Ah, Colorado. This Friday I’m flying out to Denver and then driving to Breckenridge for my first turns of this season. The plan so far is to spend Saturday trying to keep up with some local tele skiers at Vail. Even though my board is tuned, it’s been over 6 months since I last stood on it, and I know the altitude is going to wreak havoc on my sea level lungs. So there’s a good chance my ass will be dragging along with my knuckles.
The impending trip is making me more than a little restless, so instead of sleeping, I decided to check out the webcams at Keystone. Turns out they’re open for night skiing the Friday I arrive. My question is this: Will a mellow session of night boarding be a great way to loosen up the legs and get my sea level lungs working or will that be more akin to a dog breaking its leash and running headlong into a car?
Just seeing the snow at Keystone and Breckenridge has me fired up. From what I can see on the mountain cams and snow reports, the conditions there look like mid-winter in Maine. That’s even harder to take after a week-long bout with warm air crushed any hopes of hitting Sunday River this past weekend. Even though Portland picked up a wet dusting on Monday, this is the best we’ve got right now. But, credit must be given. The hard-nosed Yankee work ethic (and some massive infrastructure) can go a long way when Mother Nature leaves all the snow in the west.