I got a few turns in yesterday. Velzy and I headed up to A-Basin. The previous night only brought an inch of fresh snow and things were turning so slushy it didn’t matter much. The riding conditions were spring typical. The back bowls are closed and sections of the front are starting to get roped off. Still, it was decent with a lot of area left to play on.
Velzy got lucky on the way in and snagged a free lift ticket from a skier who was on the way out. Even now, with so little of the mountain open, a half day ticket still runs $42. That’s a lot of money to play on a handful of slushy runs. Still, I suppose they need to charge that much to warrant being open during such thin times. I am appreciative that there is a lift open this late in the season.
45 days left… (why am I still bothering to count?)
56 Days in 07/08
I took off for a week to surf in Sayulita, Mexico. I had a great time and vastly improved my surf skills. It’s not hard to improve when you’re a noob like me. I now better understand the proper technique for paddling and can stay out in the water much longer than I could before. I also learned that I was popping up onto the board entirely wrong. I was popping up way too late and not very smoothly. I practiced popping up long and hard, but still need to work on it a lot. Some day, I think I might actually become a surfer.
I arrived back in Colorado late yesterday afternoon. The weather was reporting snow in the mountains so I was stoked about riding today. However, much to my surprise, the A-Basin website isn’t reporting any new snow. With everything I need to get done now that I’m back in town, I decided to pass on boarding today. I think more snow is suppose to fall tonight, but I’ve got a 2:00 conference call tomorrow. No matter how hard I try, life still gets in the way of living.
While checking the snow report, I noticed that A-Basin closed their back bowls. I suppose it is getting late in the season, but it still made me sad. It really is coming to an end. I learned so much this season and I was just starting to figure some things out. I suppose there’s always next season!
Surfing
I was supposed to be in Mexico today, but my flight got delayed until Wednesday. Thank goodness! The A-Basin website is reporting only 5 inches of fresh powder, but it sure seemed like a lot more to me. The snow conditions today were fabulous. They’re expecting even more snow tonight. I simply can’t believe that it’s May. Everyone was talking about how the conditions seemed more like mid-season. I pushed powder until my thighs were burning.
I wish I could enjoy the next few days, but I’m off to Sayulita tomorrow to do some surfing. I’ll be back in Colorado in a week.
46 days left…
56 Days in 07/08
Well, even though it’s halfway through May, the snow continues to fall. Velzy and I rode A-Basin yesterday. We had a little more than 5 fresh inches of snow overnight and a bit more than 3 fresh inches from the day before. The snow was wet and heavy and a tad sticky. I prefer fluffy dry powder, but I’ll definitely smile about any freshies this time of year. In fact, there was something kinda fun about the sticky snow. On the really steep slopes, your terminal velocity is much lower – meaning you can bomb steeper stuff while feeling more in control.
The weather was great. It was bright and sunny. Occasionally the wind would blow, but for the most part the day was calm. I thought I was leaving for Mexico this morning, but our flight got bumped until Wednesday. I almost ran out to A-Basin again this morning to meet Jayne and Jay, but I got up a little too late. I may have to head out for some runs tomorrow instead.
As a side note, yesterday’s riding brings the total number of days I’ve snowboarded – ever – to 89. Hitting 100 days ever was my ‘second’ goal of the season and I’m 11 days short. With the Basin closing in early June, I could make this goal – but with a trip to Mexico this week, it would be tight. As for 100 days this season? Haa haa haa… maybe next! But I’ll keep posting about each day until the bitter end.
47 days left…
56 Days in 07/08
Actually, I posted them a while back, but I just got all the titles added a couple of days ago. The event, known as the Ski Jam, took place at A Basin on Friday, April 19th, 2008. As mentioned, it was my 50th day of snowboarding for the season. Enjoy the photos on my flickr photo set.
Uncategorized
Yesterday I headed up to Echo mountain with Velzy. I was hopeful since 4 fresh inches of snow had fallen the night before. We showed up to the slope to find that the 20mph wind had swept every bit of powder off of the run, leaving a nice icy surface behind. We didn’t even bother going out. After that disappointment, I just allllllmost passed on heading out today. I’m very happy I went ahead and drove up to A-Basin today; the conditions were great.
According to the snow report, only 3 inches fell last night. It sure seemed like more. I went a little out of bounds and found piles of snow about a foot deep. I have to admit, it was rather heavy/wet powder… However, given that it’s May, I’m pretty happy about it. I played hard and stayed until the lifts were closing. I wonder how much more snow we’re going to see this season.
Strange thing about this spring skiing thing – the parking lots are packed! The parking lots were so crowded today that they asked people to park at Keystone and ride the bus in. That doesn’t mean the mountain is actually crowded. In fact, the mountain wasn’t crowded at all today. It seems that a lot of people spend most of their time drinking at the beach parties.
48 days left…
56 Days in 07/08