Spring Break in Colorado

We returned last weekend following a week at Breckenridge, CO spent on boards and skis.  We were pleased to find plenty of snow when we arrived, and enjoyed spring-like conditions for the whole week.  We found a great condo that was a short walk to a lift or into town.  While we didn't receive any fresh powder,  warm temperatures and sunny skies made for a great week.  We were out everyday either XC skiing on nearby trails, or riding our boards at the resort.  We found some great views on the XC trails and a sauna that will be destination for the future on some moonlight night with towel in hand.  There was a lot of great terrain for riding snowboards, and we also had fun exploring the town of Breckenridge in the evenings.  The town is quaint and feels like a western town that has become modern without loosing it's charm.  We had a short visit from Kerry, Sheri's sister.  It was great to share a day of skiing/riding followed by a fine dinner at Twist - a fun, new  restaurant that we highly recommend.  It was a great week of being outside, enjoying the sunshine and getting some exercise.  Seven days of sunshine and mild spring temperatures makes for a good week just about anywhere!

You can see a short video of us riding on the last day of our stay in Breckenridge here.

New England Winter Sports

Last week-end we headed up to Vermont in search of snow.  It had snowed ~12" on Thursday night, so we were hopeful that we would be able to get some use out of our skis and snowboards.  We even rented a nice place to stay at Mount Snow, with all the comforts of home.  As we drove north on Friday evening we could see evidence of the big snow storm all around.   We arrived in plenty of time, and settled in for an early night.  Upon waking up on Saturday we saw that there had been a couple of inches of fresh snow overnight. 

But...all was not as it appeared.  On top of the snow was about 1/4" of frozen rain, and as we got to the slopes the rain began to pour.  We decided to put a brave face on it, purchased our lift tickets, and set off thinking that the weather would soon clear.  Our first run was enough to clinch the deal.  It was awful!!!  The combination of ice and a foot of heavy snow was abominable and we were getting soaked.  So, we headed back to the lodge after just one run to get a refund on our lift tickets.

We went back to the condo, took hot showers, and warmed up.  By 9am we were drinking cofee and reading the New York Times!

We quickly regrouped and decided to drive north to try our hands at cross-country skiiing.  Was this madness, or divine inspiration?  Well, just 45-minutes drive away in Londonderry it was a perfect day.  Blue skies, sunshine, and not a sign of the rain that had smitten our attempts at snowboarding at Mt Snow.  As you can see below we had a fantastic day at the Viking Nordic skiing center.

The moral of this story is to take all your outdoor gear whenever you go away, and to never trust the local weather!