Things were a bit crusty in the shadows at Mary Jane, as snow had melted and re-frozen (and had not yet softened), but up high it was firm but skiable. In a reverse of the usual state of affairs, open areas were better, since a bit of snow had blown in from elsewhere, while the trees had not fully thawed. In fact I nearly ate it in the woods a couple of times, when my ski hung on a bit too long or got misdirected by a bit of firm snow, so I gave that up.
I have to admit I've been thinking a bit of the skier who died at MJ a few weeks ago. Another kid hit a tree and died at Keystone this week. Not to mention randosteve and partner Chris Onufer. I didn't know either one, but I had enjoyed reading Steve's blog for a while now. Damned sad all around. Gotta be careful out there.
I almost got involved in a nasty pile-up on the drive up in the morning. I'm driving along at 60 (the speed limit), and I've got about 3 seconds of space in front of me, which is a rule of thumb for safe braking distance. Nearly everyone in the left lane is tailgating (not the people behind me in the right lane, thankfully), you know, the usual mindless highway crap. The road (4 lanes) is curvy and we round the corner coming into Idaho Springs, where the traffic is inexplicably moving at 30 mph, and everyone hits their brakes (ack!). A full-size truck with an empty trailer is right next to me, and locks 'em up, spitting dust and gravel for about 30 yards, and miraculously stays in its lane and doesn't crash into me. Holy shit. That's about accident number six I was almost in, while driving to ski.
No matter how well you drive, you're always at the mercy of people with no sense of self-preservation and a poor understanding of Newtonian physics. I got off at the Idaho Springs exit and drove by myself on service roads the rest of the way to Empire.
Back to better things. The base of the Panoramic Lift, my ticket to sun-softened snow, great views, and skiing fast over uneven snow ;) :
I've talked to people who look at me funny when I say I ski bumps, especially with touring gear, on 105mm skis (and at age 50). But for me it presents a challenge, something I can work on to hone my abilities, a minor craft if you will. It feels good to hook up a few quick turns in a row; there's a feeling of accomplishment there, and the agility also comes in handy in other situations, such as... stopping in front of trees in the woods.
A lot of snow has disappeared from the high peaks already. These mountains were whiter the past few weeks:
Every so often I stop above treeline and stare at the Indian Peaks to the east, begging for the locals* to yell "Gaper!" I keep trying to figure out where I've run in the mountains across the way. I cross-referenced this photo with Google Earth and I was totally wrong on most things. But now I'll be able to look at it and understand what I'm looking at.
Had another great beer (the Rye PA) at The Library in Winter Park, along with a great burger that was almost too big to eat, and sweet potato fries with magic seasoning that made them impossible not to eat. Another good bartender too who somehow anticipated what I wanted before I even knew it. Two for two.
This popped up in iTunes as I'm writing this and I've liked this song since I first heard it. So, do you side with the leaves... or with the seeds? Good stuff.
*"Local" is a relative term. If you are from New Jersey, then yeah, I'm a local. If you're a retail employee and you live in Winter Park and ride the bus to the hill, then I'm just Front Range riff-raff taking up seats on your chair lift! Just be glad I'm not crashing your secret ganja huts tucked away in the woods.
