Winter Wonderland

Everyone knows that the best part of working for an airline is the free travel. I love the fact that when I want to go somewhere, I can just hop on a plane and go there. Mike and I don't take advantage of those precious benefits nearly enough. One place we don't like to miss during the winter months is Summit county, Colorado. If you have ever skied Keystone, Vail, Copper or Breckenridge you know the area. It is a beautiful place about 1.5 hours away from Denver International Airport. The mountains are beautiful and the skiing is out of this world. You must know that I have only been skiing for about 10 years. I am an ok skier (blues and some blacks). I occasionally snowboard when Mike can talk me into taking the day off of my comfy skis. I bid a few days off so I could go up for two full days of skiing. As an added bonus we were able to do some night skiing the day of our arrival. Truthfully, that is enough because we tend to ski the whole time the lift is running. It is kind of like when you are a child and you are afraid to miss out on something special. Howard (neighbor who loves to ski) traveled with us. We are good friends and we have learned to get really close since the condo had only one restroom. Sunday, we made it up the mountain by 3pm and Mike picked up his rental equipment. We were in our condo at Keystone (9,000 plus MSL) and up on the slopes by 4:30pm. We made two runs down the mountain under the lights with heavy snow. The lift closed at 6pm and we went out to dinner at Jersey Boys pizza. The next morning we woke to a winter wonderland. The snow was just amazing. I love it and Howard doesn't love it. I admit it was cold and the all of the snow from last night was pushed up. But hey, I am skiing in Colorado. I couldn't really see the scenery until later in the day when it started to clear. But that makes it even better. It is like God is slowly unveiling the beauty of this place. So you don't take it for granted. I guess I didn't realize how difficult the conditions were until they groomed Frenchman (run on front side) and I went flying down it without a care in the world. It was unbelievable. The lift closes and I am sad. I go to the outdoor hot tub and soak away my sore muscles while the boys take showers in our tiny condo. That night we go to Pug Ryan's for dinner. They have some of the best food that I have tasted in Summit County. Eating is very important when you ski over 20,000 vertical feet in one day. You are very hungry afterwards. The next day Howard is elated to find blue skies and groomed runs. He even convinces me that groomed runs rule. Mike and I have been going to Keystone for years. This is where we learned to ski and it is a special place for us. Near the Peru lift and the old ski school is this steep bottom called Go Devil. We have been watching people fall down this for years. On Tuesday morning it was freshly groomed and calling my name. I love steep and difficult runs so I can practice my turns. Mike says he will go with me. Howard decides to join us. It felt so good to face my demons and conquer "Go Devil". I didn't even fall and it turned out to be one of my favorite runs of all time. It also solidified the fact that I am indeed getting more confident in my ability to ski more difficult terrain. We skied the back mountain and did mozart, starfire, anticipation, and Elk run. I fell trying to play around in moguls and on top of starfire not paying attention as I started down the steep section of the mountain. I was fine and I went back for more. We went back to the front mountain and Mike and I waited for Frenchman to open up again after being freshly groomed. We watched the snow cats go by and we took off down the mountain gliding without a care in the world. The lifts close and this time we are glad. Because we are tired. We did another 20,000 vertical foot day. Mike comes to the hot tub with me. We meet some nice people from Kansas. We shower, eat Mexican in Dillion, and then my favorite custard at Good Times. But we are not finished. Keystone has an awesome outdoor ice rink. It is a lake that freezes over in the winter months. I can't pass up the opportunity to skate. I brought my figure skates from Texas. Howard and I skate for thirty minutes until they close. Mike stays inside the warm building and watches. I made the mistake of looking down through the ice when I was near a light. I could see large cracks down the ice. It kind of scared me. I stopped looking and skated anyway. I also ignored the popping and cracking sounds of the ice. A worker came out and I asked him how thick the ice was and he said 3 feet. So that helped somewhat. The rink closed and we finally went to the condo and went to sleep. On Wednesday we got up and packed. It was another fabulous sunny day. It was hard to leave. We drove down the mountain to Denver International Airport. Caught a flight to DFW on a familiar Super 80. We were home by 5:30 pm. Enjoying the Oxygen and being home with our kitties. The other best part of my job is coming home. I never take that for granted. It always makes me happy.