Spring Skiing: Colorado Style

The drive was beautiful from Santa Fe to southern Colorado. We took 285 north through the Rio Grande del Norte National Monument. Snow capped mountains brushed the landscape and Pronghorns grazed the newly green meadows. We could feel the temperature dropping as we crossed state lines. Great Sand Dunes National Park is located in the south central part of Colorado. We made it to the dunes in just over 4 hours from Santa Fe. Brian and I have been itching to do some spring skiing so after one night at the Piñon Flats Campground, we left the camper and drove up to Colorado Springs just to check it out. From there we B-lined it to Breckenridge for the ultimate Colorado spring skiing experience. Breckenridge Ski Resort had 2495/2908 acres to explore, 28/34 lift chairs running and 149 of 187 trails open. The base elevation is at 9,600 ft and the summit reaches 12,998 ft.  Over the next two days we conquered all 5 peaks of the ski area. I would say I am a confident intermediate skier and Brian is definitely a bold expert. Brian endeavored up to the summit beyond the lift to ski to drop in on one of Breck's bowls. I was with him only in spirit on that run. We got a good deal on a slope-side room for a couple nights so we skied hard for two days and enjoyed a couple evenings out in Breck. The conditions were pretty excellent for this waning season and comparable to really really good spring skiing in New England. It was slightly icy in the early morning but from 10-12 the snow was, soft, still groomed and fast. Shortly after noon the lower portions of the trails turned slushy and slow but we were skiing in t-shirts so we enjoyed it anyway.

Colorado to Brian is the same as Alaska is to me. While we may not have got the infamous pow-pow, we had a blast in the off-season with no lines, no crowds, still regular priced lift tickets (haha) and all the while, completing Brian's dream of skiing in Colorado. We will unquestionably be back for more, now that we've had a taste of the good stuff.

Next Stop: Back to Great Sand Dunes National Park