Fifty years ago, a commercial snowcat operation began taking skiers up Snowmass Mountain, near Aspen. Chairlifts wouldn’t be installed until the 1967 season, when the resort officially opened. Still, this season marks the 50th year of commercial skiing at Snowmass and while celebrations have not yet begun, there are plenty of new delights to enjoy […]
Aspen
Ski Camp, Day Three: The Keys to the Kingdom
The great thing about a three-ski camp is that it gives you time. Over the course of three days, you have time to throw out your old habits and begin learning new skills. You’ve got time to feel that maybe, just maybe, you’re mastering new moves, and you’ve got time to forget everything you just […]
Ski Camp Day Two: The Sun Came Out and the Lights Came On
In the middle of the afternoon today, the sun came out to stay on Aspen Mountain. After teasing us throughout the morning, a bit of sun here, a lot of cloud there, the skies finally cleared and the sun shone bright and low in the sky. It’s funny what a blue sky can do. Like […]
Conscious Incompetence: Ski Camp, Day One
The first thing you need to know is that it snowed all day. This made me very happy. The next thing you need to know is that I love ski lessons. I love learning about skiing and improving. So, I began ski camp in a very happy place. And then there is one more thing […]
Adios Ski Season: Many Highs, One Low
For the past month, I’ve been looking for the “perfect” way and “perfect” day to end my ski season. On Friday, I found it at Arapahoe Basin, Colorado. Thanks to a cosmic convergence, my son’s sports schedule took us to Summit County during a week when this year’s crazy weather was not only seasonable, but […]