day 6- krista

what a day. it was a day of gorgeous conditions at a new mountain on this trip, with lift tickets already in hand. (you know how i like that!!) We spent the day at Keystone. Both of us have adjusted, finally, to the altitude and constant physical activities to the point where we got a good 5 runs in before lunchtime. After lunch was another story-- on our first trip up, we decided that we would possibly call it after 1 or 2 runs, and really save ourselves for tomorrow, but that we would seek out the elusive jump that Chris and I had been talking about me doing on this trip. We found one, and i went for it. I had no idea what i was doing, but it didn't look too difficult. Well the outcome was NOTHING like I expected. I caught air and face planted. Wind knocked out of me, bloody nose, the whole nine yards- and its on video. Good news is that Chris has been in that position before, and he guided me through the whole thing: calming down, stopping my bleeding, getting down the mountain on my own skis, etc. and I am here typing about it with only a swollen nose and a bit of soreness. no broken bones. He fixed me right up and has taken very good care of me. i am very appreciative! I would have completely freaked out and thought i was dying, if not for him.
This is the abbreviated version; it was actually about an hour long ordeal by the time I got done bleeding, down the mountain, to the medical clinic and we left Keystone.


To prove that people are actually reading this- videos that are not published, but mentioned are only avaliable upon request. :-)

We still have another day of skiing on tap, which i will be participating in- and am looking forward to! This trip is quickly coming to an end, and I will be involved in every minute of it- with a ginormous nose or not.

Days 4-6 Chris

Wow! it has not stopped snowing since we got to summit county. On Monday we went to copper again. It was some of the best conditions i have ever ridden. We started in a bowl because i figured if i was going to get krista into a bowl; fresh legs was going to be the only way. She did it! And she did it well! I was so impressed. The rest of the day, she kept pointing out difficult terrain that she wanted to conquer! So we explored the moutain-- if you ever come, you have to go to Copper, its my favorite.


After a great day at Copper, and knowing tomorrow was a day off; we decided to go into Breck to tie one on and have some dinner. All went well, until every jock who packed their football jersey for their ski vacation piled into the bar and started cheering for a college game I had never even heard of, apparently it is "the Superbowl of college football". It was annoying to say the least. Its a sad display of the vouyeristic behavior that most couch potatos cultivate through watching these football games. Before it got too late, we changed venues to our hotel bar, kinda like a pizzaria Uno called the Old Chicago. There, I met a fellow who seemed to know all my bros from Stratton, but had big pieces missing from his stories. I could hardly take him seriously due to his gaps in his stories. Anyway, that was short lived and I started talking to some kid from Jersey who is a Democrat but has no idea why. I think we converted him by the end of the night. Due to activities and elevation, we hit a wall at about 10pm and headed to bed.

Day 5- Today we went to work. For $45 an hour, each. We took a timeshare tour as we have done in the past, I thought we would have better tools this time since we have done it before- but those snakes still made us feel so uncomfortable that they almost pressured us in to buying something we have no use for and doesn't even exist until 2009. We escaped with 2 lift tickets to keystone/breck. Being exhausted from our tour of something we didn't need, I would have been fine with reading a book for the rest of the day, but last year I showed Krista the hot springs of Glenwood Springs and this year she had a bee in her bonnet about going, so it was now or never. And so we went. Only to find out that it was $13 each and if we wanted a towel it was another $2 each! if any of you know me, you know i was pissed. I believe i even told the woman it was highway robbery.

