Breckenridge, Days 3 and 4

Really, day 3 in Breck was actually a day in Vail.  While we were getting great snow in Breck, Vail was getting the same.  So up we got early on Friday, had some breakfast and coffee, and set off over the the oft-closed Vail Pass.

Lucky for us, today it was open.  The snow wasn't so bad any more that it required closure, and if they did any avalanche control they must have done it overnight.  (They have to close the highway to do it - the charges send snow tumbling down across the interstate, and the front-end loaders [or whatever they use] have to clear the decks before cars can get through again.)

We arrived at Vail, suited up, and hit the slopes.  We skied the front side in the morning - the lines for the lifts up to the back bowls were loooong and we were still getting our ski legs (heh) under us anyway.  Even on the front side the snow was great, and the lift lines were basically non-existent, so it worked out splendidly for us.  We broke for an early lunch at The 10th, the new restaurant at Mid-Vail, which is classy as ski lunches go.  The coat room has loads of cubbies and hooks for coats, helmets, gloves, and boots, and there are fuzzy slippers for you to wear while you eat.

My lunch was a slice of leek, Gruyere, and bacon quiche, plus I scammed some truffle fries, a taste of a Kobe burger from Dad, and of a tuna burger from D.  Really, I did pretty well.  And we all split a chocolate bread pudding for dessert.  Not too shabby.

After lunch we headed over the top to the bowls.  The snow was deep but pretty well broken up.  That alone would have been okay, but the light was f-l-a-t, and it was impossible to gauge the terrain.  Honestly I sort of lost track of where we spent the afternoon - I was more of a follower than a leader - but apparently the enormous lunch didn't slow any of us down.

Me and Dad

Then, wonder of wonders, we're on the way home and I emailed a friend of mine who's been living in the Middle East (but loves to ski) that I just had a great day in Vail - and it turns out he's been over near Beaver Creek, just a little bit past where we were!  Too bad we didn't figure that out in the morning!

Day 4 was another day in Breck - pretty good snow, but not as good as the last couple of days.  I skied with Dad and D in the morning, then alone in the afternoon.  It was good practice, time to work on the stuff G and D had been trying to get me to do over the last two days on the slopes.

We had a simple but delicious dinner of spicy chicken with onion and green beans over rice, and ice cream!  Have I mentioned before that they sell Graeter's ice cream in the grocery store here?  I feel like maybe I've shared that, but it's worth sharing again!