Friday 02/26/10

Friday was a GRADE 10 day. Total sunshine with power snow conditions at Breckenridge. These
conditions brought out all of the locals. Parking lots were filled by 10am. We were able to find areas on the mountain that we had to ourselves.

Wed/Thurs 02/24-02/25/10

Wednesday was a day of rest. The only activity was a long walk with Benny along the snow=shoe trail. The day was sunny and cold. Thursday's weather was totally different. It began to snow in the morning and didn't stop til late afternoon. The snow put a nice layer on the slopes at Keystone. Keystone was also holding the World Cup championships in Telemark skiing. It was exciting watching all of the downhill skiers.

Tuesday 02/23/10

Tuesday was a day of total sunshine. Not one cloud to be found. With President's week over, we again had the mountains to ourselves. Grooming created many wonderful trails to ski on. There was also a Nastar ski race going on. I entered the event and came in second. Good for a Silver metal. (There was only 2 people entered in my event).

Video of downhill

Snow Day - Monday 02/22/10

Nothing like a snow storm to create GREAT skiing. On Monday morning we travelled to Vail to meet up with the Staten Island SKI club. We skied with the best - Vinny, Pam, Kathy Kel and Al. Plenty of power all over mountain. We cruised from one end of Vail to the other. We had a sunny, cloudy and snowy day. It was alot of fun


Difference a storm makes

Saturday/Sunday 02-20/02-21/10

Saturday and Sunday were non-ski days. With the end of President's week, the crowds at Keystone and Breckenridge were the largest of the season. We went to the Frisco Nordic track and snow-shoed two trails for a total of 4.5 miles. On Sunday we just relaxed and watched the snow come down. We still have a winter storm warning for snow thru Monday.

The Staten Island Ski club arrived on Saturday and are staying at Vail. A total of 40 are going to enjoy the new snow each morning. We are going to try and ski with them on Monday or Tuesday.

Friday 02/19/10

Alot of action at Keystone today. It was the down-hill finals for the Colorado High Schools. It was like being at the Olympics. Several hundred competitors showed their stuff in flying down the course. It was sunny and cold (-3 degrees) in the morning. But like the past several days, by 10:30am it turned cloudy with snow arriving by 11am. By 2pm, we had white-out conditions and we called it a day after having lunch at the top of the mountain. The forecast calls for heavy snow thru Sunday night. We should receive several feet of snow.

Wednesday/Thursday 02/17-02/18/10

For the last 2 days we went skiing at Breckenridge. This resort has received the most snow in the last few days averaging 7 inches per day. This has made for good skiing. President's week has brought out vacationers and locals. However, the lift lines are still minimal. The mornings are sunny and cold until 11am. Then the clouds move in and it snows the rest of the day. Many of the people that are here are beginners and are not use to ungroomed trails. This has caused an increase in the number of skiing accidents. Yesterday we saw about 8 injuries that required medical attention on the hill. You have to keep your distance. A winter storm warning is in effect for the remainder of the weekend. They are expecting 2 feet of new snow.

Up and coming snow boarding and skiing stars

Pictures of Mardi Gras party at JJ's

Mardi Gras - Fat Tuesday 02/16/10

Tuesday started with another power outage. This outage only lasted 1 1/2 hours. We went to Copper Mt to ski. A little light snow fell Monday night and made for good conditions. The snow continued into the afternoon. During one run, we saw two red foxes running across the trail. It was the first time I have ever seen foxes on the slopes. After skiing we went to JJ's for Mardi Gras activities. It was like being in New Orleans. The bar was jammed and a good time was had by all.

Monday 02/15/10

It was the coldest morning so far. Temps at 8am was -11 degrees but it was a sunny morning. After breakfast we started to get ready to go skiing. But at 9:30am, there was a massive power outage in Summit County. Not knowing what to do, we continued to get ready and at 11am, went to Keystone to ski. No power outages at Keystone Resort. Most of the weekend warriors were gone so conditions were OK. Much of the new snow had been skied off and some ice spots appeared.