Day 6- I woke up feeling great; finally my body has adjusted. the day of rest was huge for my muscles. it was time to use what we worked so hard for yesterday. off to keystone we went! beautiful conditions; groomed with 4 in. of fresh powder on top. This week has been some of the best skiing I have ever done. As for Krista- she is really getting good at skiing, it seems that she is finally riding the mountain instead of fighting it! I kind of feel like I just tossed her in the pool and expected her to swim, but she has taken to my direction and is really becoming a good skiier. After lunch (granola bar), we decided a few more runs were in order. Here in colorado, runs are at least a 1/2 hour. I've been teasing Krista about doing a jump, and she seemed really into it so I finally found one for her- but i forgot to tell her how to do it. Which, now I feel really bad about. Well, I did tell her to go slow, if that is any consolation.... Anyway- she starts hiking up the mountain, and i call to her "where are you going"- she says "i wont be going fast enough". well i tell her she will be going plenty fast, and needs to go slow... off she went; coming in to the jump, and i was filming it. Writing this even makes me feel bad. I guess she had no idea what was gonna happen- it wasn't pretty. poor girl caught about 4 feet of air and went right down on her face and stomach-- having been in situations like this before, i was to keep her calm because she was rolling around like the kid in A Christmas Story and bleeding all over. As i got close, I realized that she was OK. It was hard to convince her that she was though. Due to the blood in the snow and I dont think she has ever experienced something like this before. After a 1/2 hour of pulling herself together and getting her nose to stop bleeding, we had to get her off the mountain. Tough as she is- she skiied her way down. Poor girl. How did she get mixed up with this guy anyways? After a short trip to the medical building to make sure everything was OK, we were off to the drug store. I picked up some Neosporin, Band-Aids and a candy bar, hoping to put a smile on her face.

days 4 & 5 - Krista

Yesterday we skiied Copper for the second day. And we had a great time-- getting deals on lift tickets always sets the tone for a good ski day; just knowing you have paid less than the other everyday joes standing in line with you. :-) For our first run, Chris takes me to one of the back bowls on the mountain and i honestly thought as i looked over the steep edge and down the mogul filled trail: "my skiing for the trip could be over right here". but it wasn't. it was an amazing trip down; exhausting, but amazing. that set the mindset for the rest of the day- we got some great footage in another back bowl (which was vitually untouched when we skiied it), and the sketchy catwalk we had to take to get there was well worth it! very scary for people who have issues with heights, but it was an exhilirating run!

After such a great day on the mountain, we went into Breckenridge to have a little fun for the evening. we met some interesting people to begin with, but because the "Superbowl of College Football" was on in every single bar, it was a little hard to enjoy ourselves with all the people around us hooting and yelling like they were at a frat party. nevertheless, we found some characters to entertain ourselves with and overall, it was an fun evening.

Today we didn't ski- we worked. it was our annual timeshare tour for lift tickets. again, it was a painful 2 hours, but well worth it. :-) then we went to Glenwood Springs to swim in the natural spring. what a rip-off! it was my idea to go because i had not been, chris had- but wow.... $30 for 2 of us to be in the springs. it was certainly an experience, but i could not believe what people pay for it. supposedly the sulfur springs have healing agents, and are very good for your skin/well being. Dr. Gray Beard would be proud of us.
it wasn't overly crowded, but we certainly had some interesting things to look at while there. i found the architecture of the original bathhouse to be beautiful and could just imagine people at the turn of the century doing exactly what we were doing- but in a more natural setting. i love that kind of stuff. and we finally saw a long horned sheep on our way there! yay! :-) its the little things in life- dont you agree?

Tomorrow we are back on the mountains; probably Keystone (since we have free tickets). I can't believe we are only here 3 more days. it always flies by. The weather has been wonderful- today was a gorgeous High Pressure day, and more snow is in the forecast-- keep it coming!!!

days 2 & 3- Krista

So yesterday we came out to the mountains- got settled in the LaQuinta, and spent the day on missions for various items. Our journey took us to Breckenridge, and i must say, they have some wonderful galleries and stores. those are always fun to browse. we found what we were looking for, and we were all set for today's trip to Copper.

This morning it was off to the mountain for some fresh tracks- and we certainly got them. it was an invigorating trip to Copper, and i can't wait to get up tomorrow and continue! The video in Chris' blog is pretty fun, and we really had a great time today making it!

