Aspen, Colorado • February 2016

Andy White and I left Columbia at 1:30 AM in hopes of beating a snow storm that was going to hit the High Plains on Monday, February 1st.  We were mostly successful as we made it to our destination in plenty of time, but we did encounter some challenging conditions along the way.  It started snowing while we were still in western Kansas.  Things were pretty slow-going from Limon, Colorado all the way to Basalt, Colorado, our home base for a week of skiing at the world-class ski resorts of Aspen.

We arrived in snowy Basalt on Monday afternoon and were able to check-in to our lodgings at the Aspenalt Lodge before heading to the rental shop to grab our gear.  After getting settled into our lodgings for the week, we crashed early as we were exhausted from our long road trip.

Day 1: Snowmass
We woke up to 20" of new snow after 40" had fallen in the two days prior.  This was going to be some of the best skiing conditions I had ever experienced.  I was trying out a set of Super 7 powder skis.  We started at the Elk Camp Gondola and then hopped on the Elk Camp Quad to the top of Elk Camp.  Our first run was Bull Run which was groomed but had a nice layer of fresh snow on top and lots of snow along the edges of the run.  We then hit Sandy Park and Gunner's View down the other side of Elk Camp and made our way down to the Alpine Springs lift.  We rode the Alpine Springs-High Alpine lift combo and came down the black groomer known as The Edge which spilled into Lunkerville all the way back to Alpine Springs.  We rode the lift back up and then took a lunch break at Gwyn's High Alpine Restaurant.

After lunch, we headed to the Big Burn for a couple of laps there (Whispering Jesse and Sneaky's) and then skied the length of Slot in the Sam's Knob/Campground area.  Slot was also groomed but had plenty of snow on it.  We then did runs on Max Park to Trestle to Coffee Pot to traverse back to the other side of Snowmass.  We made another trip down The Edge and headed back to Elk Camp where we started the day to see if Long Shot was open.  It was!

Long Shot at Snowmass

Both Andy and I were licking our chops at the opportunity to ski the length of the longest ski run in the country at 5.3 miles.  Long Shot proved to be a little more than we bargained for on our first full day in the mountains as the short hike took our breath away (literally!) and then our poor legs had to deal with 5 miles of very deep powder.  We were also disappointed not to get much of a view from the top as it was snowing and there was virtually no visibility.  Despite all of that, we very much enjoyed the beautiful glade and found Long Shot to be somewhat of a unique experience though neither of us cared for the long runout at the bottom of the Two Creeks area.

We took a break at the Two Creeks Café before catching the lift back up to the Elk Camp mid-mountain area.  We ended the day by coming down Adams Avenue to Slider to Funnel Bypass.  Favorite Run: The Edge.  Vertical Feet: 25,500.

Day 2: Aspen Mountain
Got on the gondola right at 9:00 AM for the trip to the top and warmed up with a run down Silver Bell.  After a quick ride back to the top on the Ajax Express, we really got things going by taking Copper Bowl all the way to the bottom.  The snow was soft and the freshly groomed run with 3,200 vertical feet was a great way to kick things into gear.

Horribly crowded slopes at Aspen Mountain

After riding the gondola back up to the top, Andy and I explored the upper portion of Aspen by lapping the Ajax lift skiing such runs as 1 & 2 Leaf (easiest run at Aspen), Pussyfoot, Buckhorn, Midway Road, Tourtelotte Park, and Gretl's before stopping at the Sundeck for a brief lunch break.  We then skied down Spar Gulch to the base, and hopped on the bus over to Buttermilk.

While I had skied the Aspen area three years ago, I had never been to Buttermilk before.  I was pleasantly surprised with what the small area had to offer.  The leftover powder at Buttermilk was shocking.  After a quick introduction to Buttermilk down Westward Ho, we then found more than enough powder on the beautiful Buckskin trail.

Andy considering what line to take through the powder at Buttermilk

I then skied Javelin and Timber Doodle Glade before taking a break at Buttermilk's Cliffhouse Restaurant.  We finished up the day by skiing Teaser, Savio to Columbine, and then Bear to Columbine.  Buttermilk had plenty of fun stuff to ski and I enjoyed every run there.  I was pretty tired as I'm just not used to skiing so much powder.

