3-25-10 Steamboat Springs, Colorado

Well, it took us an extra day to get here, but we finally arrived in Steamboat Springs to beautiful sunshine and nice warm weather. Our flight on Tuesday was canceled as we were boarding due to some technical issue like the plane wouldn't pressurize. We went back to Oceanside had a nice walk on the beach and tried again on Wednesday. Just as well it turns out as Denver had over a foot of snow on Tuesday and people who got into Denver didn't get out. They had over 5,000 people sleeping in the airport on pads with blankets--I'll take my king sized bed over gate 58 any day.

First day--on the mountain with Tristan (Laura had to work). Tristan informed us that we were no longer gapers (clueless tourists) as we had our new equipment and gear. My new Burton snowboard pants with the brown and orange zebra striped suspenders and light aqua Bonfire jacket with 27 pockets are, obviously, a step up from Molly's middle school ski jacket and borrowed pants that I wore last year. I must admit that I did feel slightly less a gaper as I almost skied over the edge of the platform as we waited for the chair--you can do anything if you do it in style.

The skiing was great--we still are sticking to green runs--and the breakage report only includes 3 fingernails (2 on boot buckles and 1 loading the skis into the bin on the side of the bus). Oh yes, and 1 small branch that Fritz skied into. He, also, no longer looks like a gaper as he managed to rough up his new equipment by putting his helmet under the chair as it went by--unfortunately his head was in the helmet, but those chair operators are really quick at shutting things down when helmets get in the wrong places.

We finished our day on the slopes in our shirt sleeves having some libations on the outside deck at the base area. I must admit that apart from the shin splints from new boots, you could really get used to this snow bunny lifestyle.