Thin snow cover

In snow terms it's been a disappointing ski season so far. But the tourists , particularly those from Europe and Australia, continue to rave about what great days they've had , so it can't be that bad. As residents and locals for 5 years we have become spoilt. In each of those 5 years we'd have had about 8 or more genuine powder days by now. Having opened a week earlier than scheduled the week before Thanksgiving due to abundance of early season snow, we've had precisely one - Sunday Jan 9, the day Bill Richards arrived from London! Here he is appearing to be schussing one of the Tiehack runs at Buttermilk. No danger of collision here. Skiing at Tiehack - now with new faster lift - makes you feel it's your private resort.

Mary and I regularly snowboard here and alternatively, when the spirit moves us, skin up late in an afternoon and ski down when lifts have shut. Here are a couple of pics - one from the top of

Buttermilk and the second showing immaculate technique after descending Razor's Edge.

The paucity of new snow has also opened other oppurtunities for us. We had one epic dawn skin up to Gwyn's via Lower Green Cabin and Coffee Pot followed by a superb breakfast with white table cloth, waiter service and generally the full works (repeated most enjoyably yesterday with Bill before a great day skiing with him at Snowmass). What a way to start the day. The following day ( day off for me but not for Mary ) I skinned up to top of Big Burn ( over 3,000 ft of climbing ) and got a buzz out of every foot of it . Didn't get breakfast , but there's free coffee - wow! - for those hiking up to Up 4 Pizza , and the home and freshly made pizza there is the best.

On the way to Gwyns looking up Coffee Pot . Beaten by a cayote and and an even earlier single snow shoer.

Earlier in the season we visited Alan and Darlene in Carbondale to see their lovely little girl . Here is proud Dad with Phoenix Rain!

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We're almost saying goodbye to Lee and Julie who are off to live in their new house in Hawaii having sold up here in Aspen. Lee ( an Aspen High School boy ) has been a wonderful ski companion these last few years and of course Lee and Julie organised and guided the epic White Rim trail bike trip in Utah with us in May. I suspect they'll be back a lot to ski, but we'll miss them greatly. Here they are at dinner at 270 with Dadou rightfully at the top of the table. Dadou a French ski instructor, Hawaian coffee grower , and chef extraordinaire, lives in our basement flat throughout the winter, and cooked a superb lamb dinner for us all.