Colorado Trip 2018

The morning was mild, temp around 30 degrees, with overcast conditions. We were going to Breckenridge but changed our minds because of a number of things we wanted to get done. Because of all the publicity over the flu, we decided to get a flu shot. After that, we shopped at Target for some household items. After lunch, we went to the car wash and then to the laundry mate. The temps in the afternoon reached 49 degrees. At the end of the day, we were VERY tired and stayed home at night to watch TV. Forecast is still calling for some snow on Thursday.

It was a beautiful sunrise this morning. Temps were in the mid 20s already making it a great ski day. We went to Copper and found the free parking lot ¾ full already and the paid lots were totally filled. This was unusual for a Monday and than we found out that there was a Ski and Snowboard event in Center Village . Hundreds of extra people were there trying out the latest and newest equipment. However, the lift lines were small in West Village and we had a great day. We also saw people on top of buildings clearing snow off the roofs. In the evening we went to the Dam to discuss ski conditions at the other resorts. While the skiing is OK, you need to be aware of some icy patches and rocks. Maybe some snow on Thursday.

This morning it was a lot milder than yesterday. It was in the mid teens under partly sunny skies. When I took Benny for his morning walk, it was great to see the sidewalks and pavement. Most of the snow that fell last week is gone.   After lunch we got ready to go to Breckenridge. We parked our car at the Frisco transportation center and boarded the bus and after a 30 minute ride arrived in the heart of the town. We walked about 5 minutes to where the Snow Sculptures were. The Sculptures are beautiful. However, we did see 1 or 2 that had collapsed because of the mild temps. Also at the event, the Breckenridge distilleries offered shots of their bourbon and whiskey which we had. After returning back to Frisco, we went to the Sauce and had pizza. It was a long day with a lot of walking.

It was a very cold start to the morning. It was 3 degrees at 7am. However, under sunny skies, it quickly rose to the mid teens by 10am. Looking out on the lake, it looked like it froze over last night. This has been happening each morning but by the afternoon, you can see the lake water. After breakfast, we went for a walk around the lake and didn’t see any activities. We debated whether we would go see the Ice Sculptures and we decided to go on Sunday. After lunch, we went to get groceries, took an afternoon nap and when to church and a spaghetti dinner afterwards. The K of C were sponsoring the dinner for $10 a person. It was a great deal and we met a   lot of people. The forecast for Sunday calls for sunny weather with temps in the upper 30s.

Friday morning was snowy , very windy with temps in the low teens. It was a lousy morning. But this was the snow storm they forecasted. But by 10am, the snow had stopped and we had only 2-3 inches of snow here and at the resorts. Around 11am we decided to go to Copper to ski. The parking lot at Copper was almost filled. Not sure where all these people came from because of the morning conditions. As we started up for our first run, we asked ourselves, “ Where are all the people” . It looked like a regular weekday. As we skied down to the lifts, no wait time at all. We were able to find a lot of fresh powder and the 2-3 inches of snow made a BIG difference. You could tell they were getting ready for the weekend because the outside bar was open. You can get a 24 oz Coors Light for only $9. I passed on it. In the evening we went to a restaurant called – Sausce , which advertises a 100 bottle wine list. They also have a wall of liquor. It is a great place for happy hour. Tomorrow being ...

The sun coming up behind the clouds made for a beautiful sunrise. This morning was one of the warmest so far. It was 23 degrees at 7am. You can tell it was a weekday, because there was only 6 cars in our parking lot. We went to Copper and had a bad start. After almost falling on her head putting her skis on, we were asked by the ski instructor to take one of the little kids up with us. Since we have done it before, we said OK. But as we tried to get off the lift at the top, Glenna had a problem getting off   and started to go back down. The lift operator didn’t see it and didn’t stop the lift. I was able to get off the lift with the little girl with no problems. After waiting for the ski instructor behind us and making sure the little girl was safe, I started down as fast as I could to make sure the lift operator at the bottom would stop the lift so Glenna could get off. As I got to the bottom, the lift operator stopped the lift and Glenna was able to get off. After makin...

This morning it was sunny with single digits temps. However by 9am, it warmed into the mid teens. We went to Copper Mtn. to ski and again the lot was only half full. We started our skiing at West Village where there were no lift lines. However, only 2 trails were groomed again. It seems that they are not grooming a trail two days in a row to help save the snow pack. By 10:30am, the snow became very soft and the skiing was good. At lunch we decided to watch the 2-3 old kids learn to snowboard. Maybe we can pick up some tips. The kids stand on a snowboard and use a stand to hold onto while going down the small slope. They really catch on fast. I think our grand daughter would be a natural. Returning home we got ready to go to Pug Ryan’s for happy hour and discuss our day skiing with our friends. The weather forecast is calling for some snow Thursday night. We need it.

It was cloudy and cold this morning. Didn't think we would ski. But by 8:30am, the clouds started to move out and it became a good ski day. In fact skiing at Copper Mtn. was the best  day so far. The parking lot was half full and no wait lines for the bus to the slope. We started skiing around 10:30am under brilliant sunshine and lasted to 2:30pm. The conditions were much better than Keystone yesterday. Snow was soft and no ice balls on the trails. As we walked thru the resort, we noticed ski chairs sponsored by Coke Cola. Not sure whether they will replace the regular ones, but I think Coke Cola is starting to make in-roads at Copper Mtn. Returning home, I started to read the Summit Daily newspaper and found that this weekend is the Ice Sculpture championships at  Breckenridge. Viewing and judging will be this weekend, so I know where we will be on Saturday or Sunday. The ice sculptures start as 50,000 pound blocks of snow and ice and are then carved into the final design. It...

