Wednesday 03-08-17

Well we made the decision to leave on Thursday. This was based on weather forecast for the mid-section of the country. But before we go, we got in one more day of skiing at Keystone. The morning sunrise was beautiful and we got to the parking lot by 8am and we walked into an empty resort. We got to the lift line by 8:10am, and we got FIRST CHAIR. We skied with our friends and went down trails on perfectly groomed conditions. It was a wonderful way to end our vacation. We spent the rest of the day loading the car, getting rid of the garbage and just getting ready for early Thursday morning. This will be my last blog entry. So long and see you next year.

Tuesday 03-07-17

While it wasn't snowing this morning, the winds were howling at about 40 MPH under clear blue skies. We went to Copper Mtn and to our surprise, not many Spring Breakers. We had many of the trails to ourselves and the snow was good. The winds were still blowing hard by 1pm and the trails then became a little icy. In fact, if you looked at the trees, you wouldn't have known that it snowed yesterday. Any way, we have started to look at the travel forecast for the weekend and it looks like a mixture of wind, snow and rain depending what state you are travelling thru. We may make a decision to leave on Thursday to try and stay ahead of the weather.

Monday 03-06-17

Woke this morning to a mini-blizzard. Three or four inches of snow had fallen overnight and with the wind blowing around 35 MPH, visibility was near zero. Temps were around 15 degrees so it was a light soft snow. Many of the roadways (rt70) and mountain passes were closed. Winds reached 80-90 MPH over these passes. It quickly became clear that it wasn't a ski day. Around 12 noon, I decided to go to the Rec center for some exercise. In the afternoon, it was still VERY windy but it appeared the snow had ended. By evening, we were able to go to the Dam Brewery for Happy Hour. The forecast now calls for an end of the snow for the next 7 days with increasing temps into the upper 40s and low 50s. The winds have also increased the fire damage in Denver and Eastern Colorado. This will have to be watched.

Sunday 03-05-17

The morning started with overhead clouds and mild temps. When we went to church, you noticed all of the Nebraska and Texas cars in the parking lot. Start of the Spring Breakers from those states. The church was packed. After church we took a ride to Copper Mtn and saw the crowds that were already there. Lift lines were about 10-15 minutes. Also you saw the need for more snow. The mountain tops were bare in many areas because of the high winds blowing the snow around. We looked at one restaurant - CB Grill for possibly enjoying a late lunch/early dinner. But after looking at the prices, we decided against it. A rib eye  steak was only $80. Since it was near 4pm, we decided to go to the Arapahoe Cafe for $7 burgers. The forecast did call for snow starting in the early evening, but by 9pm, the stars were still out. Maybe tomorrow for the snow.

Saturday 03-04-17

Another beautiful morning. Not a cloud in the sky except for the Wave Cloud over Keystone. This cloud stayed there for 5 hours without moving. After doing some chores around the house, we went to Vail to check on the crowds. The weekend people were all out and enjoying the mild 40's temp. The non-discounted rate for one day of skiing is $179 (WOW). We tried to have a drink at one of the many lift side bars but they were overcrowded with a wait time of an outdoor seat of 1 hour. We then went to Garfingkers and found a seat indoors. I asked several people how the snow was and they all said it was GREAT. However, they also said the lift lines were about 15-20 minutes. That's why we don't ski weekends. Tomorrow is suppose to be a copy of today. Snow is also expected to move in late Sunday night, early Monday morning.

Thursday / Friday 03-02/03-03-17

Yesterday and today were very similar days. Total sunshine from morning till night with mild temps in the afternoon. We went to Breckenridge yesterday and Keystone today. While there were many people walking around at the top of the lifts very few were found on the slopes. There wasn't much wind either day at the resorts. At Keystone we went very early and we got the third lift. We were able to cruse down the 3 1/2 mile Schoolmarm trail with no one on it. Afterwards we tried to get a quick drink at the Last Life bar but it wasn't opened yet and it was closing at 3pm for a private party for the National Brotherhood of Skiers. At the end of the day, we went to Sauce for dinner. Temps are suppose to rise into the high 40s and low 50s over the weekend.

Wednesday 03-01-17

It was a beautiful morning. Overnight we received about 1 inch of new snow. With the sun and cold temps (+8), the snow sparkled on the roadway. We went to Copper Mtn and with the new snow, the skiing was great. As we started to get on the lift, we saw many of the kids waiting for their ski instructor playing in the snow. Other than the people at the restaurant and at the bottom of the lift, the trails were empty. At the Union Creek lift, I noticed another food stand (Chuck's Wagon) getting ready to open at 11:30am. We skied right thru lunch time and at the end of the day we skied down to JJ's for a very late lunch. Today was a real "Blue Bird Day". The forecast now shows the next 5-6 days as "Blue Bird Days". This should really bring in the locals from Denver over the weekend.

Tuesday 02-28-17

Overnight we received about 5 inches of snow and it continued thru the day. We went to Copper Mtn to ski and we were greeted with power conditions. While the light made clearly seeing where we were going, it was fun going thru the soft snow. We only skied about 2 hours before the blowing snow, on occasion, made it to difficult to ski.  After lunch, we got ready to celebrate Fat Tuesday at Keystone. The events were all outside with 15 tents participating in a Gumbo cook off. Many people were in costumes and wearing beads . Music was supplied by the Nacho band. I started to feel sorry for them because of the snow, wind and COLD. But it was fun. Tomorrow is suppose to be a sunny but COLD day.

