USA 2006 - PART 2

March 24th - The North/South Divide

Mike had wangled a week off work and we wanted to see as many places as possible during that period. Every day we would discuss what to do the next day and days in advance but this would change almost by the hour as the trip went on. For now I had a $40 ticket for any resort in the local area and we had decided on making the trip up to Copper Mountain(2601ft, 2433a).

An easy drive from Keystone we arrived in brilliant sunshine at a nice base area and were quickly heading to the free snowcat operation that takes you to the flanks of Tucker Mountain. With a large queue in front of us it was decision time. Do we wait and get the obvious delights or head to the lifts and get value for money. With Mike skiing for free and me for only $40 there was no doubt where we were heading and after a wait of around 45 minutes we were on the cat.

Unluckily as it happens, for the first time this season the cat was going much nearer the top than normal, the sun was melting the cat track and we were on the first cat that did not go further and had to make do with the normal stop. Undeterred we walked about 100m or so from the drop off zone and clicked into our skis for a short, enjoyable, deep and untracked section back to the cat track. Although it was short it meant an easy walk back to where we started and avoided a return to the queue!

I don't mind admitting that by the time I had walked back to the summit I was absolutely knackered and the thought of another climb was well down my thought for the afternoon. So I managed to persuade Mike that my climbing for the day was over and we picked a superb route down towards the base of the Blackjack lift. Some wonderful turns even though I did manage to hit my obligatory rock or two!

We had a few more runs and I even managed a short hike up a ridge before we dropped into the Enchanted Forest for a couple of very nice runs to end the day. I did actually have my worst turns ever when we hit a south facing off piste area. A mixture of rocks, crud and grass were awful. In general we found the north facing slopes to be very good but the south facing slopes to be pretty poor.

Having not stopped for lunch we called it good mid afternoon and headed into the shops at the base for a quick look for a new jacket. Nothing in my price bracket so we headed back to Keystone. Mike cooked us all dinner and we caught up with the guys and tried to persuade them to join us for a day trip the following day.

March 25th - The Cooper Challenge

I have long been an advocate of visiting smaller resorts and when I planned the trip some months before I said to Mike that either during the weekend with him or the day I left I was going to Ski Cooper(1200ft, 400a). In an ideal world I wanted him to come with me as I felt that it was the best opportunity to show him that resorts don't have to have thousands of vertical or acres to have fun.

Anyway, on the Friday night Mike and James were definitely going and Aileen, Kyp and Nikki had agreed to come along although I knew I would have to use my charms come Saturday morning! Sure enough Aileen and Kyp were a little dubious first thing and I made it clear to Kyp that he would regret not making a trip to Cooper.

"Everyone back home has heard of Vail and Breck but nobody has heard of Cooper Kypo and if you don't go you cant call yourself a boarder" and such and eventually he agreed to come along. I am so glad he, Aileen, Nikki, Mike and James did as it was an absolutely brilliant day and made my day at Ski Cooper one of the best of my winter.

After a drive of about an hour or so we all arrived in the parking lot to watch three sets of twins getting dressed in the back of a pickup truck! Busy, we got our tickets together and headed to the 10th Mt Chair and over to the Piney Basin Chair.

The terrain was superb and gave the six of us an ideal opportunity to all ski and board together. Our aim was to complete the Cooper Chairlift Challenge(something we made up ourselves) and by the end of the day we had skied sixteen runs and reckoned that we spent about three hours on the chairlift!

A nice burger and fries and I shared a pitcher of dark beer with my fellow skiers Mike and James. With the sun beating down this was for me what spring skiing is about. Long days, hot sun, corn snow, good company and cold beer, it's tough!

Highlights for me included Kyp's attempts at keeping the footrest down as long as he could to test the metal of the lifties at Cooper, Aileen being posted missing in the trees only to coming shooting out on her ass into the piste a few minutes later and then the lifties claiming that today was the busiest day ever despite us walking onto the chair each time and being able to race as fast as Bode Miller down without coming close to hitting anyone.