Favorite runs: Gretl's (Aspen), Javelin (Buttermilk).  Vertical Feet: 23,000.

Day 3: Snowmass
We started the morning by taking the Village Express lift up to Sam's Knob and then skied the entire Campground run.  I followed that up with a run down Bearclaw which looked like it had nice powder, but it was a bit crusty for my taste.

The View from Campground at Snowmass

We made our way over to the Big Burn where we lapped that area by enjoying Dallas Freeway, Mick's Gully, and then Sheer Bliss.  It was absolutely shocking how few people were in this area as we had the gentle intermediate terrain all to ourselves.

Dallas Freeway (all to ourselves)

Mick's Gully (again, to ourselves)

Sheer Bliss (gorgeous run with no one enjoying it)

As you can see, we pretty much had the whole Big Burn area to ourselves.  The sun had softened up the snow and everything was skiing very nicely.  We took the Alpine Springs lift up and stopped in at Gwyn's for lunch.

After lunch, we skied Green Cabin from the top of High Alpine then took the Cirque lift all the way to the top of Snowmass.

View from 12,500 feet

We took a leisurely path down Rocky Mountain High and Sheer Bliss all the way down to Alpine Springs, where we took two lifts back up to High Alpine so that we could ski down The Edge.  I ended up skiing all the way down to the bottom of Snowmass.  Though I was tired and it was getting close to the end of the day, I took one more ride up Village Express and came down Ute Chute which feeds into all of the lower green runs.  That's when I saw where everyone was.  My goodness...it was a madhouse down there.

Favorite Run: Sheer Bliss.  Vertical Feet: 23,700.

Day 4: Aspen Highlands
On my first trip to Aspen, I fell in love with Highlands.  This being my second trip to the area, I wondered if Highlands would be as magical as I remembered it.  Well...it was.  It's difficult to say exactly why I like this particular mountain so much, but I think it's a combination of factors all of which culminate in a very satisfying ski experience.  Highlands has breathtaking scenery, incredible ski runs for all abilities, and virtually no crowds.  When I'm on a ski vacation, those are the things I am looking for and Aspen Highlands nails them all.

Clouds obscuring the Maroon Bells at Aspen Highlands

We started out the morning by warming up on the green run Prospector and then stepped things up with a blistering run down some pristine corduroy on Golden Horn and Thunderbowl.

Golden Horn at Aspen Highlands

We then headed all the way to the top of Highlands and enjoyed cruising down Kandahar.  We pretty much hit all parts of the mountain through the course of the day and even stopped to take in the amazing scenery along the way.  Some of the runs that I skied were Robinson's Run, Suzi Q., Upper Stein, Alps, Meadows, Hayden, Scarlett's Run, Deane's, Grand Prix.

Navigating the moguls of Scarlett's Run

I had intended to hike the Highland Bowl, but chickened out due to my less than stellar hike up to the top of Long Shot earlier in the week.

Pyramid Peak from the Ski Patrol Deck

Favorite Runs: Golden Horn and Scarlett's.  Vertical Feet: 26,100.

Day 5: Aspen Mountain
I got a bit more ambitious at Aspen today which allowed me to really appreciate this mountain.  I knew I was wanting to try out some of the runs on Bell Mountain, but the day ended up being more than I expected as I also spent some time in the glades off of Gentleman's Ridge.  I started the day going top-to-bottom on North Star to Copper Bowl and then hitting Back of Bell #1 on a second run all the way down.  The moguls on Back of Bell #1 were fairly soft and made for some fun skiing with enough challenge to make me want to come back for more.  But before I was going to tackle some more difficult terrain, we headed over to the Ruthie's side for a couple of laps down that legendary run.  I skied both Ruthie's Run and Roch Run before heading back down to the bottom to catch the gondola back to the top for a lunch break at the Sundeck.

