Skiing Triple Digits: Days 67-72, Family Fun

On Days 67-72 of my Skiing Triple Digits Quest, I taught skiing six days in a row on a private lesson with an eight-year-old from New Jersey and his family. Despite a few falls and meltdowns, we had a blast, and it was fun for me to watch Leo’s progress throughout the week. We started out like this…ME: Do you remember how to turn? HIM: No. ME: Do you remember how to stop? HIM: No.

Yikes! So we started with stopping and turning, and by the end of the week, we were out skiing with poles and exploring Vail’s Porcupine Alley and Magic Forest. We survived full-on blizzard conditions at Beaver Creek, told each other corny jokes, and worked up to carving turns on blue groomers. Happy, happy times and lots of family fun!

Day 67: Sunday, February 16
Vail

Frozen condiments at Buffalo’s:

Day 68: Monday, February 17
Vail

Marshmallows, Eagle’s Nest hot chocolate break:

Day 69: Tuesday, February 18
Vail

Wildwood, of course:

Day 70: Wednesday, February 19
Vail

Whipped cream makes me smile:

Day 71: Thursday, February 20
Beaver Creek

Saved by another hot chocolate break:

Day 72: Friday, February 21
Beaver Creek

Crazy body tricks and jokes from kids keep me laughing all day long:

Want more backstory?
Read about the quest here:
Skiing Triple Digits: The Quest

Skiing Triple Digits: Days 62-66, Backyard | Slackcountry | Mountain

On Days 62-66 of the Triple Digits Quest, I flirted with the idea of getting in backcountry skiing shape, which meant that I skinned up Meadow Mountain with my dog Kai and realized that it’s been a while since I’ve been in that kind of shape. And then I just retreated back to a mountain with ski lifts and trails groomed for downhill skiing…

Day 62: Sunday, February 9
Vail, and the Minturn Mile

Skied with Antony at Vail and then skied the Minturn Mile to the saloon.

Day 63: Monday, February 10
Meadow Mountain

Skinned up Meadow Mountain and skied down with Kai.

Day 64: Wednesday, February 12
Vail, Level II Training Day

Worked on teaching progressions with amazing trainer Greg Kelly.

Day 65: Friday, February 14
Vail

Taught skiing at Vail.

Day 66: Saturday, February 15
Vail

Taught skiing at Vail.

Want more backstory?
Read about the quest here:
Skiing Triple Digits: The Quest

Skiing Triple Digits: Days 49-55, Vail and Local Backcountry

On Days 49-55 of my Skiing Triple Digits Quest, I skied a few days at Vail, and I also got outside for a few local backcountry and slackcountry adventures with friends and dogs. Here’s the breakdown:

Day 49: Saturday, January 18
Vail

Cruising through Porcupine Ally on Vail Mountain:

Day 50: Sunday, January 19
Vail…and evening hike-ski up Lake Creek

Skied at Vail during the day and then went for a skin up Lake Creek with Kai to catch this beautiful sunset. I skied down the tight trail in the dark–with a headlamp, and with Kai running behind me. Charmed evening adventure.

Day 51: Wednesday, January 22
Vail, Level II Training Day

Another certification training day at Vail. Besides loving skiing, I love the people I meet in the process–like Doug, here, who has also been training for his Pizza (PSIA) Level II cert.

Day 52: Thursday, January 23
Backcountry Day with Kreston and Kelli

Great bluebird backcountry day out with Kreston and Kelli and their dog Henry, in the shadow of Pacific Peak.

Day 53: Saturday, January 25
Vail

My trusty K2 skis at Eagle’s Nest.

Day 54: Sunday, January 26
Vail

Skiing Vail’s Black Forest Race Arena with kids.

Day 55: Tuesday, January 28
Backcountry-Slackcountry Day

A great day out with my tree-hugging gal-pal from Boulder.

Want more backstory?
Read about the quest here:
Skiing Triple Digits: The Quest

 

Skiing Triple Digits: Days 43-48, Hut Trip and Training Days

On Days 43-48 of my Skiing Triple Digits Quest, I went on a super-charmed hut trip to the High Lonesome Hut (Days 43-45) with Phil, Steph, Ant and the dogs Kai and Stella. We hiked in with lots of good food and drinks, and we had some fun adventures exploring the area and skiing laps on a little peak nearby. When I returned to Vail, I had a Level II training day (Day 46) and a two-day bumps clinic (Days 47-48) with John M., who really helped me improve my moguls skiing and teaching skills.

Day 43: Sunday, January 12
High Lonesome Hut Trip

Day 44: Monday, January 13
High Lonesome Hut Trip

Day 45: Tuesday, January 14
High Lonesome Hut Trip

Phil and Steph…engaged!

