I really wanted to get back to the front range last night, so I made the mistake of taking 285 from Breck. Google Maps showed the usual time. It did not show how snowy the roads would be or the whiteout conditions, but I am apparently incredibly stupid. because that should have been obvious from snowshoeing around Bakers Tank. I knew about 20 minutes in that I didn't really want to be there, but by then there wasn't much to do about it - and even if I could turn around, the other direction looked worse. One of the more harrowing drives I've done. I didn't slip except one moment of slow motion stupidity very early on that probably kept me from doing something stupid in a more consequential spot. Finished the drive both exhausted and wired. Special thanks to the asshole in a pickup truck who made a left turn right in front of me on snowy roads when there wasn't anyone behind me. Good news - my brakes and tires did fine!
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Colorado 2018-19 Colorado Weather and Stoke
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The I-70 drive home was bizarre yesterday. Seemed like a mile east of LL, the snow just stopped and the roads were dry all the way back east until... Genesee, where it was all out nukage. People got stupid until I made it to 470.
I made that same exact mistake a number of years back. "Harrowing" is definitely the right word to describe it. Glad you're OK.
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Noticing today that my glutes and abs are more sore than normal. Skiing that heavier deep snow definitely gave my body a good smack.
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Luv reported 23” over 48 hours out of this one, and that’s off the base snow stake - they are over 200” now. I think that happened in early March last season.
The Chair 9 rush must have been fun today.
Edit: or maybe not until tomorrow...
The Chair 9 rush must have been fun today.
Edit: or maybe not until tomorrow...
Last edited:
Thanks! I've driven 285 before, but it was always either relatively mild weather, or it was in the sunlight. I remembered it as a pleasant drive. The one time I'd driven in nasty conditions, it was just the last little bit heading into Breck, and I was on the inside lane. At a few points last night, I was just following tail lights and really couldn't tell where the shoulder (aka big drop off) was. At a lot of other places, the road was simply confusing - 19* but it looked wet, not icy, and didn't seem to behave like ice. And you know how sometimes in the rain it's like the road swallows all the light so the lines are hard to see? It was like that.
Ah well. I wonder what the high terrain was like today at Breck, assuming ... huh .. the website shows much of the upper mountain closed, but weirdly, Kensho running. Ah well.
My skiing choices yesterday were unusual for me. Usually I'd lap 6 chair as long as it was open, lines be damned, but after doing a few ski-on rides on E Chair, I just couldn't deal. E Chair has plenty to deliver. The 6 chair lines weren't even that long, 7-8 minutes, but who wants to stand in line?
10/10 would recommend.
Beaver Creek had some really nice conditions today. Soft groomers and leftover powder.
Golden Eagle, one of my fav runs anywhere.
"Secret" stash
Phat skis for the first hour then switched to the Monsters:
Starting to see a lot of SHIFT bindings on the slopes:
Golden Eagle, one of my fav runs anywhere.
"Secret" stash
Phat skis for the first hour then switched to the Monsters:
Starting to see a lot of SHIFT bindings on the slopes:
What a day. It took me 3.5 hours to get to Copper this morning. Partially my fault because I couldn't drag myself out of bed when I had planned. There was only 1 accident that I saw (4Runner in the median in Officer's Gulch) but the volume was just too much. The line to get into free parking was nearly backed up onto I-70 so I tried to go into paid parking but everything was full so back to Far East lot I went. Fortunately they had lots of buses running so no waiting. Shockingly, lines at the base were not bad. I guess that is the benefit of the new lifts. Sierra and Mountain Chief had long lines. MC as long as I've ever seen. Because I had to get home to study (study break right now) I didn't get to do many laps but what I did was good. Buzzard's Alley was really nice.
Speaking of new lifts, I rode Flyer. It stopped a lot and when it stops it rolls back. Scared the F outta me and because the back isn't open I couldn't swing an arm over. Thankfully the 2 guys on the chair with me both disliked it as well and the bar came down after the first stop. At one point nearing the top we stopped and started sinking down. Way down. As we approached the snow I realized they have a section of Alligator Alley roped off because if a person had been there we would have hit them. Really disconcerting. I have no idea if the stops were load/unload issues or mechanical but I think I'll avoid the lift for awhile when possible.
Less than 2 hours home so at least that was nice. Westbound was still bad when I was headed home. I've been watching eastbound traffic all afternoon and it hasn't been bad so I think tomorrow's drive eastbound will be a disaster.
Speaking of new lifts, I rode Flyer. It stopped a lot and when it stops it rolls back. Scared the F outta me and because the back isn't open I couldn't swing an arm over. Thankfully the 2 guys on the chair with me both disliked it as well and the bar came down after the first stop. At one point nearing the top we stopped and started sinking down. Way down. As we approached the snow I realized they have a section of Alligator Alley roped off because if a person had been there we would have hit them. Really disconcerting. I have no idea if the stops were load/unload issues or mechanical but I think I'll avoid the lift for awhile when possible.
Less than 2 hours home so at least that was nice. Westbound was still bad when I was headed home. I've been watching eastbound traffic all afternoon and it hasn't been bad so I think tomorrow's drive eastbound will be a disaster.
Oh, yeah, I got hit by a snowboarding kid around maybe 10 or 12 on my first run which knocked me over hard. In front of 5 mountain hosts who did nothing until after the kid rode off before I was even up and was already moving. One of them finally asked if I was okay. My shoulder hurt at first but that seems fine now. I was feeling some symptoms of whiplash as I drove home but it doesn't feel bad now. We'll see how I feel tomorrow.
Maybe, maybe not. Remember that Monday is MLK day and lot of people have off and won't be coming back until after skiing Monday.
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