After a hour busride I arrived at the River Run base area, only to find the gondola was not operating. Boy was I disheartened… I had to ride the exposed chairlift all the way to the summit!
The weather at the summit was as predicted… Cold and Windy as Hell!
Your hero forged on, deciding to snowboard on the North Peak which looked to be somewhat protected from the wind that prevailed on the opposing peak.
Snow conditions were favorable on my first run (Mozart) and even better on North Peak’s Last Alamo.
I snowboarded for about two hours on the North Peak before attempting Decrum’s Mountain. The visibility at the summit was nill, and the wind was howling. I decided to do a couple runs before calling it quits for the day.
I am currently having a nice lunch at a resturant called “Spoons”. I started with some homemade chili made with Italian sausage, followed by a grilled BLT sandwich. I also decided to have a beer, since I am done snowboarding for the day. The beer, Blue Paddle, is from the makers of Fat Tire.
It was too cold today to take a snapshot while on the mountain… Here is a shot of my lunch instead!
Summit County, CO
December 2008
Day 03 - 1130 mst (1230 cst)
Looking for powder, I have been riding through some trees today…
Unfortunately, I encountered an area of deep (and I mean deep) powder while maneuvering through some trees and wiped out! The only problem was that I couldn’t get back up… Good thing I was on my knees, and not head first in the treewell (or Jaime would be cashing-in that insurance policy).
To add insult to injury, all of this was within view of the chairlift… Which resounded with catcalls from my fellow skiers above!
After about 5 min I was able to get my board off and crawl to higher (and firmer) ground.
I made it down to the chairlift without further incident. (better luck next time Jaime)
Todd
Summit County, CO
December 2008
Day 03 - 1015 mst (1115 cst)
Powder!… Powder!… Powder!
Having a great time snowboarding in the ~4″ of powder. It’s a little windy at the summit today, with more wind and snow expected later on this afternoon.
Todd
Summit County, CO
December 2008
Day 02 - 1315 mst (1415 cst)
After a quick boot adjustment I was out on the slopes again… Ahhhh, much better! My boot was simply too tight.
It started to snow pretty hard about an hour ago, so I don’t know how many more hours I have today.
I am having a great time… I wonder about Andy, who is cross-country skiing at the Frisco Nordic Center today?
I am having a quick lunch (Carolina BBQ sandwich) before going out for another hour or two.
Todd
Summit County, CO
December 2008
Day 02 - 1015 mst (1115 cst)
Well… My feet hurt, and I have only done one run so far! I stopped to readjust my boots… Hopefully that will make a difference!
I am at Breckenridge today, and the snow is really excellent!
Okay, time to put my boots back on… I will give a status report later on this afternoon.
Todd
Summit County, CO
December 2008
Day 01 - 1100 mst (1200 cst)
Update!
My snowboard made it to Denver!
We are currently on the shuttle that takes us up into the mountains… and eventually Summit County.
I told my dad not to forget to tip the driver… But, he must have heard me wrong and (before we even departed) gave the guy $5 for putting our bags (in) the van! I bet the driver thinks Andy is a big spender, and will give another tip when we get up into the mountains. (Fat Chance!)
Todd
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