Overview:
I’ve returned from my first foray into the mountains! My jacket now boasts a small gold (looking…) Steamboat Springs pin for successfully skiing one of the gems of Colorado. Located in the Northwest corner of the state, Steamboat is about a 3 and 1/2 hour drive from Denver over some formidable terrain - including a mountain pass which accumulated a 13 car pile-up mere hours after my passing through. Along the valley ride you can see hollow tunnels dug straight into the mountainside by a previous generation’s gold miners. It occurred to me as we climbed North, West, and up, that this is Deadwood country, a thought which was verified as we drove by the gravesite for Wild Bill Hickok.
The ski mountain at Steamboat is set up like an upside-down triangle with a cluster of lifts, shops, and a gondola built into one mass loading area. Though anyone familiar with walking even small distances in ski boots would admire the efficiency of the setup, the high volume weekend made for real pandemonium. Luckily, there is a newly built wood patio and glass gazebo (complete with bar) overlooking the chaos. With the sun out and Colorado’s lax attitudes towards marijuana (radio: “get your medical license this Sunday at the Holiday Inn!”), it makes for great people watching.
At ten and a half thousand feet high, Steamboat is one TALL mountain. And for some, I’m sure scientific, reason it also gets a ton of snow. The mountain has a diverse set of runs including a lot of gnarly alpine skiing. Renowned for its “champagne powder,” I couldn’t really tell the difference. But the snow was deep and the mountain is a real treat.
Photos:
Here’s the part you’re all waiting for! And I must mention that I am proud of myself for accomplishing this: I got the pictures from my chest mounted camera onto my computer, formatted those into a slideshow, formatted the slideshow into a video, added music, and posted the video on YouTube. At the moment, the only audio I can add is pirated music (I’ll fix that soon..). Which means that the first 4 videos are brought to you by Old Crow Medicine Show! A favorite band of mine.
Follow me after the jump…
Video 1: Steamboat and Jay Peak’s The Jet Run, James River Blues
Photos were taken mostly on Steamboat’s Morningside lift line, though its also a compilation of odds and ends shots I took over the trip. Because the music was working particularly well, I included a series from Jay Peak’s The Jet run to wrap the video up. I enjoy the isolation you can have on a big mountain like Steamboat.
A special appearance by Evin Wick makes it into this post - he’s the guy you see as a tiny spec who makes his way towards the camera. The camera takes 1 shot every 2 seconds, so that’ll give you an idea of how fast he’s moving. Some of the guys I was skiing with were so fast the camera only caught one pic as they descended!
(remember to click the full screen icon on the YouTube video for best effect!)
Steamboat and Jay Peak’s The Jet Run
Video 2: Steamboat, A Sunny Ride, Highway Halo
Photos taken down the front of the mountain with the sun out and a canopy of clear blue sky. I love the way the entire valley opens up below the run and the long shadow cast by the AM sun.
This one was a lot of fun because I was essentially alone on the mountain in the early morning. Notice the beginning shot - thats from the top of Jay where a 30 person gondola drops you off.
Video 4: Jay Peak VT, The Beaver Creek Run, My Good Gal.
This is what Jay Peak is known for - alpine skiing. They keep these areas of the mountain somewhat shrub-free so that skiers can jump around in the trees without getting snarled in little bushes and such. However, this run was actually closed when I was there. No worries though, my faithful audience, their yellow rope and “warning signs” couldn’t stop Air Force Joe and I (AFJoe is the guy with the blue jacket who makes it into a couple shots). You can notice on the second run that a small audience built up watching us jump in. I picked a song about a deceitful woman for this movie because at one point on the first run the trail got me lost (it was the trails fault!) and I had to hike myself out a bit.
Skiing Colorado:
For a 20-something to ski Colorado without a free couch/bed/floor to sleep on would be financially impossible. Last year I shared a pullout couch with my buddy at his little-sister’s apartment at Vail. It was intimate. This year, I stayed at a friend’s family ranch 10 miles outside Steamboat, which was totally sick. But without a free bed I don’t know how you can make a trip to CO. affordable. There are, however, some tricks to cut costs which are good in any ski adventure: Bring beers - no one will call you out, no one will care. Just fill a pack with cans and dip in when you need to! Grab a water cup or ask for a cup at the bar, pour discreetly, and enjoy the same stuff everyone else is swilling at a quarter the cost. Don’t buy bad food (or, just bring your own!) - most of the cafe foods you can buy on mountain are meant for children. They’re usually poor quality and will leave you wishing you either hadn’t eaten them, or still hungry. If you have to eat on mountain, don’t follow your nose. You’re better off buying cereal than a burger and onion rings.
Wax your skis - this is important at any time, but the mountains out west are broad and often rely on long cat-walk traverses to get skiers from A to B. Sticky skis will leave you “skating” across the mountain in an unflattering sweaty waddle.
Product Review:
A couple products really made an impact for me this trip: Dermatone Skin Protector comes in a universally recognizable blue tin. Smear a small amount of the wax on your exposed skin (face) and forget about the elements! I earned a few high-fives for having some on hand when temperatures reached -20 degrees (?!?) on the 31st. While it can’t keep you “warm,” it probably saved someone from frostbite. Glove Liners. If you’re looking to pick up a new pair of winter gloves, I definitely recommend picking up a pair with separate liners. Full bulky gloves can’t clasp clasps or fiddle with pockets or god forbid light a cigarette; but with a pair of glove liners you can make gear adjustments without freezing your phalanges.
Forward Calendar (technically these have already happened, but not for you my dear readers!):
January 7th-9th, I headed up to the Canadian border to Jay Peak Vermont. Jay is one of my favorite mountains North of Boston and the trip will almost certainly be a blast because I’m skiing with Social Boston Sports! It will also be the first actual New England skiing I do this year. Blog post pending - it took me a while to figure out how to post those slideshows…
January 14th-17th, Friday I headed up to Sugarloaf Mountain in Carrabassett Valley Maine. I’ll be reviewing Boston Ski and Sports Club’s travel included ski experience!
The next post will compare/contrast Social Boston Sports (SBS) and Boston Ski and Sports Club (BSSC). Also, reviews of Jay Peak Mountain VT and Sugarloaf Mountain ME. Lastly, more slideshows from the Sugarloaf trip and also some live-action video!
So…
If you’re like me and grew a fleshy colored Spencer Pratt beard just to keep warm… stay tuned!
