Snowmass Stories

Stories from the road
January 25, 2017
Snowmass Village, CO.

Aspen

There was a lot of snow on the mountain yesterday, when Vicki, the Moon brothers, Bruce, Lucas, and I stepped off the Base Village lift to the top of Sam’s Knob. Vicki suggested we stay low due to the falling snow and low visibility on the Burn. All  in agreement, we skied over to the Alpine Springs lift, which was just opening. Visibility was better there due to the many pine trees on the sides of the trails and the lower elevation.

We had first tracks on Naked Lady, a twisting, undulating intermediate run. Several inches of sort powder lay on top of the grooming, and everyone loved the run. Bruce charged into the deeper powder along the sides of the trial and skied it beautifully. I stayed more to the middle of the trail, as all my falls have happened transitioning from one snow level to another.

Aspen

Next we skied Lodgepole, which had 9 inches of fresh snow.  Everyone did well skiing through the light snow. Lucas had split to ski the expert runs off the top of the mountain. I later learned he had been jumping into steep chutes, as he followed some locals through highly challenging terrain.

After skiing, Lucas, Marle, Marle Lucas, and I took the bus to Aspen. Buses here have express lane privileges, so we were able to make a speedy tip in spite of rush hour traffic. When I first came to Aspen, the town had dirt roads, locals in small cabins, roaming dogs, and funky bars. Now the streets are lined with stores like Prada, Gucci, and Versace. Aggressive Salon employees with LA looks reach out from their perches and try to lure tourists into their stores with claims of transforming products.

However, parts of old Aspen remain.  Ute Mountaineering is still there, as is the Red Onion, where you can still get a burger and beer at an affordable price. Ajax Mountain still gives skiers the same bumpy, steep terrain it always did, and though you won’t see Art Linkletter walking around like he did 50 years ago, you might see Jack Nicholson or Goldie Hawn on the slopes during the holidays.

After dinner Vicki and I took the bus back to Snowmass for needed sleep. The rest of the group continued to explore the town as the snow continued to fall.