View of the upper half of Aspen Mountain from Ruthie's Run

After lunch, I hit it hard by doing the Bell to Gentleman's combo, starting down Seibert's and then skiing down Glade #1 off of Gentleman's Ridge.  I followed that up with Face of Bell down to the FIS lift which then led to International and Short Snort, a fairly steep run with gigantic moguls which feeds down into Spar Gulch.  I noticed that my legs were wearing down, but I took one more trip up to the top.  My last run at Aspen Mountain was Knowlton's to Jackpot.  I really enjoyed Jackpot, but wish my legs had held up a little stronger as I felt like I didn't ski it very well.  Aspen has some pretty nice terrain and I grew to really like what it had to offer.  It was encouraging to be able to ski legitimate double-black runs and not look like a complete fool.  And those views just never get old.

Favorite Run: Face of Bell.  Vertical Feet: 21,800.

Day 6: Aspen Highlands

It was our last day of skiing and we were going to hop in the car and drive home from the slopes.  As a result, I wanted to have fun but not exert myself too much.  We spent the day exclusively on groomers as I worked on honing my technique from some of the things I had been working on the day before in the steep stuff.  We lapped the Loge Peak lift a number of times as the snow up top was just about perfect, sticking to the different blue runs under that lift and a few under the Cloud Nine lift.  It was a gorgeous day and I took advantage of it by taking some photos of the surrounding mountains.

Maroon Bells from Aspen Highlands

It was a great last day to an outstanding ski trip.  I left feeling satisfied and encouraged that my skiing showed some signs of improvement over the course of the week.

Favorite Run: Hayden.  Vertical Feet: 20,200.

Random Thoughts

I had a great time at Aspen, but on this trip spent very little time in town.  Even though Aspen is known for its night life and aprés scene, I was there for the skiing and it certainly delivers lots of great skiing at the four unique mountains.

Staying in Basalt turned out to be one of the pleasant surprises of the trip.  I was very pleased with the accommodations at the Aspenalt Lodge and thought Basalt was a great little town with plenty of personality.  I had dinner at the Riverside Grill on the banks of the Frying Pan River almost every night and felt like it provided good food and a nice atmosphere for about what I'm used to paying back home for similar fare.

Frying Pan River from the Riverside Grill Restaurant

I had made a makeshift Bucket List for this ski trip which consisted of: (1) Hike and Ski the Highland Bowl (Highlands), (2) Ski one of the Back of Bells (Aspen), (3) Hike and Ski Long Shot (Snowmass), and (4) Ski one of the Cirque runs (Snowmass).  I did (2) and (3), but not (1) and (4).  Oh well, it was still a great ski trip and maybe I'll hike the Highland Bowl on my next trip to Aspen.

After my first day, I swapped out the Super 7s for a pair of Rossignol Sin 7s and still consider this to be my favorite all-around ski.  It really does perform well in everything.  I haven't found a ski that even comes close to it.  The Super 7s felt bulky and didn't seem to provide any better help in the deep stuff.

Sun Valley/Utah - January 2016

This was the year I bought my first Mountain Collective pass and I was determined to make it count.  I got my pass early and elected to take my bonus day at Aspen (which meant I had to go, right?).  My first trip this season was going to be a return to Utah, but with a side-trip to either Sun Valley or Jackson Hole since those are within driving distance.  I had been to Jackson Hole before, but never Sun Valley.  I had also heard that Sun Valley was right up my alley offering steep runs groomed to perfection.  My wife and I planned a five-day ski tour which would start at Sun Valley and end at Little Cottonwood Canyon.

DAY 1: Sun Valley, Idaho

Upon arriving at the River Run base, I was immediately impressed with the steepness of Bald Mountain and the congeniality of the Sun Valley staff as I was given a wagon to wheel my gear from the parking lot to the lodge.  My wife and I grabbed some breakfast at the River Run Lodge and then hopped on the lower lift to begin our ski season.  We warmed up going down Lower River Run just to make sure that we remembered how to ski and then ramped things up from there.  By the time the day was over, I hit runs such as College, Flying Squirrel, Lower Picabo's, Limelight, Warm Springs, Greyhawk, Hemingway, Christmas Ridge, Christmas Bowl, Christin's Silver, Mayday Bowl, Sigi's Bowl, Blue Grouse and Canyon.  Enjoyed lunch at Seattle Ridge Lodge and finished the day skiing around 27,000 vertical feet.

