Early to mid season 2018/19

Snowwise, the season has lived up to its early  promise. It's been a good winter. Cold temps and good precipitation. About average at the mid season mark. Great conditions consistently since Thanksgiving.

An early skinning start en route to Bonnie's for breakfast.  (This from the bottom of the Lift 1 chair, site of the proposed huge Gorsuch development on which the citizens of Aspen will vote at beginning of March. Two new hotels and new chairlift right down to Dean Street - below this point )

Pooped ! But pancakes and hot coffee beckon.

Back down from the Saturday skin to Bonnie's and now off to Traviata in the HD live from the Met series at the Wheeler

The following week - lower Coffee Pot - en route to Gwyn's, Snowmass

Week after that - back to Bonnie's !

Pay back time - M at work at the Guest Services Desk , Snowmass Mall

Fiona ( Fairfax ) and her husband Ben visit from Brisbane. Here the 4 of us setting off for the full moon skin to Cliffhouse, Buttermilk for dinner.  Pretty special.

Sheila and Richard Evans from Scotland come to stay for 10 days.  Enormous fun . They had to work for this breakfast at Gwyn's. Skinned all the way.

They had to work for this too.  The Highland Bowl hike.  Summit just visible through the trees. No wimps the Evans'.

Powder day on skis at Buttermilk

.... and the following day on our boards at Buttermilk again.  It's so quiet , it's like having your own private ski resort

Bottom of lift at Tiehack

Warm up run at West Buttermilk

Opening night at Base Village

Another full moon skin to Cliffhouse , Buttermilk, this time with Mary and Reid our erstwhile neighbours at Meadow Ranch

Parked on the Big Island at Snowmass Mall.  45 minute loops on the No. 3 route usually provide a nice 10 minute break at the end of each one

Early season snow

We've been in Snowmass for 12 years now and had, apart from last year, good to very good early season ( Thanksgiving and earlier ) skiing. None has bettered what we've had this year. It's been superb. Another 6 to 10 inches today - Nov 24 - on top of a good base.  Feet, if not metres,  of it on the top half of the mountain.

Skinning up from Divide on campground pre season

M making steady progress - long way to go

Top of Sam's Knob - made it !

After being pulled up from 20 feet below - stopped by tree. Failed to make the right hand turn from Brush on to Owl.  Scene ( and same scenario but fortunately not quite the same result ) of an incident on the No 3 bus that I had some 7 years ago. Unpleasant to put it mildly.

With Jimmy - Aspen ski bum personified

M showing form on Gunners' View

Thanksgiving plus 2

 "270" - ditto

Oregon

Back in Snowmass for 3 days and off again ! This time to Duncan , Katy , Oliver and Maggie in Corvallis , OR.

Oli, Maggie and Katy in downtown Corvallis

...and what do we find but the Beavers' marching band inviting conductors.  Guess who rises to the challenge ?

This part of OR noted for wet weather at this time of year and it's always been that way for us in the past. Not so on this occasion.

Getting too heavy for this ?

Ireland

This year we timed our annual visit to coincide with the kids' half term break. A glorious week with the Ryans in Killarney National Park.

An unscheduled visit this one. A wee bike spill in front of this ambulance while in our charge preceded it. A text of these 2 pics to Cormac's Mum did not impress !

A happier scene in the Halloween party which ensued

Cormac - the future long jump champ

Outside our ( M and I in separate accom !) in Killarney

The ferry crossing the River Shannon on the way to Killarney

Wilf Stevenson

and his new country abode in SW Ireland SW of Cork

Nice now to see Meghan's name there

Cornac, Angus and Iona

The ferry journey across the Shannon on way to Killarney

The Falls of Torc

Meghan's sister-in-law Lisa with her 2 children Lorna and Donal with Cormac in the middle

A wonderful day cycling through the Park

The hotel at Glengarriff, West Cork my parents spent part of their honeymoon at in 1939

..... and what it looked like then !

Meghan & Dennis' new house outside Ennis ! The beech tree will remain ! This view of the house construction is from the South - i.e the pic is looking north