Monday 02-27-17

It was warmer this morning and sunny. The day started with temps in the low 20s but it was very windy. We went to Copper Mtn and the snow was good. Not many people were there. Around 11am, the clouds moved in and it looked like it was going to snow any minute but it didn't. By early afternoon, it was VERY windy and many of the trails became icy so we called it a day. After lunch we started to pull out our Mardi Gras beads and get ready for the pre-Mardi Gras events at the Dam Brewery. We met many of our friends that were in costume and getting into the mood for tomorrow. While it didn't snow today the forecast is still for 5-6 inches tonight and tomorrow. Not sure what our plans will be .

Sunday 02-27-17

It was colder in the morning today than yesterday. The temp at 8am was 2 degrees. But under sunny skies, it rose into the mid 20s by noon time. This made for a great day to go snow shoeing. After mass, we went to the Keystone Nordic center and we walked  for about 1 1/2 hours up and down the mountain trail. The trees for the most part blocked the wind, but as you came upon a clearing, the winds really picked up. Snow shoeing is more tiring than skiing. The Nordic center wasn't that crowded. I guess many chose to try and fight the crowds and go skiing. Since we didn't have lunch, we went to Sauce on the Blue for a late lunch/early dinner and to listen to some fine music. The forecast for tomorrow is for snow to be moving back in on Monday afternoon.

Saturday 02-25-17

Today it was the coldest day in a while. Temps started in the low single digits and didn't rise above the low teens. We had snow showers most of the day and it became windy in the afternoon. We didn't go skiing because of the weather conditions. However we spent most of the morning looking for my phone. I put up signs in the parking lot, retraced my steps while walking Benny and looked several times in my clothes. I also had shut my phone off so I couldn't ring the phone. After several hours of looking, I found the phone deep down one of the sides of the couch. Even tough I looked there several, I guess the 25th time was the magic one. In the afternoon we walked by the lake to get the local newspaper and then took a ride to Keystone to see the crowds. And boy was it crowded. In the parking lot by the Mountain House, there were many school buses. This meant there were a lot of KIDS on the slopes. In the evening, we went over to our friends house for dinner. According to the weather forecast, Sunday will be sunny and then snow moving back in for Monday and Tuesday.

Friday 02-24-17

Overnight we received about 1 inch of new snow.  It continued to snow lightly off and on during the day. This small amount of snow made for great skiing conditions. We went to Copper Mtn and had a ball. The Waffle truck opened today and started selling many different versions for $6 plus 1-3$ for toppings. At noon time, there were many people lined up for them. Around 2pm, the wind and snow picked up and continued into the night. Temps also started to fall and was in the single numbers by nightfall. We went to Pug Ryan's and met some friends for dinner and drinks. Lets hope it continues to snow for the next several days.

Thursday 02-23-17

No snow overnight but we had snow showers most of the day. Total accumulations were about 2 inches. We went skiing at Copper Mtn where we had snowy and WINDY conditions. Many of the trails weren't groomed overnight and with the light snow, the trails became hard to ski. We lasted only 1 1/2 hours and we went to lunch at Union Creek. This was where most of the visitors/skiers were hanging out. After lunch we returned home and got ready for the 20th anniversary party of the Dam Brewery. They had many drink and food specials for the occasion and we had dinner there. The forecast continues to call for snow showers for the next few days with falling temps.  Maybe tomorrow we can ski a little longer.

Wednesday 02-22-17

It was another beautiful morning. But the weather forecast said that after today we may be in for snow and cold temps over the next 6 days. So with that news , we went to Breckenridge to ski. A lot has changed since we were there last year. The free parking lot has been reduced by at least 50%. Hate to try and find a parking spot on the weekend. At the top of peak 7, a new restaurant was built called the Pioneer Crossing. Mac and Cheese is $17 or Lobster Mac and Cheese for $19. A single slice of pizza is $13. Add a topping and it goes $15. Thank goodness we brought our lunch. Skiing was good and many of the runs were empty. The only problem we had was the wind. We had wind gusts over 40 MPH. Overall we had a good day. Lets see if the forecast holds true.

Tuesday 02-21-17

Another warm day. Denver had their 4th record temp this month at 74. It was sunny with a little wind here in the mountains. We went to Copper Mtn where we skied for about 3 hours. Many of the weekend holiday visitors had left so we again had the mountain to ourselves. We skied the Timberline, American Flyer and American Eagle lifts all day with no lift lines. At the end of the day, we had lunch outside at JJ's at the bottom of the Bee lift. Around 3pm, the clouds moved in and it really cooled off. Maybe some light snow tonight. After we returned home, we rested from our long day of skiing. No Happy Hour tonight.

Monday 02-21-17

We had total accumulations of between 4 and 8 inches of heavy wet snow overnight. The winner was Copper Mtn resort with 8 inches. It was a partly sunny start to the day. In an attempt to beat the holiday crowd, we went to Keystone at 8:30am and we were lucky to get a GREAT parking spot right in front of the free parking lot. There wasn't any long lines at the lifts as we got started and so our first few runs we had the trails to ourselves. But by 11:30am, the people were out, many with their families, and we called it a day. Also, many of the trails weren't groomed overnight and this was another factor in our quitting early. As we headed down Schoolmarm to cut over to Paymaster, I noticed a bright yellow sign designating Schoolmarm a Family Ski Trail. Maybe this is designed to make sure the beginners stay on the right trail.  I the evening we went to the Dam Brewery to compare notes on where to ski tomorrow. For the most part, yesterday's snow is all melted and with the forecast for temps near 50, we will have to ski the upper half of any resort we go to.