Friday 01/31/14

It is being called a "Snowpocalypse" with 3 day snow totals between 28 and 41 inches. The snow for the most part is very light now and only 1-3 inches more is expected. The biggest problem now is just getting out of the parking lot. The plow came thru early this morning and only made one pass down the middle. Almost all of the residents, including myself, had to shovel to get to the clear path. Once out, the roadways are mostly passable with a lot of dirt being dropped to improve traction. I believe the biggest problem will be where to move the snow to. The piles are getting bigger and bigger. We will not be skiing but we will do our Saturday's wash today. And once that is done, we can then get ready to go to the Araphoe Cafe for mussels tonight. Hopefully the snow will stop tonight and Saturday will be a clear, sunny day.

Thursday 01/30/14

Well it had to happen. This morning we awoke to 12 inches of new snow and the snow still coming down. This could be the biggest snowfall in several years. Forecast calls for a total of 25-30 inches before it stops. I took Benny out for his morning walk and almost lost him in the snow. The roads and parking lot hadn't been plowed yet so it was all POWER. Later in the morning the parking lot plow came by and plowed me in. I wasn't fast enough to get there and move it.

With snow still coming down at lunch time, we decided to go to Keystone and try out our Power Skiing skills. The path way at the Mountain house was blocked with mounds of snow waiting to be removed. As we took the lift to the top, we agreed to only stay on green trails. As we skied down, the snow covered our skis and booths. The skiing is far different than plain old downhill skiing. We lasted about 1 hour and then home and then to the Dam Brewery.

At 7:30pm, it is still snowing with about 20 inches of snow on the ground. Can't wait until tomorrow morning to see how much accumulated overnight.

Wednesday 01/29/14

This morning it was partly sunny and as I looked to the west, clouds were starting to move in. But by 9:30am, it was the start of another sunny and mild day. We went to Copper Mtn and skied the Center Village area. The American Flyer and the American Eagle lifts had very few people riding the lifts. We went to the top of Copper via the Excelerator lift. From there you have a 360 degree via of the surrounding mountains. At the top is also the First aid and Communications center. We skied down to the bottom via the Copperopolis trail. I am still amazed at the few people that are out skiing. We went to lunch about 1:30pm and when we left the clouds moved in and a lite snow started to fall. The forecast still calls for a MAJOR snow storm. By 4pm, the snow started to intensify. We will have to just wait and see.

Tuesday 01/28/14

Last night we went to the Dam Brewery to make skiing and Super Bowl arrangements with our friends. Because of the snow last night, we couldn't set up ski arrangements.

We awoke this morning to about 4 inches of new snow and very cold temps ( -4 degrees). We waited until 10am when the temp rose to +5 and started off to Keystone. At Keystone, it was still below zero but we put on our ski boots and went up the Peru lift. After skiing 1 run on the front side, we skied over to North Peak. The snow was really good and we had ALL of the trails to ourselves. There were fewer people here than at Copper Mt yesterday. We lasted in the cold temps till 2pm and then went home. As we turned on the Weather Channel, tomorrow's forecast came on for a major snow storm starting in the afternoon and lasting until Friday morning. We have heard this kind of report before, so it is a wait and see.

Monday 01/27/14

We had a beautiful sunrise mixed between the clouds. It looked like snow was on its way. We went to Copper Mtn and had the trails to ourselves. Around 11:30am, the clouds lowered and it started to snow. By 1pm, we were skiing in power. Hopefully we will get several inches of snow today. It is starting to cover up the ice. As we were coming down one of the trails, we found a snow cat that was having operational trouble. Hope it is fixed by tonight so that it can be used to groom the trails. I see where the forecast for Super Bowl Sunday is changing for the better. Lets hope so.

Sunday 01/26/14

12 days in a row of total sunshine mild/cool temperatures. Maybe lucky 13 will bring some snow. After mass we decided to go to Copper Mt to look for Shaun White at the Half Pipe run. While we didn't see Shaun, we had a wonderful vantage look at the Half Pipe. The weekend crowds were starting to leave and the lift lines were getting smaller. The winds started to pick up in the afternoon and we could see the runs getting icy. We moved our seats over to Center Village to watch the newest kid's game - The rolling Bubble. You climb inside and they roll you around center court. At the end of the day we went to Araphoe Cafe for burgers and watched the clouds start to roll in. Let It Snow.

Saturday 01/25/14

What can I say. Another beautiful day. Morning temps around 20 and afternoon around 32. The wind did pick up, so our walk around the lake was a bit cool. We did our Saturday chores of food shopping and laundry. This evening we will going over a friend's house for dinner. Otherwise, just laying on the couch and watching the basketball games. I was able to take a panorama picture from a ledge by the lake.