Worried about the power outage, we returned home about 3pm. All was well. Power was restored around 1pm. We went to our favorite bar for drinks and to discuss FAT TUESDAY activities at Copper Mt. As we left the bar it started to snow. Lets hope it continues thru the night.

Valentine's Day

Overnight the local areas received 6-11 inches of new snow. Breckenridge received 11 and Vail received 9 inches. The morning started with a light snow so we decided to go snow shoeing again. The Frisco Nordic trail was completely groomed and trails were clearly marked. By noon, the sun came out but the wind increased. This made for frigid conditions. We were out for about 2 hours and then called it a day.

After having lunch we drove to Keystone to check out the crowds. It had to be one of the most busiest days of the season. People everywhere. Glad we didn't go skiing.

HAPPY VALENTINE's DAY




Snow Shoe trail with snow clouds in backround




Cupid at Keystone

Friday/Saturday 02/12-02/13/10

On Friday we started to go to Vail. As we got onto rt70, the information signs indicated that the travel time to Vail had doubled and that roads were icy with an accident ahead. We quickly changed our plans and went to Breckenridge. Because of President's weekend, there were many more people on the slopes.

By noontime however, snow started to fall and Breckenridge became BreckenWIND. Winds were 25-35 mph with gusts up to 60 mph. The conditions went downhill very quickly. We decided to call it an early day. At night we found another good restaurant - the Arapahoe Cafe.

Great 1/2 price drinks and food.

Saturday was a day off from skiing. The ski resorts were reporting 3-6 inches of new snow yesterday with Vail and Breckenridge getting 6 inches. Snow continued and forecasts were for another 6-8 inches today. We went snow shoeing with Benny in the morning by the lake. The snow was blowing sideways and not much was landing on the path. In the afternoon, we shoed on the mountain trail in Silverthorne. This trail is protected by mountains on either side so there wasn't much wind. The trail was receiving alot of the fallen snow. Lets hope the snow continues thru the night.

Snow shoeing on the Silverthorne mountain trail

Video of the snow coming down on trail

Wednesday/Thursday 02/10-02/11/10

Wednesday at Breckenridge was another completely sunny day. Temps were on the cold side - low teens and windy. Talking with one of the workers, snow-making has been stopped because of water conservation. The trails will be as good as the grooming. One obstacle that I have been seeing more of is blue-ice coming up thru the snow. Many of the mountains have little streams. Normally they do not freeze because of the snow cover. But now they are freezing and causing problems on the slopes.


Thursday was Copper Mt day. Lift prizes were reduced to $55. They have some of the best groomed trails and cheapest lunches. You can get 2 Hot Dogs and a Coors Light for $5.00. The best deal around. After skiing we went back to the Dam Brewery where we celebrated Kevin Curry's 60th birthday. Because of the snowstorm back East, I couldn't get a flight. But we drank and sang Happy Birthday to Kevin.




Ice coming up thru the snow


Snow Board park at Copper





Village at Copper

Monday 02/09/10

Another sunny but very cold day at Breckenridge. Not a cloud in the sky. Morning temps were
-10 and only rose to about 10 above. We skied mainly on Peak 8, in and around the snow boarding park. Glenna and I were going to try out the park, but it was crowded with snow boarders. Maybe we will try it out on another day. Still no snow in the forecast.

Video of snow boarding park in Breckenridge

Monday 02/08/10

Today was one of the best days so far. While it was a little cold, it was sunny with no wind. We heard that the weather down in Denver was cold and snowy. All the storms are still missing us.

There were very few people on the slopies today. I guess they all had too much Super Bowl. We did see the snow bikes in action. The bike itself has one ski while the rider has small skies. They can go down a hill pretty fast and you should stay out there way. Tomorrow at Keystone is Customer Appreciation Day. We will be staying away and skiing at Breckenridge. I am now on my way to see if I won anything in the local football pools.

