TR: Colly Epic

Day one, Sunday 2.19.06
ABasin:

Well damn, why didn't I realize that the first weekend I had
scheduled to be in the Rockies was President's weekend? Here we are
in Summit County and trying to navigate the streets feels like driving
down Jefferson Avenue in Detroit and a warm Saturday night in June;
bumper to bumper, door handle to door handle. Luckily 97% of these
peeps flock to Breck, Keystone, Copper or maybe Vail. ABasin was
crowded but not all that bad. Most lift lines were less than five
minutes, max was about ten. The snow was quite nice, soft for the most
part with some spots wind blown bare or icy. East Wall not open yet.
Over on the Pallavacini side the 70" base had rendered some lines
skiable for the first time in recent memory (according to one local I
shared a chair with).

I was on my Atomic M:11s today. These things just flat rip on the
groomed. I'm 6'3" 195# and these skis are 172cm. Stiffer than
I'm used to, they were super stable at speeds fast enough to bring
fear to the hearts of the parents of a four year old traversing across
Lenawee Face that I dared to come within twenty feet of. They have a
huge shovel (129) and are pretty slim under foot (76) and the tail is.
As you might expect they are pretty turny but surprisingly they don't
mind straight lining one bit. Atomic says they have great float in
powder, but sadly I have yet to substantiate that myself. A great bump
ski they are not, however. I wore my legs out trying to keep the right
ski on the right and the left on the left.

I've spent the last three years wearing out a pair of Salomon Pocket
Rockets so this summer I went on an ebay spending spree...a total of
about $900 for the Atomics, a pair of Volant Chubbs and a pair of
Volant Machete Fat *******s, all with bindings included. The Chubbs
and the FBs are the exact same ski except that the former has a foam
core and the latter has a wood core. I've spent a couple of days on
the Chubbs and I really like them, I'm quite anxious to compare and
contrast these two.

Day two, Monday 2.20.06
ABasin:

I guess it was too cold and windy for the holiday crowd. The Basin was
nearly empty today. I heard reports that Copper was not crowded at all
either. All the better for the hearty folk on the mountain I say.
Man, I ripped today....by my standards anyway. I was on the Chubbs and
while they are not as willing to hold an edge at mach speed as the
M:11s, I just love them in the bumps. Yup, crazy me, I dig powder
boards in the bumps. Yesterday every bump run was an exercise in
keeping the skis from doing what they wanted (crossing tips). Today
was just go with the flow. It seemed like all I had to do was point my
eyes to the path I desired and bam, I was there...very much like the
Pocket Rocket experience.

The snow was better than yesterday. We got one inch over night and
maybe a couple more during the day. It's been pretty windy this
weekend so there were plenty of soft pockets to be found. On to
Keystone tomorrow.

Day three, Tuesday 2.21.06
Keystone:

Hmmm, Keystone of all places kicked my ass today. I was on the
Machetes, which unlike my other two pair, I bought used and they
certainly weren't tuned to my liking.

I guess I should have done a more thorough job of studying the trail
map as I ended up having wifey drop me off at River Run and it took me
five or six runs to make it over to The Outback. Once there I found
lots of runs to my liking, Bushwhacker, Wolverine and Elk Run being my
faves. My meandering left me without much time to explore North Peak
but Cat Dancer was big fun.

The weather was much the same as the previous two days: mostly cloudy
with intermittent sun and 10 to 20 degrees. Unlike the last two days
the wind was not much of a factor. For the most part the snow left a
lot to be desired. One inch of new was not enough to recover from a
weekend where the dirty masses scraped the snowpack down to ice.

I suppose I'll be back to explore the glades on North Peak and do
more exploring in the Outback. Hopefully the snow will be better and
my skis will be in better shape.

Day four, Wednesday, 2.22.06
Breckenridge

First off I was amazed how much better the snow was today than
yesterday at Keystone, this is what packed powder and bar girls should
be; soft and loose.

Second off big thanks to Snoig for showing me some of the goods that
Breck has to offer. I've definitely changed my tune. Breck hasn't
moved up enough to be my fave but I won't hesitate to go back.

I've found that the little squeegee on my glove is great for cleaning
the snow out of my moustache.

Fave run of the day: Dark Rider to Quiver. Soft, steep and a bit
bumpy. Just like the hookers I can't afford.

The Chubbs performed very nicely. I'll get the Machetes tuned up
tomorrow and give 'em another shot as soon as I can stand not to be
on the Chubbs.

Day five, Thursday 2.23.2006
ABasin

Endless blue sky, lots of soft snow, a bit less wind, fun fun fun . It
seemed like there were about twenty of us riding the Pali chair all
day. Chubbs? Yes! Crowds? No.

Fave run of the day: Thirteen Cornices to Standard. Smooth and shady,
just like my next door neighbor only in a good way.

Day six, Friday, 2.24.2006
ABasin

Another beautiful bluebird day, which is to say no new snow. But far
be it for me to complain, this is definitely good stuff. The wind was
behaving itself for the most part and temps on the mountain were prolly
between 25 and 30 degrees (Fahrenheit). The snow was soft and sweet,
just like wifey.

