Club Colorado  

By Veronica Whitney

El Montañes

The Hispanic newspaper of Eagle and Garfield Counties

This week’s blog comes to us from Veronica Whitney, Chief Editor of El Montañes, a Hispanic newspaper out of Carbondale.

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Though they might like soccer better, Latin Americans love to ski in Colorado. Proof of this are the thousands of Latin Americans that fill the ski trails at Colorado’s ski resorts every winter.

When my mom arrived at the Vail-Eagle airport (which serves Aspen and Vail among other ski areas) to visit us for Christmas she said most of the people on her flight from Miami were from Mexico and Venezuela.

Sunlight Mountain

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We know it’s exciting that resorts are getting snow. We know people are longing to float on powder and feel the snow bellow up in their face. But before heading out, before dropping in, before that first turn – do a safety check. Reset your safety awareness. It takes but a moment, and during these current snow conditions, a quick safety check can make a vital difference. Go through your mental check list, double check your decisions with regard to your safety and the safety of those riding with you. (continue reading…)

“Just hold them out to the side so you don’t catch yourself on fire.”

I’m handed two torches as I board the chairlift at Durango Mountain Resort. It’s just before sundown and I’m on my way to participate in the New Years Eve Torchlight Parade. I take the bright orange torches from the coverall-encapsulated ski school instructor, and I’m off in to the sunset.

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One-point-two seconds. That is the time it takes for me to see a fur coat after stepping out of my rusty Subaru. I’m parked semi-legally in front of the Sky Hotel in Aspen, Colorado. I’m here on a holiday weekend with one goal: to see if it’s possible for the average skier to ski Aspen on the cheap. Here goes…

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In Europe, they ski as a means to eat. That is, you arrive early to the chairlift not because you want fresh tracks, but because you want the best table at the restaurant. Having skied (OK, eaten) at a handful of Swiss and Austrian resorts recently, I can personally attest to the fact that one looks forward to opening the menu as much as they do the trail map.

Here in the States? We’ll cram our jacket pockets full of PB&J’s if it means another lap on a powder day. Lunch? Not if there’s skiing to be done. For many, on-mountain dining carries about as much appeal and sophistication as the plastic tray on which it’s served. But that is all changing, and the American “Ski to Eat” movement is now taking reservations at Telluride.

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Sometimes, even Mountain Correspondents miss snow days. Yes, I missed the last powder day at Durango Mountain Resort, so my goal for today is to be the cruddiest skier on the mountain. I’m going to search high and low for crud, scour the slopes, and enlist the help of a highly trained professional in order to find the stuff. It’s not going to be easy, it’s not going to be glamorous, but I’m going to do everything I can to find Purgatory’s crud.

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by Kristen Lummis, braveskimom.com

Winter Park Thursday, January 12, 2012

Last winter, after a two decade hiatus, my husband and I found ourselves skiing Winter Park and Mary Jane. We hadn’t stayed away from these mountains on purpose. We just hadn’t been in the neighborhood, and from where we live, Winter Park is a bit of a haul. But as we found out, the “haul” is worth it.

We had so much fun at Winter Park in 2011 that we resolved to return in 2012, this time with our boys. We regaled them with stories of super-deep moguls, fabulous tree skiing, and extreme terrain in the Vasquez Cirque. We made plans, even arranging for them to miss school. All of this took place in October, when early season snow was flying and abundant. We expected perfection. (continue reading…)