A Month of Winter

We returned to the US of A to spend Christmas with our families and then braved driving through the torturous states of Iowa and Nebraska for the reward of the Rocky Mountains.  We had the Mountain Collective season pass which allows you to ski 2 days at several different resorts throughout the country.  So, after making a quick pit stop in Denver to spend New Years with friends, we headed to Telluride in southwest Colorado.  Unfortunately they had no snow :( there were about 3 runs open on the mountain.  We enjoyed the town and scenery though.

Great views at Telluride but hurting on snow.

Getting some air on one of the three open runs at Telluride.

After 2 rather boring days in Telluride, we headed up to the Salt Lake City area.  My dad met us there and we skied 3 days between Alta and Snowbird.  Luckily on our first day we got a solid snow storm which made the conditions far better than Telluride but still lacking about 2 feet of snow.  On the fourth day in Utah we met up with a friend of my Dad's at Snowbasin for a rather miserable day of skiing in the rain.  I managed to take a spill going 51 mph that somehow only resulted in two sprained thumbs and a bent (brand new) ski.  I probably should have broken at least 5 bones on that one, somebody was looking out for me.

Pops and I at the top of the tram at Snowbird.

Backside of Snowbird with some cloud inversion.

Me, Doug, my Dad's friend Mike, Dad at Snowbasin

So far, snow conditions could only improve and they did when we got to Jackson Hole, Wyoming!  It pretty much snowed the entire time we were there, and we shredded the pow alllll day long :)  In fact, the snow was so good I felt it a sin to leave without getting an extra half day in the powder and went to nearby resort Grand Targhee in Idaho for a few hours of the best powder skiing I have ever experienced.

Sun rising on our drive to Jackson Hole.

Jackson Hole town center.  The arch is made of antlers.

Sooooo much pow at Grand Targhee

That night we made the long drive through the vast emptiness of Wyoming to meet up with our Denver friends again but this time in Steamboat, CO.  Steamboat had just gotten a bunch of snow that week so conditions were great, but as the rest of Colorado was lacking in the snow department, everyone in the state seemed to be there on Saturday and lift lines were painfully long.  We decided to take an afternoon half day the following day and had a gorgeous clear sky day and far less people to deal with.

I-L-L Steamboat Edition

After that we headed to Aspen and skied Highlands and Snowmass.  Back to lack of snow but definitely not short on rich people - we only felt slightly out of place.

View from the bowl we hiked up to at Highlands in Aspen.

View off the backside at Snowmass in Aspen.

We headed back to Denver after a day of skiing and then made the 18 hour drive back home the next day, again surviving the tortures of Nebraska's boringness, only to have less than 48 hours to regroup before heading off to The Land Down Under to continue our world tour! Thanks Dave, Eileen, and Annie for the hospitality and good times!