Well, apart from one another! In our final blast from the top we set off six abreast and racing for our lives. With Mike and James in my sights I was absolutely blasting as James and I came within a whisker of taking each other out but I was not going to let Scotland down and in the lower third I left Mike and James for dead and showed that Scottish skiing is in good hands! Kyp later said that it was amazing watching the three of us race ahead.

Aileen and Nikki came with me with the others heading down in James's mobile and we were surprised when we got back to Keystone that they were nowhere to be seen. Turns out they had been stopped by the police for speeding. Funny, because a car coming the other way flashed me as a warning and I stuck to the limit and at exactly the same spot James got a ticket. Ouch!

With Aileen celebrating her birthday we headed to the Last Lift bar and had a few beers to get us going. Back to the ranch Mike and I relaxed for a bit before heading down to Los Locos for a few drinks and to meet up with Aileen and Nikki. Mike recommended the margaritas so I ordered a couple. I can only describe them as fish bowls filled with alcohol and the entire rim was covered by crushed salt. Very nice and we finished the night with a few games of pool before heading for a well earned nights sleep.

March 26th - The Avalanche

We had discussed what we would do on the Sunday. With a biting wind and a few flurries we decided that we would give my knee a rest.

That does not mean to say that Sunday would be a wasted day. I had already suggested to Mike that we should go to Denver to see the Colorado Avalanche take on the Edmonton Oilers in the ice hockey and he had arranged with Roy that we would drive down towards Denver, leave the car and then get a ride with his friend Pat and his son Ryan to the match.

During the day we headed to about every store in town looking primarily for a new lightweight jacket for me. Eventually, and by a fantastic suggestion by Mike we went into the Nike store as a last resort to try to beat the $100 limit of all the other options. Amazingly we found a jacket for $30 and added a golfing t-shirt and a thermal layer for just slightly more than the $100 that the other shops would have sold me a jacket for. Great value and somewhere I will visit again next time!

Hungry we headed to the China House for an all you can eat buffet before picking Roy up and headed to the NHL.

Pat knew the roads like the back of his hand and we parked just a short walk from The Pepsi Centre. The views of the famous Invesco Field at Mile High where the Denver Broncos play their American football were superb on the way past.

Grabbing a few Newcastle Brown Ales and Guinness's we headed to our seats for a nights action. Similar to the NBA the atmosphere was a little on the dour side and I have to say that not reading out the opposition team lines is a mistake. With the majority of supporters following the home side I reckon that would whip up quite an atmosphere.

I found the puck a lot easier to see in real life compared to the TV and a free flowing game ended 3-3 after over-time and we got our money's worth with the Oilers eventually winning 1-0 in a thrilling shootout. A great game and I can only say that Roy had me laughing all the way home with his stories of his season's escapades!

March 27th - Mike Returns To Cardiff

With our plans still not concrete beyond the next few days I decided that I would take Mike to one of my favourite small Colorado resort, Sunlight(2010ft, 470a).

With a drive of around just over 100 miles we set off early and arrived in a pretty quiet parking lot in absolutely lovely spring temperatures. Although warm and the snow sticky and wet in places Mike and I were able to find some terrific terrain and after a warm-up we headed to try a few laps of the glades from the summit. The nicely spaced aspen along with a mixture of steeps and rolling terrain make this mountain one of the best off the beaten path resorts in the USA.

We tried several of the chutes on the far left of the mountain including Perry's Plunge before dropping into the cross country touring area in an out of bounds area to the right of the map. Fabulous and although at times you were ducking under fallen trees and skipping over streams the untracked corn snow with nothing but the occasional whistle or shout between myself and Mike was absolutely superb.

After a great morning we headed in for a beer and a burger and took a seat inside to get out of the strong sunshine for a spell. Refreshed it was more of the same before we packed a few blasts before the lifts stopped. Considering it was a Monday the bar was busy and Mike seemed impressed with his first visit. By now his slogan for the day was "I could work here next winter" and to be honest I reckon Mike would find something at most resorts that he could entertain himself with. Whether he would have anyone to teach is another matter! Better off in Keystone? Well, that's pure economics.

