We assembled an excellent crew for the second Colorado trip of the year with my main men Tyler Surman and Chris Polley and the pride of Scotland, Bobby Smart, making a special appearance to help celebrate his 21st.
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| GoPros and Red Bulls |
We had high hopes for good powder, but it didn’t take long for things to go awry. At 3 a.m., while gassing-up just inside Colorado, we realized the 2 for 1 lift coupons we were planning to use for all three days of skiing wouldn’t work at any of our destinations in our current plan for the weekend. An en route change of plans moved Winter Park to our first stop, and put us well ahead of schedule.
A short and uncomfortable “nap” in the truck put us at Winter Park by 7:30. An hour later the lifts opened and it was on. The runs were long (4.5 miles even) and the tree skiing was awesome, top 10 in the country apparently. We spent the day in search of fresh pow and it was glorious. We closed down the lifts, headed back to Georgetown, showered, ate and we’re in bed by 9 p.m.
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| Winter Park |
The next day brought a 5 hour roundtrip drive to Monarch outside Salida, CO. It was another excellent day with perhaps the best snow of the trip. A short hike to the Mirkwood Basin gave us a taste of some backcountry skiing and Tyler provided the video highlight of the trip.
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| Hiking to Mirkwood Basin for some back bowls |
After delicious burgers at the Boathouse Cantina, overlooking the Arkansas River’s best play wave, we made our way back to Georgetown for the night. We spent the final day skiing Loveland. Though the weather wasn’t as spectacular as our first two days, the powder abounded. Skiing down from the top of the continental divide definitely makes a Loveland stop worthwhile.
After the lifts closed, we dropped Smart off at the airport, with news that he would return once more this summer. Dinner at the Irish Snug in Denver and it was early to bed to get a 5 a.m. start on the drive home.
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| Knee deep powder at Monarch |
Denver weather professionals missed the Monday forecast though. We left at 5 a.m. and made it about an hour and a half before the interstate was closed. A bit of snow and 50 mph winds made for white-out conditions. We spent 6 hours in Limon, CO with no road in or out open. It was sad that we found ourselves wishing for a Wal-Mart for something to do.
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| The Crew |
Eventually we made it back on the road and 21 after departing Denver, we returned to St. Louis. It’s always an adventure, but I guess that’s what makes the trip.
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| Nomadic Adventure CEO looking like a Boss |
Here’s a trailer for a forthcoming full-length feature from CEA Productions and Nomadic Adventure Films. Its release date is unknown for the moment. Until next time, enjoy.