DAY 2: Sun Valley, Idaho

Began the cold day taking the Roundhouse Gondola and Christmas Express to the top and then came down Upper College to check out the Frenchman's area.  Came straight on down Graduate/Undergraduate and found that I enjoyed the slight change of pace that the Frenchman's area provided.  Moved over to the Warm Springs area for a few runs (Flying Squirrel, Lower Picabo's, International, Cozy, Limelight).  Stopped for a break at the Lookout Restaurant (GREAT tacos!) to warm my toes.  Did one more run on the Warm Springs side then spent the rest of the day in the middle area (Janss Pass, Graduate, Canyon, Blue Grouse, River Run, Olympic, Christmas Ridge).  Finished my day with 30,500 vertical feet.

DAY 3: Snowbasin, Utah

I spent a day at Snowbasin last year and enjoyed it enough to return even though I'd actually have to pay for a lift ticket.  It was pretty overcast and lightly snowing to begin the day.  I took the Needles Gondola up and immediately headed over to Strawberry.  Our first run down was fabulous.  There was a couple of inches of new snow on top of the runs that had been groomed and it was A TON softer than what we had been skiing on at Sun Valley.  We took the Strawberry Traverse over to Main Street.  It was exceptionally good.  On the ride back up the gondola the clouds started rolling in creating a visibility problem which the Strawberry area is known for.  We took the Coyote Bowl route down, but it was pretty hairy as bodies were everywhere and no one could see a thing.  I lapped the area three more times before taking a little break in hopes that things would clear up.  It never did.  We got out of Strawberry via Penny Lane and returned to the main area.  It was a Sunday and we were a bit overwhelmed with the crowding that occurred at the Needles base upon our return to that part of the resort.  I took a very cold ride up the John Paul lift and an equally cold trip down Wildflower Downhill.  After taking a break for lunch, I returned to the Needles Gondola and the sun began breaking through.  My wife and I then enjoyed a very special afternoon getting to know Snowbasin and all that it has to offer.  24,000 vertical feet.

DAY 4: Alta, Utah

Spent the night at Goldminer's Daughter and had the difficult commute to Collins to begin this cold Monday morning.  Warmed up on Main Street and noticed that the snow here at Alta was firmer than what we had skied at Snowbasin the day before.  It was a bluebird day and I had so much fun exploring the mountain, mainly sticking to the groomers in the morning and then venturing out in the sunny afternoon.

Sunspot was especially nice and soft as the afternoon sun hit it.  I kept coming back to that run finding different ways to get there each time.  I typically don't enjoy long traverses, but know full well that's part of what makes Alta...Alta.  25,300 vertical.

DAY 5: Snowbird, Utah

I was skiing solo today as my wife decided to take the day off since she worried about whether or not she was good enough to enjoy herself at Snowbird.  I began at Alta and the Collins lift, bombed down Roller Coaster to the Sugarloaf lift and was in Mineral Basin just a hair after 9:30.  It was another bluebird day and Mineral Basin is just a beautiful sight to see.

I spent most of the morning taking various routes down Mineral Basin, loving each and every line.  Though there's not all that much vertical to be had, I do love skiing in Mineral Basin.  There was hardly anyone there (as you can see from the photos above) and I really enjoyed having room to roam in such a scenic setting.  After six laps, I then hit Regulator Johnson.  It was pretty firm, and I had the run all to myself.  I ventured over to the Gad 2 lift before coming back to Little Cloud.  I noticed that Mark Malu had been groomed and I had never taken the Road to Provo traverse before, so I thought I would check it out.  The snow on Mark Malu was fantastic...groomed, but oh so very soft.  I kept going back there.  I finally made my way down to the base of Snowbird, but mainly stuck with the Peruvian Express as I find the Tram a bit of a hassle.  I did numerous laps on the Peruvian side before heading all the way back up and over.  Here I am towards the end of the day from the deck of the new Hidden Peak Lodge.

Since I had the Alta/Bird pass due to the Mountain Collective, I made my way back to the Alta side and noticed that it was definitely busier there at Alta.  I finished the day by making a quick Alta circuit (a run off Supreme, a run off Sugarloaf and then returning to the Goldminer's Daughter by taking Saddle down to the Wildcat base.  39,000 vertical feet.

