Vail

The weather and snow reports sounded ideal, so I went back up to the mountains on Monday. I have a friend, Kate, who is a ski instructor at Vail, and she can get $30 passes for friends. Turns out I chose the best possible day to take advantage of the offer. Monday was the day after a multiple foot storm the lasted several days. The wind was almost nonexistent, the skies bluebird, and the temperatures cold to preserve the powder. Vail has an unbelievable amount of skiable powder terrain - so much so that one could get fresh tracks for two days after a storm if one were so inclined. Vail acknowledges this prime powder terrain by failing to groom any paths in their back bowls. It was one of those perfect ski days that most people only dream about.

The next day, Kate and I went on a short backcountry trip up on Vail Pass. We skied a mellow ridge of untracked, well-preserved snow, sinking knee-deep on every turn. As the kids would say these days, it was totally sick.