Finishing the day with a cheeky beer on the deck we headed back down to Glenwood Springs reflecting on another great day. We tinkered with the idea of a dip in the famous hot springs but decided against it. Now we were looking for Cardiff! We had spotted it on the map just a mile or two out of Glenwood Springs so we headed up towards Aspen for a look. Taking the piss out of Mike I suggested that it was the shanty housing but after an hour looking we headed back down to Keystone having failed to find Cardiff.

Back in Keystone we settled in for a night with the guys in front of the TV with a beer and a bottle of wine. Deal or No Deal along with American Idol were the guy's favourites and I have to say that the US versions of the shows are much better. The girls with the numbered boxes make the show.

March 28th - North Pole To East Rim

Another bluebird day and we were off to Arapahoe Basin(2270ft, 490a) via a look up to the summit of Loveland Pass. We took a few pictures and after sticking one of my stickers on the sign we headed into the busy parking lot.

Today we would hike up North Pole after sizing a route from below. It was pretty clear that although the drop in could be a little nasty, beyond that the rewards could be fabulous. So, after a warm-up lap or two we began the hike along the spine towards East Wall and eventually we reached our entry point. Leaving the few other people to get down I got my skis on and took a deep breath before dropping in. The first couple of turns were a little sketchy and after negotiating the rock band across the slope I was into some magnificent powder. Not deep, or light but it was powder and we were loving it!

Having built up a real thirst we headed down to the lodge for a burger and a pint of Guinness. After an hour we were ready to go but the weather had changed completely and one run in horrendously flat light was enough. We headed back to Keystone and made our plans for the week ahead.

By now our plans had changed drastically. I had a room booked for Wednesday and Thursday in Gunnison where I planned to ski at Crested Butte and Monarch before heading to Ski Las Vegas, Brian Head in Utah and onto Salt Lake City. Mike had managed to get some time off and we agreed to head down to Gunnison as the room was prepaid before coming back to Keystone. Beyond that Mike and Nikki were looking to join me on my final leg of the tour but for now that was a long time away.

March 29th - Concrete Jungle

At 6am we were up and on our way to Crested Butte(3062ft, 1125a) which was a drive of more than 3 hours.

My initial impression of the area was one of disbelief. The concrete mess of Andorra and France had found its way to the USA. Awful and although the skiing was to make up for it I really think that they have got it wrong.

With an inch of fresh we headed to Teocalli Bowl in poor light and I was struggling, badly! A steep double black to start the day was pushing it and a lesson was learnt. Warm up!

Once the sun came out the skiing was amazing. Teocalli Bowl, North Face and the chutes over the mountain were absolutely amazing. As steep as it gets, fantastic snow and great fun skiing with Mike once again. At one point we headed down to the base and found an amazing run, Championship which we were able to scream down. The rolling terrain and the speeds we reached were reminiscent of a FIS ski race. At one point I felt weightless as I launched over a roller. Priceless!!

Quite a lot of the terrain is rated expert and I enjoyed pitching myself against the mountain. The tough terrain and the fact that there were a few climb outs kept the crowds away.

Having again missed lunch we agreed to head back to Gunnison for a few beers and stopped in past a bar on the main drag. Mike spotted a menu and ordered a few Mexican starters along with a pint of Guinness. Excellent end to the day and we were excited to see the weather report was calling for snow. This would not only up the excitement levels but also bring around our next question. Wolf Creek or Telluride?

I was happier with Telluride as I fancy hitting Wolf Creek on route to New Mexico at some point and if the forecasted amount of snow was to arrive then getting to Wolf Creek could be fairly difficult. Over a pizza from the local takeaway, washed down by some red wine we decided that Telluride was the call.

March 30th - Best Of The Trip

We set off early from Gunnison on the Thursday morning and the snow got deeper the closer we got to Telluride(3530ft, 1700a) and by the time we arrived at the resort they were claiming 18"+ of fresh powder. We were going to have a ball.

