12/27/08

Day 14

Conditions: Arctic
Location: Breckenridge, CO

A few days ago we hatched a secret plan to get all the good snow in Colorado. Our first step was to hit Vail hard on the first day after the storm. That was a success. Step two was to hit Breck the day after the storm (today). The logic behind this was that nothing major would be open at Breck during the day of the storm, due to the high winds the mountain always experiences. We were hoping that Imperial Chair and T-Bar would be prime today, because we assumed they would be closed the previous day.

When we pulled into the gondola parking lot, our car thermometer said -10 degrees Fahrenheit. That was at the warmest point on the hill – not a good sign. We rode the Gondola up and got ready for the day. The winds were high and it was so cold we literally had to stop in warming huts twice before lunch (And we never go in warming huts. I mean, come on...only wimps and losers go there.) We did take lots of runs, and the snow was pretty good. But the long rides up the windy chairs got to be too much.

By lunch, we were chilled to the bone, and Steph took a fall that made her thankful she was wearing a helmet. The T-Bar was still closed, and showed no signs of opening. The wind was kicking up, and Imperial Chair was unrideable due to the winds. It was time to call it early, something we rarely do.

By 1:00, we were heading down on the Gondola with all the cold gapers. So much for our plan to get all the snow. Our only comfort was that no one else was enjoying it, and that it would probably be there tomorrow.


Everyone on the hill tries to tuck and head for cover as the wind picks up.


Highlights:

- Horseshoe bowl and Solitude were two of the better runs. Overall, the snow was good; it was just difficult to find a place where we could stand to ride on it.

Lowlights:

- The weather. We ride through a lot of junk, but this was too much even for us. Judging by the sparse lift lines, even the Saturday locals agreed with us.

Après Ski:

We watched the Champs Sports Bowl, made dinner, and relaxed.

Days to go: 36