Morning view from condo

View from the top of Keystone

Video at base of the Argentine lift

Video of the ski bike

Sunday 02/07/10

With Super Bowl parties beginning around 3pm (MST), we decided to go snow-shoeing. Since we did alot on Saturday, we looked for a NON-hilly course. We found the Frisco bike trail the ideal place. The trail is wide, snow packed and FLAT. We went for 1.8 miles and then we turned around. On the way back we found an igloo. We were going to stay overnight in it but it didn't have a TV.


After our exercise, we attended a Super Bowl party and rooted for the Saints.






The Igloo we were going to stay in

Friday 02/06/10

Today was snowshoe day. We started out early by walking with Benny along the Salt Lick Trail. It was snowing lightly all day. In fact, the snow was very wet. Going out with Benny is very hard. He doesn't want to stay on the trail, he has to mark his spot every 2 minutes and he doesn't like wearing his snow shoes. After an hour and half we brought Benny home and did our own thing.

We went to the town of Frisco which has a trail through the National Forest. It is a beautiful but narrow trail along side a stream that comes down from the top of the mountain. The trail is UP for the first mile then it is flattens out for the next 1/2 mile. Between the 2 trails we snow shooed about 6 miles.

At the end of the day, after going to the 5pm Polish mass at the local church, we went back to Frisco for the annual town bonfire. The whole town came out for it (about 30 people). The bonfire is sponsored by the Summit Nordic Ski club.

Can I cross the stream? Now that I crossed the stream, I may have to return.

Frisco Town Bonfire

Thursday/Friday 02/04-02/05/10

On Thursday morning we went to Keystone to ski. It was a beautiful sunny morning. BUT SURPRISE, SURPRISE, by 1pm ,it turned cloudy and it started to snow. The snow continued into the evening and we received 3 inches of snow. Because of the snow on Thursday afternoon, we stopped skiing early and went to the Last Lift Bar at the Mountain House. There we saw the bartender (Randy) that first served drinks to us, 25 years ago.

Conditions at Keystone on Friday were good. We saw the newest ski machine, the ski bike. You sit and ride it just like a small bike. It is a little scary when you see one coming at you. After 1pm, the slopes became crowded. The local schools close at 12 noon and bus the kids to the slopes. When you have the slopes to yourself during the week, the sight of all these kids is too much to handle. We quit at 2pm.

Thursday morning before the snow

Friday morning

Tuesday/Wednesday - 2/2-2/3/10

With the new month, there are a few more people on the slopes. Lift lines are now about 30 seconds. However, no new snow. The skiing is as good as the snow making. On Monday we went to Beaver Creek. They have been making snow every night. The area we skied was Arrowhead and Bachelors. Bachelors has the Ritz Carlton hotel which has its own snow making and grooming machines. Tuesday we skied Breckenridge , peaks 7 and 8. At the end of the day, most of the snow that was made is either skied off or melted. You need to be careful where you ski.

Every day the weather forecast calls for a little snow. Only a slight dusting comes. MUCH MUCH more is needed. The temps have remained in the low 20s - to low 30s during the day.

Sunday/Monday 1/31-2/1

On Sunday we were going to Beaver Creek but the weather forecast called for light snow starting at around 11am. Because I don't like to travel over Vail Pass in the snow we went to Keystone. We were worried that maybe there would be crowds. However, Sunday was the same as during the week. Just a few more people. We had lunch and we found out how they are making up for the smaller crowds. Prices for food listed below -

Small hot dog $9.50. Medium soda $4.25 16oz beer - $9.50 Fries w/ cheese - $8.50

Personal size pizza $11.50 Soup $8.50 Candy Bar $3.50 Hot water and tea bag - $4.50

Hot water NO tea bag - $4.50 Hot chocolate - $4.25

On Monday we went back to Keystone but we brought our own lunch. It was alot cheaper. The day was sunny but it was cold (around 10 degrees) and very windy (20-25mph). Trying to find your car in the parking lot is very easy on weekdays.

Parking lot on Monday

Parking lot on Sunday and the sunny side of the mountain with NO snow