As our week progresses, we will have MUCH more to relate (I know I will), but for now- our first day of skiing is complete, and we look to tomorrow... the weather forecast predicts about another foot of snow overnight in the mountains, and we are READY!

day 2-3 chris

Well, I have to start with day 3 because it is fresh in my mind-- the energy i had to expend to ride a foot of fresh at 9 to 13,000 feet. Our plan was to get up early, with the alarm going off at 630a, but with no responsibility, it was easy to hit the Snooze. But eventually, the Freshy God was calling me and i had to get to the mountain! Off to Copper we go!
I could tell by the quanitity of cars in the lot that it wasn't very busy. If you aren't familiar with Copper, they have these tandem trailer bus things that transport you from the lots to the mountain- always an experiance. I think the driver has fun with those shuttles because if you aren't holding on when he changes gears, you will be on your ass! The day was as perfect as perfect gets... Colorado powder is such a treat to ride, being an east coaster- you can blow it out of your hand, its so light! The video included should explain the rest of our day.

Day 2, we spent the day searching for a certain Dakine backpack, which we finally found in downtown Breckenridge, and the pack was really what the doctor ordered, especially since I like making movies; it even has a pocket for the camera! Plus, my new bindings came with the new fashion front toe strap which, being an old schooler, i wasn't ready for the transition, so i was on a mission for some legacy straps. mission accomplished! I met a really cool broheim in a shop called Mountain Wave, at the base of Breck who hooked me up. Dont let me forget to tell you about the awesome vintage ski gallery we went in to, where if i had copious amounts of money, i would be decorating a house i dont own, as well as with pieces from the numerous amazing, high end galleries- which only motivate me to get to the point where i can have a ski house to put the pieces in.

I have put together a quick video of our day (day 3)- so check it out! If you are reading this, see if you can get in touch with Old Man Winter and tell him to keep up the good work!!

Day 1 Chris

So...My feelings on Jetblue are that it should change their logo to a racing dog. That's because flying Jetblue is just like taking a bus trip. I am not sure what I should expect for 140$ but it is hard to bitch since they got us here in one piece. After arriving, it was now time to see what vehicles Enterprise had left for us to pick from. I know a big snow storm is coming so a 4x4 was going to be a necessity. After a short bus ride we get to the agency and there are no vehicles, but i have a reservation - how convenient! lol. After a short walk thru an empty lot, I settled on a midsized pickup. We named it Curtis as it was a brand new red neck piece of shit that hardly holds our equipment. It is four wheel drive and if old man winter hears my calls, we will need it. After a long day of traveling, we found ourselves in a town that smells of beer and was the first state capital (Not the current one). It seem to me that most of its residents live for and love beer..We are here for a tour of something great....Do you know where i am???

Do you know what something great is???We are here just for the night, then its off to the hills for some fresh snow tomorrow...Chris

Day 1 Krista

As my (technically) 3rd trip to the area, i am thrilled to be back- and this time, for fun! It seemed like our flight was longer this year than it was last year, but who really knows. The good news was that once again, we had a decent seat-mate and the flight was uneventful. I am a firm believer that now since air travel is so economical, its a crap shoot what type of person you could be seated next to. thank god we have been lucky. :-)

so we land, completely uneventful- and get going on our journey. picked up our rental (his name is Curtis, and he is a far cry from Yolonda, last year's wreck of a vehicle), and ventured west. First stop on the Chris and Krista winter vacation tour. We took our tour, and even though Chris had done it before- i think we really had a great time. we were the only ones in our group who asked questions, we took fun pictures, and our guide even said "no one ever talks to me on these tours". Haha, well she obviously hadn't had us in her group! it was a good time. we met a nice couple, spent some time with them after the tour-- it was a nice conclusion to the afternoon. then it was off to the Buffalo Rose-- gosh im glad we dont live in this town. thats all i have to say about the bar scene for a friday night here. though, i am thinking the name of the town needs to be reworked, and they should just name it after the biggest company in the town.... Anyway- we stayed at the nicest place in town, a very nice hotel--- if we ever had a reason to stay here again, this would be my choice.

Here is the answer....



Today, we are off to the mountains, and we need to get out there before they close the pass due to the impending snow....