RANDOM THOUGHTS:

• SUN VALLEY: I am so glad that I visited Sun Valley, but was overall not impressed.  It was a great place for my wife to gain some confidence as pretty much the whole mountain is steep (even the green runs!), but there was just too much sameness to everything.  Just about every run was straight, steep, and groomed.  There were a few exceptions...but only a few.  My favorite run was either Christmas Ridge or International.  I have always wanted to visit Sun Valley because I thought of myself as someone who loves steep groomers.  While that is true, I learned something about myself on this trip and that is that I value variation and unique terrain over just a zoomer groomer paradise.
• SNOWBASIN: I love this place!  In fact, I can't think of a more fun place to ski.  While I've always been inclined to name Telluride and Aspen Highlands as my two favorite spots, there was something about this trip to Snowbasin where I discovered just how playful this area is.  And not just that, it has everything you could want.  Favorite run: Hard to name just one as I love Coyote Bowl, Wildcat Bowl and Grizzly Downhill.
• ALTA: Can't hold a candle to Sun Valley in the vertical department, but has so much more personality, in my opinion. Favorite runs: Roller Coaster and Saddle.
• SNOWBIRD: This is a wonderful place to ski, and the Cirque is a pretty unique area here in the U.S. for advanced skiers.  With well-placed fast lifts, it's pretty amazing how much skiing you can do here...especially on a weekday.  Favorite runs: Mark Malu Fork, Primrose Path, and Powder Paradise.
• ALTA/BIRD CONNECT: One of the many great things about the Mountain Collective is that your two days in Utah are Alta/Bird days.  It is fascinating how close these two areas are and yet how different they are from one another.  On my last day of this trip, I started at Alta, spent most of the day at Snowbird, and then finished at Alta.  I love both of these areas and I love how unique they both are...enjoying both of them on the same day was special.
• GOLDMINER'S DAUGHTER: In my one prior trip to Utah, I stayed in downtown Salt Lake City and just drove to the various mountains each day.  Due to a considerable amount of positive feedback regarding the lodges at Alta, I decided to change things up and spring for slope-side accommodations.  Holy freakin' cow!  This was the highlight of the trip.  The meals were great...the location was great.  It's going to be VERY VERY hard to go back to Utah and NOT stay at one of the lodges.  I can't tell you how much my wife and I enjoyed it.  The only downer (and this is really mild) was that the saloon there was beer-only.  My wife likes wine and not beer and would have to wait until dinner until she could have a glass as opposed to enjoying one right after skiing.

Sorry for the length.  If any of you read this whole thing, I am amazed.  I'll leave you with a couple of pictures of my wife and me at Alta,

Wyoming • March 2015

It was Spring Break of my biggest ski season ever and I was planning to hit the biggest and baddest of them all: Jackson Hole, Wyoming.  I was wanting to introduce my sons to some skiing out West and this was just the opportunity.  I invited my dad along to join us and he readily accepted.  The plan was to drive out from Missouri, spend the first night with the Clementis in Lincoln, Nebraska, before driving the rest of the way to Jackson, Wyoming.

We left Columbia on a Saturday afternoon and arrived in Lincoln close to 6:00 in the evening.  We went out to eat at one of the Clementis' favorite places (Raising Canes), then returned to their place for some recreation (a little ping-pong and a little March Madness).  My boys had a fun time playing with Ryan as well.  We went to bed at a decent hour then blasted out of there on Sunday morning at 5:30 AM.

Our drive was mostly uneventful as we made good time traveling west on I-80.  Once we hit the mountains in Wyoming, the scenery made the drive go by rather nicely.  Our travel time from Lincoln to Jackson was exactly 13 hours, as we arrived at 5:30 PM local time -- just in time for us to pick up our rental equipment.

Upon grabbing our ski gear, we then checked into our accommodations for the week -- The Hostel right at the Jackson Hole base area.  The price and location were hard to beat.  Even though my initial impression was not a positive one, I ultimately determined that the Hostel was the perfect place for our stay there at Jackson Hole.  If I ever return, the Hostel would be my preferred place to stay.

We had a decent dinner at the Spur (right there in Teton Village) that first night before retiring to our room for the evening.

