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a-basin: colder than a witch's ...
According to weather.com, it was one degree fahrenheit when we left
Longmont on the way to the mountains. It was a good deal colder in the mountains themselves ... (My desire to go skiing seems to be clashing with our available transportation. Both are front wheel drive; mine a tiny convertible, his a big ol' sedan. But chains are a major pain, and snow tires are expensive, and unnecessary for most of what we do. I'd like to get a subaru, either wrx wagon or outback, but I currently owe more on the convertible than it's worth ... so it will be a while.) Anyhoo, we were hoping that we wouldn't need chains to get to A-Basin, and fortunately, we didn't. (Btw, anyone know of a Longmont-accessible way to find out the vehicle requirements for I-70, Loveland Pass, etc?) Arriving at the Basin, we found that there were plenty of spots available in the lower parking lot, which at 10:45 is probably a good hint that numerous skiers have heeded the better part of valour. I don't think I've ever been able to park so close to a lift in my life. We arranged to dress with a minimum of door-opening, but still numbed our fingers putting on our boots. Lines? What lines? There might have been a handful of people ahead of us. In my eagerness to get going, I somehow managed to lose a pole while getting into the chair. Pathetic. Anyway, we rode up Exhibition lift and retrieved my pole from the kind people who came up after us. The sign at the bottom of the lift claimed a wind chill of negative -- NEGATIVE -- 55 at the summit. Brief summary of current A-Basin lift/run status: The Exhibition and Lenawee lifts are open. From the top of Lenawee, you can ski down Lenawee Face to Dercum's Gulch. From the top of Exhibition, you can ski down Ramrod or High Noon. Two greens are also open: Sundance and Molly Hogan. (A-Basin's website "Runs Open" menu item is really handy. Is there any such beast for the snow.com web monstrosities? I haven't found it.) We took one lower mountain run and one top-to-bottom run before ducking into the lodge. At this point, my hands and nose were extremely painful, and my toes were starting to complain. I looked for some glove liners in the shop, but couldn't find any that seemed like they would help. We sat in the lodge for what had to have been an hour, sipping coffee and reviving our frozen extremities. Finally, the moment of the truth arrived. Rather than leaving after only two runs, we decided to brave the mountain again. By then, the clouds had finally backed away from the sun a bit. What a difference the sun on your face can make! We skied top to bottom a few more times. My fiance's feet were starting to bother him again, so he went to warm up the car while I went on one more short run. Extremely cold days can be a lot of fun, especially if you have a season pass and therefore don't feel any pressure to "get your money's worth" from the day. The lift lines are shorter, that's for sure. Today was my second ski day of the season, and on my third run of the day, I realized that I had somehow reacquired my "ski legs." Skiing felt right again. This is a good thing. -- monique PLEASE don't CC me. Please. Pretty please with sugar on top. Whatever it takes, just don't CC me! I'm already subscribed!! |
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