Friday 01/25/14

Another morning of sunshine and a little colder. At 7:30am, it was -4 degrees. But by 9am, with the sun shinning brightly, it rose to 10 degrees. We went to Copper Mt where we found the parking lots a little more crowded. Later in the afternoon, we found out that Shaun White was going to appear and demonstrate his snow boarding skills. Unfortunately, we didn't see him. We skied the west trails where the signs indicate skiing conditions from green trails to double EX diamond trails. The next chance for snow is Monday (????). The big news story from the Denver newspapers is the long range weather forecast for the Super Bowl. Right now the papers are saying it will be between 28-35 degrees and rain/sleet and snow. Good luck to NJ

Thursday 01/23/14

Yes, we had our first snow in 9 days. However, it was only a dusting and when the sun came out at 9am, the snow quickly disappeared. By 10am, no trace of the snow could be found. Down in Denver, they had 2 inches which fell during rush hour. We went to Keystone skiing, and I am not sure any snow fell at the resort. Again, there weren't many people at the resort skiing. I took a picture of the lift lines at 12 noon and the trails were empty. The snow will not keep us from going to the Dam Brewery tonight.

Wednesday 01/22/14

Yes, another sunny and mild day in the morning. We went to Copper Mtn. where the skiing was awesome. If we saw 5 people on the same trails as us, that was a lot. Trails were groomed and we had first tracts. By the Timberline Express lift, chairs were out for people to enjoy the afternoon sun. After skiing for several hours, we headed back to the Copper Mtn resort for cocktails. I have sent emails to my friends back East to send some of their COLD and SNOW out here.

Tuesday 01/21/14

As I was waking up this morning, I was listening to the weather channel and the potential for snow and bitter cold temps back EAST. All we have is another morning of beautiful sunshine and mild temps. Our condo parking lot is empty. All of the weekend visitors are gone. We went to Copper Mtn and had most of the ski trails to ourselves. One interesting thing at Copper Mtn is that many of the restrooms are like out-houses set back from the restaurant area. When we returned I got an update on the EAST coast weather and then I received a picture from my neighbor showing all the snow that has fallen. Maybe someone will package the snow up and send it WEST. Maybe your snow will melt in a couple of days.

Monday 01/20/14

Another sunny and mild morning. It is the last day of the MLK weekend and hopefully the crowds will all be going home in the afternoon. We just relaxed and did some house chores. Glenna was having a small problem with her skis and we brought them back to get re-tuned. In the afternoon we went for a walk by the lake. One thing that the town clears of snow besides the roadways are the bike/running/walk paths.  In the evening we went to the Dam Brewery and made arrangements to met some of our friends at Copper Mt on Tuesday.

Sunday 01/19/14

Saturday night we went to mass and after mass we attended a spaghetti  dinner sponsored by the Knights of Columbus. For $10 you received a 6 course meal and you met a lot of visitors.

Sunday morning it was a beautiful sunrise with sunny and clear conditions. We decided to go to Keystone to ski. We were able to ski until 10:30am, before the weekend crowds showed up. At that point we called it a day. Because of the Denver - New England game starting at 1pm, we quickly changed and went to the Red Mountain Grill to watch the game. At the bar, I was surrounded by 100's of Denver fans and the 1 or 2 New England fans were booed. Now I have to listen to the Denver talk for another 2 weeks.

Saturday 01/18/14

Last night we did go to the Arapahoe Cafe for mussels and chicken wings. Total bill was $27 which included drinks, food and tip. This is one of my favorite places.

This morning it was sunny and mild with temps around 20. As I looked at the web cam for A-Basin, you can see the crowds arriving early to take advantage of the conditions This weekend is also the start of the MLK holiday. There will be many more people skiing than usual. However, we do not normally ski on the weekend and our chores for today are the wash and going to the store. This will keep us busy on Saturday.

Friday 01/17/14

Last night we went to our favorite local bar - The Dam Brewery, where we met many of our
friends. In fact one of them told us we better make reservations at JJ's in Copper Mt for Fat
Tuesday on March 4th. Reservations are going quick.

This morning it was a beautiful day. Sunny with temps in the low teens. As to start your lift ride up

the mountain you go over the snow boarder's park. The kids are all out there testing their limits.

As we started to ski we again had many of the trails to ourselves. We skied for about 3 hours

straight and went to lunch where we saw many boarders and skis hanging out enjoying the sun.

At the end of the day, you always see someone being taken down the mountain in a sled. 

You just hope it isn't YOU. Tonight we go to the Arapahoe Cafe for mussels, beers and wine.

Thursday 01/16/14 - First Day of Skiing

Thursday is our first day of skiing. It was a sunny but cold morning. Temps were around
8 degrees. After having breakfast, we started out around 9:15am and headed for the
Keystone Ski Resort. After parking the car and getting over to the Mountain House, the
very first sign we saw was:

This didn't stop us. We had a great day skiing and there wasn't many people either at the mountain
house or on the slopes. In the late afternoon, the wind picked up with gusts of over 40MPH. We are
now getting ready to go to our favorite bar, - The Dam Brewery.