On Saturday I skied Beaver Creek with coworker Tim and ex-coworker Ryan. The weather was absolutely perfect and the snow wasn't too far off. It hadn't snowed in over a week, so it was a bit crusty, but nothing like the icy conditions I had at A-Basin New Year's Day. We discovered a lot of new terrain and got really tired in the process. Since Beaver Creek is the furthest resort from home that I have on my season pass, I got up extra early and was pretty tired to begin with. I think it showed... I was fairly disappointed in my skiing, but still had fun anyways. In my opinion, the views from the top of Beaver Creek's lifts are almost unbeatable. As I've said before, I love the Gore Range, which is visible from almost the entire resort, and you can also catch glimpses of Mt. Of the Holy Cross in some areas.
We spent most of our time around the Larkspur Bowl but also checked out the Rose Bowl area and the Grouse Mountain glades. The highlight for me was the Grouse Mountain glades, even though I didn't ski that area well, it will be my first stop when I make it back to Beaver Creek. While we were in there we saw an elk jaw hanging from a tree. It seemed fairly fresh and had either been put in the tree by a bird or mountain lion.
Beaver Creek reminded me a lot of Steamboat in that there is no terrain above treeline and there are lots of aspens compared to most resorts in Colorado. The mountain is also structured similarly in that you can ski down to Beaver Creek Village from almost any lift regardless of how far back you are. The runs are fairly long and steep, which is also a similarity. It seemed like some of the bump runs went on forever, which would be a dream come true in good snow if my legs would just cooperate... Speaking of, I'm starting to get nervous that I've plateaued a bit, so perhaps I need a refresher lesson. I know I haven't really been pushing myself this season. I think it's time to spend less time on the groomers and get re-acquainted with steeper and bumpier terrain... unfortunately, the snowboarders that I ski with will not share this opinion. Ahh well. I need to improve my confidence too; it's still fairly flaky. I fell once in Thresher Glade and was sub-par from there out.
This was my 5th day on skis this year and 20th total in Colorado including last year. Here's hoping I have at least 5 or 10 more this season... It feels like ski season is finally in full swing, so hopefully February and March will bring big storms and powder days, where I can prep my self for a spring backcountry day or two.
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