March 8: We spent the 7th in Denver (50+ degrees) thawing the blackwater tank on the campervan so that we could dump the contents. After almost a week of sub zero temperatures these old bones needed some mild temperatures. The next day, despite the weekend crowds, we drove in a traffic backup to Loveland ski area. Loveland is a local ski area that is spread out in a gigantic cirque that borders the Continental Divide and has the Eisenhower Tunnel passing beneath the ski area. No high speed lifts and no one running around with furlined collars or glitzy wardrobes. What a pleasant atmosphere. The terrain is varied -- trees and wide open, wind-scoured bowls along the Continental Divide. We had a partly cloudy , snowy day with winds from the west that deposited 4-6 inches of powder in the upper bowls. It was rather unique descending a bowl with powder, then skiing a narrow 10 foot patch of snow between wind-scoured, grassy areas and rolling down into a gully of powder. We bought our senior lift tickets for $40 apiece and enjoyed powder, no lift lines and reasonably priced food in the lodge. A fun day at a neat old area. What a blast -- skiing powder off the Continental Divide!
March 9: This was another wonderful day that we spent at Arapahoe Basin (A-Basin). We arrived early and parked along "The Beach" near the Pav...... lift. We had a coupon for $41 lift tickets plus 25% off food at The Legends cafeteria. A-Basin is a classic, old ski area with challenging terrain in full view of the masses at "The Beach". At 8:15am we walked by a large group of seniors with their grill cooking up breakfast for their friends. It's in the teens, the sun is hitting the top of Pav and the winds are calm. Montezuma Bowl opened this season and is serviced by a fixed grip quad. The sun is warming Montazuma as Jill and I start the endless cysle of cruising the vast bowl. Supposedly the bowl increases the skiable terrain by 80%. Once the domain of backcountry skiers/ riders, Montezuma Bowl is now lift served. The bowl is enormous, and Jill and I spent most of the day back there skiing over 20,000VF. Much of A-Basin is above treeline, so the sunny day provided ideal conditions for exploring the area. Spring skiing at A-Basin is supposedly a classic and with "The Beach" overlooking the terrain, I can only imagine the activities and stunts performed for the masses at "The Beach".