Day 1: Jackson Hole
The weather was awfully nice for being outside, but a little too nice for skiing as the snow was bulletproof hard early on and quickly became slushy as the temperatures rose and the sun beat down on the south-facing mountain.  Both of my sons were taking lessons so I had the day to myself to get to know Jackson Hole.  So off I went.  I rode the Bridger Gondola up and made my maiden voyage down the Jackson face on the Sundance run which was very firm, but no too bad for a warm-up run.  After taking the gondola up a second time, I headed over to the Casper chair to see how things looked there.  I made the mistake of following some skiers who looked like they knew where they were going by hanging a right at the top the chair and taking the Moran Traverse.  The Traverse turned into more than I bargained for as it ended in a cliffed-out area with very little coverage.  This was a rather ominous introduction to Jackson Hole.  I had to do a bit of creative traversing to make my way out of the Moran Face area over to the Apres Vous runs.  Once there, I enjoyed the gentle terrain of Moran and Werner on the Apres Vous lift.

I noted that the few blue runs I had seen thus far here at JHMR had a decent pitch to them and would not be ideal runs for tentative skiers wanting to make the transition from green to blue.  (I was scouting out the the terrain to see if I would be able to bring my sons up onto the mountain on subsequent days.)

I headed back up the gondola and headed down Amphitheater to the Thunder lift.  I enjoyed the views of some of the steeper terrain on this lift.  I skied down Grand and took Sublette up.  I took two trips down the Rendezvous Trail which even though groomed, had what I thought to be the best snow on the mountain.  I eventually took the traverse over to lower Gros Ventre.  I spent the last hour hanging out at the Teewinot Lift to ski with my dad and sons.

Day 2: Jackson Hole
I spent the morning with my sons on the Teewinot lift.  Two inches of new snow had been reported and it continued to snow throughout the day.  Jackson Hole's beginner area is limited to the Teewinot lift.  I love the fact that this lift is a detachable quad, but the terrain is pretty much all the same and it is super-easy.  My boys were itching to head up the mountain to try something different so I took them up Sweetwater and then Casper to see how they would fare going down Easy Does It, which seemed to me to be the easiest blue at JHMR.  Unfortunately, this run was extremely crowded and the snow picked up considerably causing some low visibility as bumps were beginning to form.  My sons struggled the whole way down.  We took a much-needed break at Casper's Restaurant before heading down the traverse to get back to the bottom where they spent the rest of the day while I took a few laps on the gondola (Sundance and Gros Ventre) before calling it a day.

Day 3: Jackson Hole
POWDER!!!  12" of new snow and I was there at Jackson Hole.  I was waiting for just this opportunity to take the Tram to the top.  However, just about everyone at Jackson had the same idea.  It was quite the ride though as Led Zeppelin and Blue Oyster Cult were cranking through the speakers.  All of Rendezvous Bowl was tracked-out by 10:30 AM.  The snow up on top was in great shape though and I really enjoyed my first time ever skiing from the top of Jackson.  I also ventured down Laramie Bowl which was also skiing nicely on this beautiful morning.

Unfortunately, the day warmed up and things were getting pretty soft towards the bottom.  I spent a little time at the Apres Vous area before meeting up with the boys to ski the rest of the day with them.  We lunched at Casper's and spent the rest of the day on the traverses as they were wanting to see a little more of the mountain.  Overall, great day.

Day 4: Grand Targhee

We made the one hour drive over to Grand Targhee and I am so glad that we did as I really enjoyed this ski area.  I thought the beginner's area was a significant improvement, even though the Shoshone lift was a slow one.  My sons had a blast skiing through the trees and checking out the other terrain features on display there in the Kids Fun Zone.  As for the rest of the mountain, I was impressed with the wide open feel and numerous options to explore all sorts of different terrain from the three lifts.  Targhee serves up some nicely pitched runs, though not quite as steep as what you will find at Jackson Hole.  While the day was partly sunny, Grand Teton was never visible as it was hidden behind a cloud all day.

Perhaps my favorite thing about Targhee though was the lack of other skiers.  I felt like I pretty much had the whole place to myself.  It was pretty remarkable, especially compared to Jackson Hole which definitely felt crowded at times.  Grand Targhee is a great family location and one I would love to return to some day.