Day 46: Wednesday, January 15
Vail, Level II Training Day

Day 47: Thursday, January 16
Vail, PSIA Bumps Clinic

Day 48: Friday, January 17
Vail, PSIA Bumps Clinic

Want more backstory?
Read about the quest here:
Skiing Triple Digits: The Quest

Skiing Triple Digits: Days 38-42, Vail-area Adventures

Days 38-42 of the Skiing Triple Digits Quest took me on a Lake Creek Backcountry adventure with Kelli and Val (Day 38); a PSIA Level II Certification training day on Vail Mountain (Day 39); and ski days on Vail Mountain (Days 40-42), with one incredible powder day I shared with my gal-pal Tarrie (on Day 42):

Day 38: Monday, January 6
Lake Creek Backcountry

Hiking and skiing in the Lake Creek area with Kelli, Val, and the dogs…

Day 39: Wednesday, January 8
Vail, Level II Training Day

Day 40: Thursday, January 9
Vail

Day 41: Friday, January 10
Vail

Skiing in some pretty crappy conditions on Vail Mountain…

Day 42: Saturday, January 11
Vail

Amazing powder day skiing with Tarrie…

Super bright afternoon…so bright that I couldn’t see the screen on my phone, so I returned with several hilarious accidental selfies, like this one:

Want more backstory?
Read about the quest here:
Skiing Triple Digits: The Quest

Spring Skiing Tips and Party Locator

The weather here in Vail has been simply amazing, and I’m happy to say that the spring skiing season has arrived. No more of those freezing December temperatures…it’s all blue skies with warm Colorado sun shining down. Only one thing…does this mean that the ski season will soon be over?

Either way, I’m determined to enjoy the ski season, one day at a time, until the very end. I know that spring skiing can be challenging, so I wanted to share some “Tips for Spring Skiing” here on this Learnist board:

Spring is also a time in Colorado when you can find a good party or concert at just about any ski area. But if you want to hone in on the best of the spring break fun, then check out the “Colorado: Spring Skiing Party Central” board in order to determine which events you won’t want to miss:

Enjoy the spring skiing, wherever you are. Glide on!

Family Fun: East Vail Ice Climbing

My sister and I get up to some pretty good adventures, including ice climbing in East Vail, near where I live. Once when she was out visiting from New York, we got all geared up and headed out for some sisterly fun.

I stomped up a snow-filled gully to set up a top rope on an established anchor…

…and then I rappelled down so that we could take turns belaying each other on the climb.

Meanwhile, my sister was freezing her butt off while waiting because, well, ice climbing is a cold activity. But she looks cute, huh, like an ice princess here?

However, she was no princess on the climb. This girl can pull serious mental mojo out of that same freezing butt when necessary, and she picked her way to the top with relative ease:

If you haven’t tried ice climbing, it’s cold (obviously), challenging, and ultimately fun. But it’s the sort of thing you want to try for the first time with an experienced mentor or guide.

Thinking about giving ice climbing a try?
Check out these Learnist boards I created to learn more about ice climbing and required gear:

“Ice Climbing 101: A Beginner’s Guide”

“Essential Ice Climbing Equipment”

Vail 2013-2014 Ski Season Events: Are You Ready?

Vail opens up for skiing (officially, with ski lifts running and everything!) on November 22, 2013. Are you ready? Skis tuned? Gloves and hats and goggles located? You’ve got 11 days from today to get organized.

Get ready to enjoy Vail’s blue-bird days with your ski pals this winter:

From the beginning of the season, until the last day…

…Vail has something going on.

Mark your calendar with Vail’s 2013-2014 ski season highlights, all gathered here on this board I created for Learnist (click the link to go to the board):

“Vail, Colorado: 2013-2014 Ski Season Events Preview”

Learnist Climbing Boards: Clear Creek and Kelso Ridge

I’ve recently begin creating content for Learnist, which I would describe as “the Pintrist of learning.” I’m enjoying the web-trawling involved, and I’m learning a lot in the process of sharing my own “learnings.”

Last week, I returned to my home in Colorado’s Vail Valley, so it’s been a work of joy for me to share the beautiful places around here that have been the source of inspired adventures. I recently compiled sources related to Clear Creek Canyon’s climbing areas:

Clear Creek Canyon, near Golden, Colorado, is a place where I like to climb in the fall and spring months. It has several sport climbing locations that are easy to access, so it’s a fun place to go for a quick climb with Front Range friends.

Since 2008, I’ve lived in the Vail Valley–West Vail, then Avon, now Edwards, and the mountains around here have been a big inspiration. Yes, it’s supposed to snow here tomorrow, but one fall I was able to take advantage of warmer temps as I speed climbed up Kelso Ridge on Torreys Peak with my friend Rich. That experience inspired me to create a board about this route:

Enjoy exploring these boards…I hope they inspire you to go to these places or to seek out similar adventures of your own.

If you haven’t yet checked out the above links, click here to access these learning boards on Learnist:

Rock Climbing in Colorado’s Clear Creek Canyon

Colorado Fourteeners: Climbing Kelso Ridge on Torreys

Wet Snow Avalanche Destruction

During the winter in Colorado, a high mountain pass called Independence Pass remains closed for the season because the road weaves through an area with high avalanche potential. But each year in the spring, helicopter-aided avalanche control work is done on the area before it’s opened. Last Monday, May 13, as avalanche control work was being done, YouTube user “tmaspen” filmed the bombs being dropped. The footage is notable because it not only shows how helicopters can help in avalanche control but it also shows how big and destructive a wet avalanche can be:

Wet avalanches, sometimes called wet-snow or wet loose-snow avalanches, occur more frequently in the springtime as temperatures rise rapidly and saturate the winter snowpack with water.

Avalanches can be destructive at any time of the year, but when wet slides occur, they often move slower than their lighter winter counterparts; however, their increased water weight makes them have a high destructive force.

Here’s another example of a wet avalanche and its aftermath; this wet slab avalanche occurred last spring in Bridger Gully as avalanche control work was being done at Bridger Bowl Ski Area:

Want to know more about wet snow avalanches?
Read my article on the About.com Survival Skills website:
“Recognize and Survive Wet Snow Avalanche Conditions”