Spring Fling - Ten Lessons Learned

Picked up a few things while skiing in Colorado:

1. Some pretty damn good beer there. Both the Dillon Dam Brewery (try the Brown) and Backcountry Brewing (easily one of the best amber ales I've ever had) delivered great beer and mighty good food. 
2. It snows in Colorado. Even in Spring. Might want to think about that when offered the $80 SUV upgrade on your rental car. And factor it into your commute time to the mountain.
3. Staying slopeside is cool, but it was equally nice (and way cheaper) to stay at a hotel in a central location. Dillon Inn was great.
4. Seriously getting back in to cycling has really helped my fitness and my skiing by leaps and bounds. Long runs at high altitude were no issue. I owe that all to thousands of miles on a bicycle.
5. Paying for parking at a ski area is bullshit. Vail's model is quite clearly "pay to park close", but I was able to park for free with only a short shuttle ride at Beaver Creek and Breckenridge, and within easy walking distance at Keystone and A-Basin.
6. Arapahoe Basin is awesome. A true local gem. Reminds me of places I love like Solitude and Powder Mountain in Utah. Great terrain, cool people, and a great vibe. Plus, Ramrod is one of the best blue runs I've ever skied (should be a black easily). Fast. Steep. Scenic. I will definitely return to the Basin.
7. Breckenridge just isn't my cup of tea. Crowds. Tons of pretentious dining. Traffic. And their blue runs would be greens anywhere else. 
8. Still love Beaver Creek, and Keystone will become a new favorite. I really learned from chatting with the locals that all of the area can be great, but you have to consider some key factors. For example, chatting with one of the locals at the bar on my last night in town revealed that A-Basin is awesome, but you don't want to be up there on low-visibility days. Having a third of the resort above treeline makes it really disorienting.
9. My Blizzard Bonafides rule the mountain. They also got a lot of compliments on their appearance (they are a sweet-looking ski).
10. Pack for nearly everything in Spring out West. After two days of bluebird sunny skies and temps in the 50's I thought bringing the colder weather layers was a waste. Wrong. I ended up needing everything I had with me.
11. (Bonus Round) The Epic Pass is awesome. I had my choice of five mountains in Colorado, AND I got a pass to ski Mt. Brighton back home and stay in shape. Perfect!

Next year, who knows? Maybe I pull of two Western trips and get to both Colorado and Utah. Sure would be fun!

Spring Fling - Day Four

Today it was off to ski Breckenridge. I'm not sure quite why. Not a big fan of crowds, and over-hyped resorts. But, I was determined to maximize the value of my Epic Pass and hit another area. Of course, I'm cheap, so I have to look for where I can park for free. Seriously, paying for parking bugs the crap out of me. I had dinner and three beers for less than many of the Vail resorts charge for close-in parking.

A few inches of fresh snow had me hopeful. A Spring pow day? Awesome. Didn't quite work out that way. A couple of locals had told me that Breck "over reports" snowfall. They were right on today. It snowed just enough for them not to groom, but not enough to be interesting. Plus, temps dropped 10 degrees and the wind was WAY up. To say I missed on dressing for the weather was a significant understatement. I was COLD for much of the day. I'm finding my tolerance for being cold isn't great anymore. And, it didn't help that I'd consciously made some bad decisions. Spring gloves? Stupid. Lighter shell? Stupid. Note to self - it's colder on the mountain than it is in the parking lot, dumbass.

By lunchtime I was seriously contemplating bailing for Keystone. But, I stuck with it. Lunch was mediocre and pricey. Snow conditions varied from piles of pushed around powder to icy golf-ball sized pellets. 

Add to this Breck's terrain. It just didn't do it for me. Blues should have been greens, and blacks ranged all over the map. I had a lot of trouble finding runs I liked. I should offer a disclaimer -- at least out West, I love big, steep, fast blue runs. Skiing fast and steep is my thing. I'm to old (and smart) to ski bumps anymore. And there was none of this to be found today. To add insult to injury, I think I skied one of my favorite runs for a good chunk of the day yesterday at Arapahoe Basin. Steep. Fast. Smooth. And well-suite to blasting it. So, today was disappointing. By the end of the day I had finally warmed up and got in a few nice runs. But nothing that really lit me up. This is part of the skiing game though. Some days are epic, others mediocre, and still others disappointing. That's how it goes.

I did conclude one positive from today -- I'm in a TON better shape than my first visit to Colorado two seasons back. On that trip, I was reminded that I was the fat, out-of-shape guy. Now with three seasons of 2,000+ miles on my road bike, I am STRONG and ready to rock. That feels rewarding.

Tomorrow is my last day. Snow's in the forecast tonight and tomorrow. I think I'm bound for Keystone. Close to my hotel and Denver. And I really didn't get to fully explore it on Saturday due to my late arrival. 

A great trip all around, though I am eager to get home and get my road bike out. Funny how I enjoy every sport's season, but when it winds down, I'm anticipating the next one.

-Sean-

Spring Fling - Day Three

Hit some new terrain today -- skiing Arapahoe Basin. Really had a nice experience. I love the smaller local areas. Whiile I certainly have enjoyed places like Vail, Beaver Creek, and Deer Valley, I don't need the ammenities and the fancy treatment. I'm there to ski. But I was reminded of something even more important today - the value of the vibe. 

I've had a season pass at Michigan's Caberfae Peaks for at least a decade, and in addition to great terrain and solid snow fall, I think the thing I like the most is the vibe. People are chill, nice, and just fun to be around. That''s what A-Basin was like today. Super mellow (especially for a place with some of Colorado's most respected terrain) and really fun. 

But on to the skiing...

A-Basin, with a summit elevation of 13,050 feet, is one of the highest resorts in the Continental US. And that altitude makes for great Spring skiing. The snow at A-Basin was the best I've seen on this trip and surprisingly good for this late in what most locals told me was a disappointing year snow-wise. 

I spent a chunk of my morning on the Black Mountain Express lift. The Ramrod run was EXACTLY what I love -- an aggressive blue (that would be a black at most other areas). Steep. Fast. With really good snow cover. I enjoyed just blasting it at Mach One. And, yes, I will offer kudos yet again to the Blizzard Bonafides. These boards smoked.

By late morning, I needed some top-to-bottom laps, so I connected up the Lenawee lift. So, this is pretty cool as now we're above treeline. Ride Black Mountain up, ski over to Lenawee then ski top to bottom. Awesome. 

I had another revelation today - cycling has been really solid for me. My legs are strong all day, and even at the high altitude of A-Basin, my lungs held out. This wasn't the case on my first trip to Colorado two years back. I was SMOKED. Between the altitude and my lack of fitness, I was gassed after two runs. I'd be stopping halfway to catch my breath. Now - straight down runs are no issue. This feels reallly good.

Another day in the books. Tomorrow's challenge is where to ski. I made a visit to Breckenridge last night and it was a ZOO. Heard from a local that it was Spring Break for a lot of colleges. But, I feel like I need to ski several areas, so maybe I'll brave it. Of course, my cheap streak comes out here. One of the things I don't like about Vail ownership is the parking. I remember the first time I encountered paid parking. My first thought was "WTF - seriously? You want to CHARGE me to park?". At Vail, Beaver, and Breck you can park for free, but you have to ride a shuttle. So we'll see. There's also some snow coming in tonight and that could change my thinking totally...

For now, I'm happily enjoying excellent $3 craft brews and half-price appetizers at the brewery next to my hotel. A damn fine day.

-Sean-