DamnYankee
Loyal to the end
Snowmass was freaking awesome. It was less expensive to stay there and we had a ski-out condo, which actually means that it was about 100 yard walk on level pavement to the slope. On Sunday we skied first chair and it was great. We had lunch at Sams and afterwards the altitude coupled with the full stomach got to us so we called it an early day.
Monday it was snowing and windy so we took the free bus over to Aspen to shop. Lots of fur, jewelry and overpriced apparel shops. I never saw a $900 ski jacket before. Lots of patches sewn on so you don't have to really earn them.
Tuesday we skied the new groomed snow at Snowmass, first chair. It was a perfect day, blue sky, cold and no wind. I ripped up miles of corduroy. Met lots of nice peeps on the lift rides and seemed to find something in common with most if not all of them.
Wednesday we went to Aspen and the wife did the free yoga at the Sun Deck at 9:30 and that gave me over an hour to rip the place. Those two gulleys are too steep for my taste though. If it was powder no problem but this was packed and I get way too much speed carving turns, even going full width side-to-side. I found most of the folks pleasant but nothing in common. Some I found to be damn snobs. The lone exception was a 25 year old kid from MI who was starting his 3rd year after college, still working retail, and confided that he's probably had enough of the ski bum life and time to get out and get a real job and career. We had lunch at the summit amongst the beautiful people who wore shoes. In other words they were there to be seen not ski. The funniest part of the place is the "stage" at the bottom. It's a heated concrete deck where folks sit in chairs and look up at a small area of slope and watch the skiers come in.
We left Aspen at noon and took the bus to Buttermilk. That place was cool for a last afternoon skiing. It's fairly flat and you can really have fun making perfect carves without going too fast. I kind of got the feeling that the ski patrol was about to can my ass but I kept looking back at them and they didn't say anything. Just before the bottom of the central area there's a series of "road" pathways to take you around a headwall full of moguls and a tiny sign at the top saying "no jumping". In flat light the crest would be difficult to see and I can see a less careful skier missing it completely and launch himself into a line of skiers at the roadway below. I think they should have it gated. The lodge there smells like sewage- I think they have a problem.
Wife got hit twice at Snowmass, both times in signed slow areas and once stopped right next to a slow sign. Not big hits though. That woman is like a magnet. I've been hit only once in like ten years and it was my fault when it happened. Not the severity of it though because the guy was coming out of a transition route onto the main trail. He went low and took both my boards with him.
Monday it was snowing and windy so we took the free bus over to Aspen to shop. Lots of fur, jewelry and overpriced apparel shops. I never saw a $900 ski jacket before. Lots of patches sewn on so you don't have to really earn them.
Tuesday we skied the new groomed snow at Snowmass, first chair. It was a perfect day, blue sky, cold and no wind. I ripped up miles of corduroy. Met lots of nice peeps on the lift rides and seemed to find something in common with most if not all of them.
Wednesday we went to Aspen and the wife did the free yoga at the Sun Deck at 9:30 and that gave me over an hour to rip the place. Those two gulleys are too steep for my taste though. If it was powder no problem but this was packed and I get way too much speed carving turns, even going full width side-to-side. I found most of the folks pleasant but nothing in common. Some I found to be damn snobs. The lone exception was a 25 year old kid from MI who was starting his 3rd year after college, still working retail, and confided that he's probably had enough of the ski bum life and time to get out and get a real job and career. We had lunch at the summit amongst the beautiful people who wore shoes. In other words they were there to be seen not ski. The funniest part of the place is the "stage" at the bottom. It's a heated concrete deck where folks sit in chairs and look up at a small area of slope and watch the skiers come in.
We left Aspen at noon and took the bus to Buttermilk. That place was cool for a last afternoon skiing. It's fairly flat and you can really have fun making perfect carves without going too fast. I kind of got the feeling that the ski patrol was about to can my ass but I kept looking back at them and they didn't say anything. Just before the bottom of the central area there's a series of "road" pathways to take you around a headwall full of moguls and a tiny sign at the top saying "no jumping". In flat light the crest would be difficult to see and I can see a less careful skier missing it completely and launch himself into a line of skiers at the roadway below. I think they should have it gated. The lodge there smells like sewage- I think they have a problem.
Wife got hit twice at Snowmass, both times in signed slow areas and once stopped right next to a slow sign. Not big hits though. That woman is like a magnet. I've been hit only once in like ten years and it was my fault when it happened. Not the severity of it though because the guy was coming out of a transition route onto the main trail. He went low and took both my boards with him.