It was a cold sunny morning. Temp started at 7 degrees and by mid afternoon it was in the mid 20s. We went to Keystone where they reported 9 inches of snow. We found a few groomed trails that made the skiing very enjoyable. There were no lift lines and many of the trails had very few people on them. The snow on Sunday made the trees sparkle in the morning sun and skiing down Schoolmarm, the view of Dillon Lake was amazing. We skied for about 3 hours and then went home for lunch. In the afternoon, we did laundry and then got ready to go to the Dam Brewery. All of the regulars were there and then some. Its a great place to review the day's skiing and get suggestions where to ski tomorrow.

Well we need to be careful what we wish for. It started to snow around 1am and at 7pm, it was still snowing. At least 10 inches had fallen. It is now a winter wonderland. The snow plows are working full time everywhere except our parking lot. The best we can hope for is that they will be there tomorrow. There wasn’t much we could do today except to walk to the Arapahoe Café for burgers and watch the second playoff game. Temps have started to fall and it is expected that by tomorrow morning it will be in the single digits. Hopefully in the morning the sun will be up and the resorts have groomed all of their trails.   It may be a good ski week.

Saturday again started with mild temps (25 degrees) and clear skies. The weather bureau has issued a winter storm warning for snow starting late tonight and thru the day on Sunday. 5 to 8 inches of snow is expected. Since we were not skiing today, we did some of our weekly shopping and walked over to the Ice Castle display on Main St. You need to make reservations to walk thru and play in the Castles. The fee for this event is $16 if you order online and $20 at the gate. It has brought many visitors to the town and the local restaurants are very crowded. In the evening we went to the movies and saw – The Post, which is a story about the cover-ups of the Viet Nan war. AS we returned home around 8:30pm, it still hasn’t started to snow but the warnings are still in effect. Lets hope when we wake up in the morning we see a lot of snow.

Friday was more of the same. Keystone and Copper Mtn are still making and blowing snow. Temps started around 30 and hit a high of 48 degrees. At Copper, only 2 trails were groomed on the West side of the mountain. Not even Soliloquy was groomed which is usually the first one groomed because it is a good beginners run. Hopefully the snow on Saturday will help. On the way back, I took pictures from the south side of the lake facing some of the hills. It reflects how little snow is on them.

Yesterday, I had asked the town to move any extra snow to in front of our condo to make us more at home. To my surprise, they did it.   Another sunny day with temps in the mid 30s. We again skied Copper Mtn and I think there were fewer people than yesterday with no lift lines. Another improvement we saw was the installation of a rollercoaster by the American Flyer lift. They charge $25 for a ride. Copper Mtn is the second resort to install this ride. Breckenridge was the first. By 3pm, many of the runs had deep shadows and we called it a day. At night we went to the Arapahoe Café with friends for ribs and drinks. The weather forecast is calling for a MAJOR snow storm starting on Saturday but tomorrow will be sunny and mild. Lets hope the snow comes.

Wednesday started with cold temps but sunny skies. By 9am, temps were in the mid teens. We again went to Copper Mtn. There were a few more people but the lift lines didn’t reflect it. Another improvement was the moving of the Kokomo lift about 100 yards away from the East Village buildings and the changeover to high speed lifts. This lift used to be the beginners lift and moved about 2 MPH. By mid afternoon, it was a lot warmer, near 35 degrees, but was a little windy. Around 2:30pm we were getting a little tried and called it a day. We returned home but decided to go back to JJ’s to listen to Mo Dixon and have a few refreshments. We brought Benny back with us and sat outside and enjoyed the sunshine. By 4:30pm, the sun had already gone down behind the mountains and quickly got a lot colder. All in all, it was another good day. Tomorrow is supposed to be even warmer.

Tuesday we went to Copper Mtn. We found   the parking lot was only half filled. At the slopes, no lift lines and not many people skiing. It was a good start. One thing that changed was the installation of pass readers at every lift. No longer do you have to take your pass out and have the lift operator scan it. Again, another sunny day with temps in the mid 30s. Like Keystone, there were closed trails and several icy patches.

Monday, Jan. 15, started with temps around 4 degrees but was a lot colder and snowy in Denver . Conditions in Denver were completely different. Temps were below zero with snow and VERY slippery road conditions. The cold front bringing this weather was what they call a back door front. The really cold temps and snow stopped about 40 miles west of Denver in the foot hills. Since it was only cold in Dillon, we went to Keystone to ski. Conditions were so so. All of the resorts need a lot of snow. We skied about 2 hours and called it a day. Some trails were closed and many had slippery areas. In the afternoon, we did our laundry and then went to the Dam Brewery for happy hour and to meet many of our Colorado friends. Nothing new to report about the Dam. Still a great spot to drink. Also, I never new we had sidewalks. The front of our condo shows the impact of no snow.

Sunday morning, Jan 14, we went to mass and then to City Market and filled up with groceries for the coming week. The weather forecast called for falling temps and a slight chance of light snow. Since we were not going skiing today, we walked by the lake and saw a light fog. As it turned out later in the day, the fog was over areas that haven’t frozen over yet. In the 15 years we have been coming here, this is the first time for this. People we talked to expressed concern that the lake may not freeze over this year. That would put a damper on weekend activities on the lake. By the end of the day, no snow had fallen but temps dropped into the single digits. We picked up our skis and are now ready to ski on Monday.