The mountain was simply superb and for 1700 acres it skied much bigger. We spent a large part of the day in the Prospect Bowl, Gold Hill and Bald Mountain area and the skiing was superb. With untouched powder we tried to find as many stashes as we could and by mid morning I was knackered and really needed something to eat and drink so we stopped at the small shack at the top of Prospect Bowl for a cookie and a coke.

We hiked up Bald Mountain and I was glad to have my new jacket and my sling for my skis. The best $18 I have ever spent. Like a rucksack with nothing but straps and a couple of loops and straps to hold the skis in. What a difference climbing. Being able to use my poles and not have to stumble uphill with skis in one hand and poles in the other makes a difference. Look out for one if you only climb off the top of lifts and don't require huge packs of kit.

The hike once above the trees was fairly easy but crowded and a lot of the area was tracked so Mike and I decided on our route and put some nice tracks into knee deep powder that eventually took us into steep trees with deep snow. Wonderful turns.

Mike had one of the best falls I have ever seen today! Towards the end of the day we were looking for every last bit of fresh in the trees and we would stop every now and then as we found a deep patch to take a few action shots. One such area that Mike spotted was just off a cat track on the way back to the base. Getting myself into position Mike talked through what he was planning and when would be the best time to take the shot. Anyway, he readied himself and I prepared to take the photo when he double ejected in a heap after the tips of his skis disappeared into a hidden mound. I was so busy laughing that I missed the photo!

Heading to the base we had had one of the best days of the trip and Telluride is definitely a place that I want to visit again. The whole organisation of the mountain is very good with good parking and a decent lift system although it probably does not get the kind of snowfall that other resorts get year on year.

We drove back to Gunnison and after a shower and change we headed to the Double Dragon for an excellent Chinese meal. Soup, a large platter, sweet and sour pork, sesame chicken and rice all washed down with some kind of concoction with a cherry floating in it……

March 31st - Mirkwood

With our short road trip coming to an end Mike and I rose early for the short drive up to Monarch(1161ft, 1580a) and we arrived in brilliant sunshine with cheap lift tickets and a few inches of fresh snow.

On our way we took a picture of Cranor Hill in Gunnison which has a vertical drop of around 400 feet but being on the edge of town lacks the altitude to keep it open for more than a few weeks each winter. It looks pretty scenic from town with bands of cliffs around the back and sides. Another year perhaps!

We had read with some interest about Mirkwood Basin which was a 15-20 minute hike off of the Breeze Way lift but I fancied a few laps first. Shagnasty and a few other trails off the lift offered some great sport with nice grooming and decent trees off the sides.

Mike, who seems to take pleasure in walking uphill, decided that it was time to head over to Mirkwood so I strapped my skis onto my back and marched purposefully uphill. Mike got a tune out of his mobile phone and it wasn't long before we were at our drop in point. The skiing was decent but no more than that and with a long, fairly flat runout through thick trees we felt that there was much better skiing off the lifts.

We saw a young couple who had ventured up there and clearly the girl was out of her depth and we chuckled to ourselves when we suggested that the poor bloke was going to have a rotten day with a nagging girl at his side! Doing our second lap of Mirkwood we went further along the ridge and again got decent skiing but we felt that we wanted to see some more of the mountain so we headed over to the Garfield chair.

The terrain for a mountain with just 1100 feet of vertical was superb and we had a brilliant afternoon doing laps in untracked fresh powder.

Once back in Keystone we headed to the ski school to drop off Mike's skis and we bumped into Roy so it was rude not to go for a couple pints of Guinness and let him know our thoughts of Crested Butte, Telluride and Monarch.

Back to the ranch for the night we stopped for some wine and Mike again did us proud with a lovely dinner.

This article was written by Quintin Chalmers, a 31-year-old skier from Aberdeen in the north of
Scotland. Quintin has skied at over 70 North American resorts and is in the process of setting up
www.offthebeatenpath.co.uk designed to help like minded people find the best turns in some of the
more unusual resorts in western USA. He has over 20 years skiing experience and enjoys nothing
more than seeing new places that many people write off as being not worth the hassle.