D, K and O's visit

They arrived conveniently 2 days after Mary and I finished working for the season but inconveniently for them given ski lifts had just closed . Undaunted though, we got them kitted out on skis and skins and had a short skin up Adam's Avenue and an equally short ski down.  And not even a suggestion of complaint from wee Oliver on D's back.

Following day , a skin up Ajax with D and back in time for pancakes at Meadow Ranch. Nearly a major catastrophe with my ( nearly new ) Dynafit touring binding falling apart at the top of the ski down. Heidi to dinner at night and some hugely entertaining music with D on the new piano , Heidi and Mary on violins and me contributing on oboe where timing skills and puff permitted. K and Oliver were the brave ( and seemingly quite appreciative ) audience.

Carbondale on bikes the next day down Rio Grande trail  with Granny Moon i/c Oliver and a delightful lunch in Old Smiddy. Chatty bridge in evening. Transfers one step too far for M & K - D please note!

Cosi Fan Tutte HD Live from the Met at the Isis on Saturday Oliver behaving and sleeping beautifully ( for the most part ) in the aisle with grandad poised to bolt for exit on emission of any sound. And a cordon bleu anniversay dinner for M & I cooked by D & K with exquisite bottle of Napa valley Merlot in evening. Neighbours Reid and Mary came in for quick drink before dinner bringing with them fresh Maryland crabcakes for appetiser.

They're now preparing for tour of Utah and Arizons Nat Parks before making their way to Corvallis , OR where they start their new life. Meanwhile M & I depart in 2 days time for Asheville, NC and  Scotland and Ireland.

Wonderful to have become so well acquainted with our 3rd grandchild. What a little gem.

John Foster to stay

First morning and not a hint of fatigue or altitude sickness.  And a powder day to boot

Top of Cirque poma lift

Error here.on my part. This according to the grooming sheet was supposed to have been groomed.  See John in dead center coping with difficult fresh snow conditions on Upper Green Cabin. Sterling effort.

Top far horizon - dead center  - was where we were 20 or so minutes before. Good effort for 1st day.  Next was at Ajax and then on to bikes ........

Setting off for Basalt and Carbondale via the Rio Grande bike trail

Skinning , skinning and more skinning

Every single powder day this season has come on a working day for me. Rats !

Has meant though that I've taken full advantage of the fine, but sans poudre, conditions on my days off with skinning up on Snowmass and Ajax always trying to find a new way up each time. Last week on the 3 days off, I did the beautiful early morning skin to Bonnies on Ajax with Mary ( day before she cracked her knee cap - more later ), Up4Pizza at top of Big Burn and Gwyns respectively. Some random pics.

On way up to Gwyns looking back to the Roaring fork valley in the distance

Couldn't resist a quick run down before a Gwyns' breakfast just as the Alpine Springs lift opened at 9. Only 3 inches or so of fresh snow and so technically not ' a powder day' . Pretty nice nevertheless.

M  approaching the junction of Copper and Spar Gulch on Ajax soon after 7

Bonnies in sight 1hr 45 mins later. Pancakes beckon - again!

Made it with 3 mins to spare. Ski patrol chase hikers / skinners off the hill at 9....

but hardly necessary given the empty slopes in background

The descent into downtown Aspen

Had a most enjoyable day at Snowmass with Jimmy Stone whose mother is in Deerfield, Asheville with Betty.  Jimmy a v long standing Aspen ski bum with a huge knowledge of every hidden powder stash on all 4 mountains days after snow has fallen. Here below in the wilds of Hanging Valley Glades - taking a break

Meanwhile poor Mary was not just working, but finishing her day in the on mountain health clinic with stitches in a head wound and a cracked bone on front of her knee cap. A work injury having tripped on one of the ski transfer trolleys in the crowded base Village corral. No op required fortunately and no ligament or meniscus damage.  Just a brace for 6 weeks . Here with crutches at 270 and defenceless against a snowball throwing Gaby.

We had a 3 day visit from James ( Cooper ) Black an old friend of my former bus driving colleague and bowl buddy Peter who is bravely recovering from endless treatments in Grand Junction.  Cooper  from Arizona at aged 76 was competing in the NASTAR races at Snowmass and most impressively won his 75 to 80 class ( course setter - Olympic gold medalist at Sochi Ted Liggety ).  Well done Cooper! Peter & Linda we look forward to seeing you next week and catching up

A week in the life of .....

