Feb 22, 2010, Dillon Dam and X-C Skiing

Spent the day in Silverthorne and Cross Country Skiing in the Eagle Nest Wildernest Area.

1) Dillon Dam

2) Old Dillon Inn, favorite watering hole of the 1970’s, famous for its Mexican Food, Margaritas, and wild times.

3) Snow Dog – Pele

4) On the Buffalo Cabin Trail

5) Heading into Eagle Nest.








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Feb 19-21, 2010, Skiing with Another Old Friend

Spent 3 days re-connecting with Larry Stoehr on the slopes of Copper Mountain, Keystone and Breckenridge. I hosted Larry in the Powder Wagon.. Larry and I met at the Climax Mine in 1977 and worked underground together for almost 3 years. Raised as an avid sailor on the Belvedere Lagoon and San Francisco Bay, Larry taught me to sail and race sail boats on Lake Dillon, elevation, 9,097’.

1) Larry and I after a 20,100’ day on Breckenridge Ski Resort’s Peaks 7,8,9 and 10..

2) View of Peaks 10, 9 and 8 (L to R).

Feb 16, 2010 Glenwood Springs

1)  Matt & I took a break to soak in the hot springs pool before he took off for Boise.

2)  Pele and I ran across these bighorn sheep at the end of Glenwood Canyon while on our morning ride. 

3) An engineer's solution to squeezing 4 lanes, 2 railroad tracks and the Colorado River through Glenwood Canyon.

Feb 15, 2010 Vail - The Pictures Describe the Past 3 Days with Matt

Stats for Matt's 3 day trip:  67,160 vf of powder,  8,600 vf of groomers (Total 75,760 vertical feet)

Feb 12-14 Vail

Those are snow flakes during a blizzard!

Feb 10, 2010 A-Basin

Feb 9, 2010, Skiing with old friends

There is nothing better than skiing with old friends and being led around their home mountain. We covered 19,200 vertical in 3 hours of very fast skiing.

1) Monte Lowrance, me, Steve Dahl (l-r), stopped briefly for this photo on a blue bird day at Keystone. Breckenridge Ski Resort and the Ten Mile Range in the Background.

2) Monte, Steve and I at The Woodward Café after skiing. Location next to The Snake River Saloon.

3) Monte authored a book in 2001.  He had been, by society's standards, very successful.  Three college degrees, good salary, beautiful wife, world traveler, owned alot of "stuff".  But wasn't happy.  He knew there was more to life, but didn't know what that "more" was.  He down-sized and set off to find out!

4) Monte, also a gifted singer, occasionally performs for the apres ski crowd in Breckenridge with his life long friends in The Swing Crew.

Feb 07-08, More Friends & the Return to Summit County

Feb 7, 2010, Traveled to Denver, Bennett, and Golden, CO visiting Jerry Huling, Jim Sooy, and Jeremy Fields.  Jerry and I met while building the Henderson Tunnel in 1975.  Jim and I grew up together in Sullivan, Ohio from kindergarten through high school graduation.  Jeremy is one of Matt's good friends, who is in his PhD program at Colorado School Of Mines.

Feb 8, 2010, Views from the top of Keystone Ski Resort

Arrived in Summit County in early afternoon. After being off skis since Jackson Hole. I drove directly to Keystone and made 3 top to bottom runs before the lifts closed at 4:00. 9,300 vf.

1) Mount Guyot (13,370’) on left, Baldy (13,684’) on right.

2) Colorado has 54 peaks over 14,000’ in elevation. Gray (14,270') and Torreys (14,267') are two of them. I climbed both back in 1975.

Feb 05-06, Ft Collins, CO, Visits with Friends continue

1) The next chapter of the Skibatical begins as I return to Colorado.

2) This machine makes adobe bricks believe it or not.

3) When dry and stacked in the right place, the bricks make beautiful homes.

4) With alot of hard work over a 10 year span and stacked two bricks wide and plastered inside and out, you can create an incredibly durable and energy efficient home like this one.

5) Max & Lynette McGowan are the dreamers, designers, builders and decorators of the fantastic home.

I met Max 35 years ago while living in Summit County, Co.  We became hang gliding buddies and flew together over a period of 4 years.  Max continues to fly to this day.

Feb 03, 2010 Jackson,WY

Day filled with X-C skiing along the Snake River 3 miles outside of Jackson, a trip to the National Elk Refuge, and evening walking tour of downtown Jackson.

Feb 04, 2010 Visiting an Old Friend in Casper, WY

1)  On the way from Jackson to Casper, I watched a rancher hauling hay to his cattle herd with sleigh and team of horses.

2) I met Steve 36 years ago while skiing at Copper Mountain, CO.  Steve, a true mountain man, taught me about fly fishing, backpacking, hang gliding, and ski bumming out of a pickup camper. He had a big influence on me when I was new to the West.

3) After hang gliding for 17 years, Steve hung up those wings and now flys RC sail planes.  He is holding the wing for his biggest glider.

Feb 02, 2010 Jackson Hole

Lured on to Jackson by the 18" dump they recieved, I left GT immediately after skiing.  Teton Pass was slow going up and down due to snow cover on the 10% grades on both sides. Nervous about making to top, then nervous about keeping it on the road on the way down.

1) Awoke to blue skies and the memorable view of the mountain from the tram base.
2) New tram last season.
3,4) Signs say it all.
5) Tram headworks in the background.  No fancy unloading terminal, just the raw essentials.  Views in all directions.
The day was full with 5 tram rides and a day of packed powder in the Hobacks.  Then an afternoon of groomers on the chairlift sifde of the mountain.  Finished with 36,060' vertical which surprised me for the 4th day in a row of skiing.  At $91/day ticket, you need a big day.
I will be ready for a day of X-C skiing tomorrow.

Feb 01, 2010 Grand Targhee

Arrived ar GT about 1:00 p.m. to find 14" of new snow overnight.  Could not pass up a powder day, so skied 1/2 day.  Visibility at the top was non-existent, lower mountain was good, so spent the afternoon on the new lift that covers the former Cat Ski Area.  Lot's of powder!