It's been a pretty phenomenal week by any standards.
Sat - a driving day. Treacherous conditions. On the R1 shift . In at 6.15 for pre - drive bus check and 1st run Mall to Rodeo at 6.30. 20 min break for my traditional grapefruit in the drivers' lounge at 9, and then my "lunch break" of an hour at 10.30. Then, and each week, I treat myself to a huge breakfast heuvos rancheros at the Big Hoss Grill. Terri looks after me well. My shift officially ends at 3.15 , but on AVSC days I normally have to do another 2 hour driving making it an 10 hour shift. Quite grueling esp today with a dreadful snow storm in the morning. INCIDENT: Driving up Brush Creek Rd at about 8.15 with approx 40 on board. I stopped at Lower Creekside bus stop to pick up 4 passengers. It was a 50/50 call and knew there was a poss I wouldn't get moving again. Sure enough, wheels spin and I begin to drift into middle of the road. The camber at that point falls away sharply to left. These buses can continue to slide backwards and sideways from a standing position. Horror of horrors for at that point traffic started passing me on the inside including, incredibly, a RFTA bus. Missed hitting the wing mirror of my bus by centimeters. Meanwhile my passengers were agitating to vacate - straight into the path of the vehicles passing me on my right. Nightmare. Eventually everyone bar one ( who bravely, or sensibly, stayed with me ) got off without anyone getting hurt. I then had to await police and town maintenance vehicles to tow me to safety. Big relief though. No damage , no injury and no accident report form to fill out. But when, and when not to, stop to pick up/drop off in snowstorms is a perennial problem.
M finished work at same time - 5pm and some delightful relaxation of oboe/violin duets. The 3 part Christmas carol arrangements bought in Columbus. Hard practicing . Please note Duncan and Ros - preparing for you.
Sun - Took a days holiday and avoided the dreaded D11 Woodbridge shift. Had arranged sometime ago because of annual Buddy Ski day at Buttermilk. Happened to be a powder day ! Picked Gaby off the bus at Intercept Lot, got him kitted out with boots and skis and tried to introduce him to powder skiing . He wasn't impressed and wanted to get into the terrain park asap. Lunch laid on at Bumps restauraunt and back out for more of the terrain park in pm. A moderately successful day. Dropped Gaby back at his house in El Jebel , did a grocery shop and home by 5. More practice and bed at our usual hour of 9 - whacked.
Mon - Day off for us both. Had arranged to skin up top Gwyns with Martha. She was outside our door at prompt 7.15, got the 7.23 bus up to Mall and skinning by 7.45. Martha was a star. Got to Gwyns at 9.45 and enjoyed the usual fabulous breakfast. Back down as usual via Elk Camp chair and Long Shot. Weight training at Rec Center in pm and the usual evening. More music practice.
Tues - Unusally and because of the National Police Federation Ski races, M had to work. I met Chip at Rodeo Lot at 10, drove with him to Aspen, got gondola to summit and then set off on skins along Richmond Ridge. 4 runs on the McFarlanes side skinning back up on each occasion. Great powder snow and really in the wilds. Avoided anything remotely exposed to avalanche risk , but still carried beacon , shovel and probe. Far too heavy a pack , but better to err that way. Huge exertion, but enormously satisfying and rewarding. Skinned out back on to the ski area of Aspen Mtn getting back down to Aspen by 5. Inspired there and then to book M and I in on Monday for day's cat skiing . Expensive but M as Skico employee gets half price. Had beers with the 2 managers / stakeholders of the cat / powder tour operation - Murray and Bob - and Chip and his wife Piglet ( one of the cat tour guides ). M was released from work at midday to her huge relief and managed to get in her 2 hour violin practice. Memorising pieces for her Susuki violin camp at Beaver Creek in June.
Wed - the usual skin to Gwyns and back over Long Shot . Basalt for dentist appointment in pm. M working all day. Storm clouds brewing and more snow on the way. Time and again this has happened this year just as I go back to work. Can't complain though. In all of last 7 years I've been lucky with my days off.
Thurs - back to 1st of my four shifts. The D3 - Snowmass Club route. M always my first passenger standing at the Meadow Ranch stop doing her stand-up yoga exercises on my 1st run back from the club at 6.50. Long day for us both, but still manage our joint practice session before dinner and live BBC World news on TV at 7.
Fri - powder day. Snowed all day. Conditions on the Horse Ranch/Melton Ranch route tricky. Rotor chains required on numerous occasions when stopping to pick up on Meadow Road. Finish at 1.30 on fridays so managed to get out on my board in pm . 6 inches plus of new snow and boarding in the unbroken powder on Big Burn was phenomenal. Snowpack on all 4 mountains is 160% of last year on this day and 116% of average. Bodes well for April.
Quite a week. Season racing by , but with Mary's boarding friend EJ in hospital with a stroke and my good buddy Peter with whom I've hiked the Highlands Bowl so regularly over the last 3 years laid low with Mantle Cell Lymphoma, we're making most of every day - just as EJ and Peter have been doing , and are continuing to do. Can't wait to have you both back with us on the slopes.
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| Some good powder on Tiehack. Gaby a reluctant participator but being a real trooper in trying. |
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| Mary leading by example; Gaby not convinced. |
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| Ditto |
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| Gaby has his way after 2 runs . The terrain park/ M not quite so confident. Gaby much more so and already at the bottom. |
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| The reward for skinning up to Gwyns. Martha has been dreaming of these for last 2 months and how she deserved them. |
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| M & M on top of Long Shot run on the way back down from Gwyns. |
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| Skinning / powder skiing with Chip off Richmond Ridge. Note Chip in center just emerging from trees. |
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| Now to put skins back on and go all the way to the top again. |
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| The following morning and looking back down Coffee Pot. This spot marks the home stretch for Gwyns. Couldn't resist taking a run down here after taking skins off, the Alpine Springs lift having just opened. Only a couple of inches of new snow and so not "a powder day', but pretty good all the same. Not a soul in sight of course. |
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| A bit more than 2 inches here on the lower stretches of Long Shot ....... |
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| and accumulating nicely among these aspen, fir and birch trees |