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.

Some good powder on Tiehack. Gaby a reluctant participator but being a real trooper in trying.

Mary leading by example; Gaby not convinced.

Ditto

Gaby has his way after 2 runs .  The terrain park/ M not quite so confident. Gaby much more so and already at the bottom.

The reward for skinning up to Gwyns.  Martha has been dreaming of these for last 2 months and how she deserved them.

M & M on top of Long Shot run on the way back down from Gwyns.

Skinning / powder skiing with Chip off Richmond Ridge. Note Chip in center just emerging from trees.

Now to put skins back on and go all the way to the top again.

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.

A bit more than 2 inches here on the lower stretches of Long Shot .......

and accumulating nicely among these aspen, fir and birch  trees

Winter season 2014 flies by

Seems odd that I haven't posted yet in 2014, but that's apparently the case.

It's been a fabulous year snow wise. Almost record snow pack from current data. M and I have had some brilliant powder skiing and boarding days interspersed with regular skinning up to top of Big Burn , Gwyns and twice in last 2 days up Tiehack.

X games with Gaby watching the Olympic hopefuls perform for last time before Sochi and Gaby got to interview 2 of the stars. One of them - Maddie Bowman - went on to win the the half pipe skiers event.

Had an exciting day with Chip on Richmond Ridge skinning in from the Sundeck on Ajax and having 3 runs on a couple of feet of unbroken powder - but skinning back up after each one. First time to use ( or not have to use, fortunately )  my newly acquired avalanche beacon , shovel and probe. The DPS skis and Dynafit bindings proved invaluable. Struggled more this year to keep up with Chip on the uphill.

A visit from Graeme Russell - now with Bentley - on one of his fleeting business visits to Aspen and managed a good run on Ajax with him followed by a beer or two.

We've just splashed out and purchased a new digital piano. Had first musical evening with friends last night to christen it with recorded ( by Fred ) performances of  oboe , violin and piano trios.  Keen competition for the RTO. All set for visits from Duncan in April and Ros in July.

Nearly time for annual visit from Martha and Dick from Atlanta.  The blueberry pancakes at Gwyns await Martha, but you have to skin up to get them.

Gaby and Mary in awe of feats to follow

Note top of half pipe on left

dDgging  out the front entrance to 270 at bottom of our steps

Beige's car

Are we sure ?

Chip on Mcfarlanes , Richmond Ridge

Yours truly in action and avoiding yard sale at all costs

Relative success - made it.

Skinning back up - fortunately on a cat trail

Mary , the following day on our weekly skin up Tiehack, Buttermilk.  Feels like our private ski resort.

Post script : Martha and Dick arrived and delightful to see them both doing so well. The ever enthusiastic Martha skinned up with us to Elk Camp restauraunt yesterday and the Cliff House, Buttermilk today. What a great effort for someone that has come straight from sea level. Gwyns next week - a date. If a powder day, all bets off !

Duncan, Ros, Hedi, Meghan , Jane - can't wait for your accompaniments

Just back from the routine skin to Gwyns and back over Long Shot. Coming from a long family history of diary facts ( particularly times ) recorders , I have to record the Wednesday programme. Mary departs for work at 6.50 am. I put boots on at house and skins on skis and get the 7.25 bus to the mall. Leave the ski corral at 7.45 with Jimmy Buffet and John Denver tuned in on the Ipod ( thank you Duncan ! ) , Gwyns at 8.45, breakfast with Economist till 11.15. Turkey Trot to bottom of Elk camp chairlift , hike up from top of lift to top of Long Shot by 11.30, Two Creeks at 11.50, bus back to Meadow Ranch in time for lunch with Mary at 12.  Soul enriching. Just sorry can't persuade more friends, partic from UK, to share. One day maybe. Keith and Fiona, Bill, Harry and Ian - come back!

Martha looking as sprightly as ever at foot of Tiehack with 1,000 feet to go

At the top of Buttermilk and still looking sprightly.  Note Scarpa boots which she'll be pleased to discard before next Wednesday. Pyramid Peak in background.