Colorado Skiing

Lila and Alan Visit Pete and Sandy in Buena Vista, Colorado

 
          We just returned from Colorado, where I had the fabulous opportunity to ski once again with my friend Pete, while Lila was visiting with Pete’s wife, Sandy.  This visit was similar to our skiing trip in 2005, when we stayed with Pete and Sandy and visited ski resorts near their home in Buena Vista. 

           Pete and Sandy picked us up at the airport in Denver and we drove to Buena Vista, experiencing spectacular views of the Colorado Mountains and especially our drive through wind-swept South Park.   Our time with Pete and Sandy has always been nothing less than wonderful; they are great hosts and are extremely warm and delightful people.   For city people, Lila and I are also treated to the sight of deer at their back door each morning.

This trip was particularly exciting for me as I had recently gone through a medical ordeal in November not knowing if I would be able to ski in February, lest ski at all in the future.   But, fortunately, I did recover rapidly and was able to resume skiing as planned.

  I did approach this trip with a little trepidation, concerned with the strength of my shoulder after the surgery and also having sufficient stamina to ski the slopes.  In fact, it was a very successful trip…I skied better than I have in many years and even felt stronger and more confident.

          Additionally, this was the first year that I was eligible to ski “free” …that means no charge for lift tickets.   I qualified for free lift tickets because I reached the tender age of 70 years old.  Many ski resorts still offer skiers who are at that age or older the opportunity to ski at no charge…they no doubt believe that we “seniors” will not be on the slopes very long and be spending more time in the lodge drinking hot chocolate….well, that is what we did……

         Pete and I skied at a local ski resort, Monarch which has many runs and lifts and is normally frequented by those who live in the southern Colorado and northern New Mexico region.   We did ski at the Copper Ski Resort, but it was definitely more crowded and less enjoyable.   Facilities at Monarch were perfect for us…the runs were long and challenging, the snow excellent and the lodge was very accessible.  

         Our skiing time was less constrained by the necessity to make as many runs as possible each day and more so by the pleasure we were having just selecting and making each run.  This was even truer as we did not have to pay for the lift tickets.  One day was bitterly cold …with temperatures in the single digits, but most of the days were just perfect with temperatures in the high teens or twenties.  

We did take one day off from skiing so that we could visit Bishop’s Castle …..an amazing achievement as it was the effort of only one man….   Read more about Bishop Castle.