I was on the Chubbs again because I just like them so much. It seems
there's nothing I want to do that they're not up for. Maybe
they're not the best choice for blazing the zipper line, but then
again neither am I.

Crowds? I guess they were somewhere else. I never waited more than a
minute for a chair. Went to Breck for dinner and the town was packed.
Traffic from Frisco to Breck was nearly stop and go about 6:00. Well
ok, maybe all the peeps were just cruising into town, but still, the
Basin gets my nod for the place to avoid the crowds.

Fave run of the day: Pali Face. It was like slicing through coconut
butter cream frosting at 40mph. Sweet and fast....just like my Scooby
Sti.

Day seven, Saturday, 2.25.2006
Beaver Creek

Having never been to BC before, I can now say, "Been there, skied
that, didn't even bother to buy the sticker for my helmet."

I'm not quite sure what it was, maybe it was the snooty gated
community attitude, maybe it was the rampant cell phone use in the lift
maze (which took an average of three times as long to get through as
President's Day at ABasin). Maybe it was the snow that was
inexplicably firm even at the end of a bluebird day that started around
20 degrees and ended well above freezing. Maybe it was that kept
trying to ski bumps on the M:11s that just don't like those tight
confines. Whatever it was, I just feel that there are a myriad of
other venues where I would rather spend my time and money.

Most of the lift lines looked like they would take at least fifteen
minutes but the singles lines nearly always went pretty quickly. For a
warm up I thought I would cruise the Birds of Prey downhill run. After
going past a big ass sign that warned all non-"experts" that this
trail was not for them, I found myself among about two hundred other
skiers, most of whom were either snow plowing from one side all the way
to the other or were stopped just at the crest of each knoll. Pikers.

Now I sure don't consider myself an expert, but when I'm being
pikish, I try not to do it in front of too many people.

Well the day was salvaged when I was actually able to meet up and ski a
few runs with the Ann Arbor's own, enigmatic, erudite and elusive
Walt. I was duly impressed with the was Walt attacked the mountain.
Don't be fooled people, there most assuredly is a Volkl conspiracy.

Fave run of the day: Wifey and I ran out to Beaver Liquors for beer
and bourbon.

Day seven, 2.26.2006
Howelsen Hill Ski Area

So when I was making hotel reservations I left the night of the 25th
open. It was a night between stays in Summit County and Winter Park
and I though Wifey might like to go into Denver, get a good priceline
deal on a fancy hotel, eat at some fancy restaurant and you know, go to
a show or do some other big city stuff. Just in general get away from
the ski resort way of life for a night. She had a different idea.

"Why don't we drive up to Steamboat Springs, stay in that cheap
motel that we were in when we got married and have lunch and dinner at
the Steamboat Smokehouse?" She asked. Well that sounded ducky to me.
The Steamboat Smokehouse is definitely one of the top two BBQ
restaurants I've had the pleasure of supping at. Tender, juicy,
smoke, smoke, smoky pork either pulled or still on the bone. Sauce on
the side, either spicy or mild. Sure they have other stuff on the menu
but we've never bothered with that, the pork is so darn tasty.

We ended up having two lunches and a dinner there as well as some take
out for the road. To top it all off, they even gave me the clicker for
one of the big screens so I could watch the Pistons, Cavs game Sunday
afternoon.

My body was pretty sore at this point and there was no new snow so I
prolly would have forgone the pricy lift ticket to ski Mt. Werner and
taken the day off, but there right outside out motel window was
Howelsen Hill. Five bucks for a two hour lift ticket and I was
pointing them down and letting them run......for 440 vertical feet at a
time. When I asked to buy a sticker for my helmet, they collected not
the usual four bucks but a dollar fifty and brought me a damn bumper
sticker. Ha! Take that American Skiing Company, Vail Resorts, Aspen
Skiing Company, Intrawest, et al.

Fave run of the day: every one where I could hear the wind whistle
through my helmet and my edges slicing through the snow.


Chris

Right on Chris, sounds like you had some fun. Hit all those places
(except Howelson) all the time and I am glad you spent the most time at
the Basin. My most favorite place around, bring the grill and the
cooler and you will make friends fast. Don't forget to leash your
dog.

Hey thanks redlodge,

I've really been digging ABasin, skied there again today.

I don't have a dog so I don't have a personal stake in this, but... I
really look forward to seeing all the unleashed (and amazingly well
behaved) dogs in the Mary Jane parking lots at Winter Park. This being
about my only experience, I think it would be a shame to put them all
on leashes.

Chris

bumpfreaq wrote:

Hey thanks redlodge,

I've really been digging ABasin, skied there again today.

I don't have a dog so I don't have a personal stake in this, but... I
really look forward to seeing all the unleashed (and amazingly well
behaved) dogs in the Mary Jane parking lots at Winter Park. This being
about my only experience, I think it would be a shame to put them all
on leashes.

We, the great unwashed dogless hordes, owe dog owners a debt of gratitude for
making their pets available to us for even a few moments every once in a while.

--
Cheers,
Bev
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"We're from the Government. We're here to help."