February 28-29, 2007 Wolf Creek Pass, CO

We spent the evening in Pagosa Springs with our kids from NH and my 3 grandson Sherpa candidates. Once we herded all the short people into the rental Explorer, we arrived at Wolf Creek Pass about noon. Not a first tracks day but, it was 6 degrees, blowing, snowing and 15" new. It was a thing of beauty. Jill and I purchased our senior half day lift tickets for $18 each. We took the oldest grandson, 7 years, and proceeded to ride the lifts from 12:30 till they closed at 4pm. It was a treat to snake through the trees and watch him follow behind me. The snow was over his knees and periodically he would get partially buried in a drift. This was my first time at Wolf Creek and it lived up to its reputation of being a powder magnet. The base is at 10,300' and tops out at 11,900'. It has one high speed quad and numerous fixed grip chairs. This is another one of the old style ski areas with reasonable prices and excellent tree, chute, cliff and backcountry terrain. There is a shuttle for riders off the backside towards the south.

While the parents and short folks soaked at the hot springs on the 29th, I returned to ski by myself in some of the more interesting terrain towards the Alberta lift. There was an additional 5" overnight and the single digit temperatures kept the snowack very dusty. There are plans for more development at Wolf Creek which has generated a lot of controversy. It certainly exceeded my expectations.

The photos are of my oldest grandson, Miles, descending a powder line. The second is his dad, Rob, on his tele skis smiling. The last photo is of a sad owner of an F150 trucks position after he drove over a snowbank in the blizzard in the parking lot. The owner was from Florida.

Next stop Taos and Santa Fe.

A shuttle? That is a new development since I'd been there last. I can remember some fantastic backcountry we had to hitchhike for. When did this start, do you know? And where is the pick up?

Not just "more development"- a CRAZY amount of development (all thanks to a Texas developer).

And the ski area doesn't even want it!