11/28/09

Day 4

Conditions: Michigan conditions: man-made and icy
Location: Keystone, CO

We packed our bags and checked out of the Christie Lodge early in the morning to make it to Keystone by open. We had a few great runs on the killer groom before the crowds and ice picked up. We hung around for a few hours, and I finally felt like I really had my legs back for the season.


Ye Ol' Keystone Parking Lot.

Overall, the trip was great despite the relatively lame conditions. At least we were making turn, which is more than most Michiganders can say.


Sometimes, even the Sharp Shooter needs a rest...

Highlight:

- Getting out early before the crowds.

Lowlight:

- Driving out of the mountains on our way to Denver. It’s always sad to see them fade in the rearview mirror.

Après Ski:

We drove to the Courtyard Marriott in Denver, CO in preparation for our 6:00am flight Sunday morning (only the busiest travel day of the year - no big deal). We ate good food and watched lots of football, including Stanford’s glorious victory over Notre Dame. There was just one bad thing: all that talk of the Heisman and LeFevor was not even mentioned. Even I can see that’s weak.

Days to go: 46

11/27/09

Day 3

Conditions: Michigan conditions: man-made and icy
Location: Breckenridge, CO

By day three, we’d hit all three Summit County Resorts. To our surprise, the typically wind-blown and icy Breckenridge had the best grooming and the best snow around. The groom was almost chewy and very soft. We had some great runs until the crods showed up. Pretty soon, there were hundreds of people weaving through the runs: everyone from falling-leaf beginners to racer-x bombers. It became pretty dangerous and we decided to call it.



Highlight:

- The killer groom – who knew!?

Lowlight:

- There was prodigious, poachable terrain under every chair we rode. We would have done it; really, we would have. But we were afraid that Big Brother would track our Peaks Pass and blacklist us.

Après Ski:

We walked the streets of Breck and did some shopping before going home and relaxing for a while. By day three, we were pretty sore. Well, at least I was.


Dirk tried on the pink version of a black jacket he already ordered via backcountry.com

Days to go: 47

11/26/09

Day 2

Conditions: Michigan conditions: man-made and icy
Location: Vail, CO

Happy Thanksgiving! We hit Vail early anticipating bigger crowds than yesterday. We got there early enough to hit some killer groomers, but it got crowded fast.

We rode up the gondola with a pretentious skier who articulated his hope that Alta never allows snowboarders. When Dirk asked him why, the skier claimed that Taos allowed boarders, and the mountain changed. Dirk pressed him further, asking how the mountain changed – we were sure he would mention park punks or something. To our amazement he went through an elaborate theory about how snowboarders have the (magical) power to change the fall line of an entire mountain so that it’s wavy versus straight up-and-down. We sat there in puzzled silence. I would like to take this opportunity to put forth several, logical rebuttals to this ridiculous theory. (No, I didn’t bring these up at the time.)

1. If riders or skiiers had the power to change the fall line of a mountain in one year (erode it significantly), we would not be allowed to have ski resorts in National Forests. Many resorts are in National Parks or State Forests.
2. Since the mountain itself isn’t eroding, the snow distribution must be making different fall lines. Likely, the snow making crew is to blame for uneven areas or wavy patterns made during the early season, snow making push.
3. Allowing boarders brought more families back to Taos. Families tend to stop a lot, especially in main areas. If anything is changing the fall line, it’s probably these large groups repeatedly stopping in certain spots of the hill. This has little to do with snowboarders.
4. Finally, do people of other races, genders, ethnicities, and sexual orientations also have the power to change a fall line…or is this discriminatory theory specific to us one-plankers?

Highlight:

- Getting out early before the crowds.

Lowlight:

- When the crowds came, it was like bumper cars out there as everyone was funneled into the same death traverse back to the bottom of Lion’s Head: the only section of the mountain that was open.

Après Ski:

We watched the fourth quarter of the Lion’s annual Thanksgiving Day loss. Then we grabbed a few beers and headed to the hot tub for some relaxation. We capped off the night with a great Thanksgiving dinner at Vin 48 in Avon, CO.


Coming back from the hot tub. Yes, it was that warm.

Days to go: 48

11/25/09

Day 1

Conditions: Michigan conditions: man-made and icy
Location: Keystone, CO

Day one started off rough. We arrived so late the night before that we took our time getting to Keystone. By the time we drove to the mountain and put on all our gear, it was already 10:30. To make matters worse it was a busy day on the hill, and the first day out for many people.

Even though we paid for our tickets online, we had to wait in a horrendous season ticket line to get our new Peaks Passes (which serve no purpose other than to let the resort track a person’s every move). By the time we got our passes and boarded the gondola to the top, it was passed noon.


The season pass line.

For the past few months, we have seen a trainer to get our bodies ready for the season. When I stepped off that gondola, I was feeling good. I mean, I was ready to lay down some deep carves with my new core muscles and freshly tuned board. We headed over to School Marm (one of the easiest hills in all of Keystone, and the Slow-Skiing-Trail-of-the-Day). I strapped on my board, did a few hops and was off. I started with a wide heelside turn. Man, was I feeling good. Then I transitioned to my toe side…when I caught an edge and fell really hard right there on the beginner hill. I was a deep, dark moment of clarity as I lay there feeling like an ass. As a bonus, I reinjured my shoulder that never fully healed from last year (see day 34). So much for being ready to rock.


Day 1

The rest of the day was crowded and icy, but it still felt good to make turns and get some confidence back on our boards. Keystone had several long hills open, and we had a pretty good time. We rode until the crowds drove us out around 3:30.

Highlight:

- Snow!

Lowlight:

- Conditions were just like Boyne Mountain, but with longer runs.

Après Ski:

We hit Pazzo’s in Avon for pizza and started watching Idiocracy. But, we were so tired that we both just ended up falling asleep.

Days to go: 49