Kimmyt
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Before heading out to Breck decided to enjoy the fine Colorado weather and took a day trip to Shelf Road to do some single-pitch sport cragging with the gorgeous Sangre de Cristos in the background.
The next morning, headed to Breck to enjoy some very fine and sunny conditions for the next 3 days.
For 3 days, the morning dawned brilliant and warm. By mid- to late-afternoon the clouds had come in, but it stayed warm. Conditions ranged from very nice loosely packed powder on Day 1 to crunchy groomed in the mornings of Days 2 and 3, then warming to firm slush and more packed powder in the afternoons. Windblown conditions on the tops of Peak 7 (accessable from the Imperial Lift via traverse) created a lovely powder-field during early morning of Day 3 which enabled some face-shots (a first for me!).
The traverse from Imperial Lift over the top of Peak 7
Moguls were big and soft, which was good because I took my first full-day mogul lesson. It was frustrating for me, because the first half of the day I felt like I was 'getting it', but then in the afternoon I just couldn't seem to keep up with the rest of the class and was getting easily frustrated at myself.
Link to a video of The Boy cruising down Crystal under the Peak 10 chair at Breck.
The next day (day 3) however I was set on working on what I'd learned, and spent most of the morning on the ungroomed moguls around 6 chair and the Imperial Lift. I felt like I was finally getting it, or at least wasn't falling and was managing to make several turns with stopping to rest, even if they were turns that took me across the hill instead of more down the fall line.
Instead of hiding from the moguls I was seeking them out.
Ready for action!!
Day 4 dawned overcast and snowy, and I woke with a miserable cold. After popping some Dayquil and sleeping in we managed to head to Vail for the day and got a half day of skiing in. They were getting much more snow than Breck, and everything was coated with a nice veneer of powder, but visibility in the back bowls where we spent the morning was little better than pea soup and I found it almost impossible to navigate the bumped-up back bowls without being able to see what I was up against. Conditions seemed okay, but under the coating of enjoyable powder the bumps were icy and full of chunks of crust. Not enjoyable, to say the least.
Closeup shot of the handy plastic ties that held The Boy's bindings together, thanks to the Vail Ski Patrol!
We stayed towards the more moderate areas of the bowls, heading in the direction of Blue Sky Basin to play in the trees where the powder was nice and the conditions were less icy. Stopped to make the acquaintance of this guy, a little long-tailed weasel in his late winter coat of yellowish white. When I got back to where The Boy was scrambling in the powder, found out he'd lost a nut on his binding and as such had to navigate the rest of the way down the run with only one foot attached. We stopped after that for some grub and the ski patrol helped to jury-rig The Boy's bindings with some lock ties which held up for the rest of the morning while we stayed on the front side where the visibility was better and conditions ranged from enjoyable powder to good-old-fashioned hardpack.
Only made about ten runs that day due to my cold and very low energy levels following 5 solid days of physical activity at altitude.
All in all, though, another good trip! More pictures here!
K.
The next morning, headed to Breck to enjoy some very fine and sunny conditions for the next 3 days.
For 3 days, the morning dawned brilliant and warm. By mid- to late-afternoon the clouds had come in, but it stayed warm. Conditions ranged from very nice loosely packed powder on Day 1 to crunchy groomed in the mornings of Days 2 and 3, then warming to firm slush and more packed powder in the afternoons. Windblown conditions on the tops of Peak 7 (accessable from the Imperial Lift via traverse) created a lovely powder-field during early morning of Day 3 which enabled some face-shots (a first for me!).
The traverse from Imperial Lift over the top of Peak 7
Moguls were big and soft, which was good because I took my first full-day mogul lesson. It was frustrating for me, because the first half of the day I felt like I was 'getting it', but then in the afternoon I just couldn't seem to keep up with the rest of the class and was getting easily frustrated at myself.
Link to a video of The Boy cruising down Crystal under the Peak 10 chair at Breck.
The next day (day 3) however I was set on working on what I'd learned, and spent most of the morning on the ungroomed moguls around 6 chair and the Imperial Lift. I felt like I was finally getting it, or at least wasn't falling and was managing to make several turns with stopping to rest, even if they were turns that took me across the hill instead of more down the fall line.
Instead of hiding from the moguls I was seeking them out.
Ready for action!!
Day 4 dawned overcast and snowy, and I woke with a miserable cold. After popping some Dayquil and sleeping in we managed to head to Vail for the day and got a half day of skiing in. They were getting much more snow than Breck, and everything was coated with a nice veneer of powder, but visibility in the back bowls where we spent the morning was little better than pea soup and I found it almost impossible to navigate the bumped-up back bowls without being able to see what I was up against. Conditions seemed okay, but under the coating of enjoyable powder the bumps were icy and full of chunks of crust. Not enjoyable, to say the least.
Closeup shot of the handy plastic ties that held The Boy's bindings together, thanks to the Vail Ski Patrol!
We stayed towards the more moderate areas of the bowls, heading in the direction of Blue Sky Basin to play in the trees where the powder was nice and the conditions were less icy. Stopped to make the acquaintance of this guy, a little long-tailed weasel in his late winter coat of yellowish white. When I got back to where The Boy was scrambling in the powder, found out he'd lost a nut on his binding and as such had to navigate the rest of the way down the run with only one foot attached. We stopped after that for some grub and the ski patrol helped to jury-rig The Boy's bindings with some lock ties which held up for the rest of the morning while we stayed on the front side where the visibility was better and conditions ranged from enjoyable powder to good-old-fashioned hardpack.
Only made about ten runs that day due to my cold and very low energy levels following 5 solid days of physical activity at altitude.
All in all, though, another good trip! More pictures here!
K.
Thanks, ladies. Sounds like you're not having too shabby of a time either! I think you guys definitely got the better of the snow, but I think if we had stayed another day at vail it would have been okay today. 
