Copper Mountain Resort opened yesterday, and it was tremendous. They already have 5 lifts running, and 2600 vertical feet of skiing available. A couple of my favorite runs were open: Upper collage and the ubiquitous mainvein. Ptarmigan was also open, and it can be a pterrific little run. I could not pass up multiple trips down Upper Collage, so I didn’t try it. Suddenly, I was out of time. At 4:01pm, the sign that says “Lift closes at 4pm” is the saddest thing in the Universe.
I worked in the morning, and got up to copper at 1:30. There was free parking in the chapel lot, and many tired skiers coming out to their cars. That’s what I like to see – a slope emptying out. You see, I’m far more enthusiastic of a skier than I am skilled. I like to have plenty of room on the slope for jumping things and for racing down. That’s all hard to do when the slope is crowded.
My little ski chick/wife and I went down 3 runs together, then I banged out 3 more in an hour. Again, when the slopes are empty it is a good thing. There were a few bumps to jump, and any bump-jumper has been eagerly awaiting these long months they call summer to get up there and get airborne.
The scenery up there is amazing. The clouds are their usual dramatic nature, perhaps foretelling the powder that is coming this weekend. Our camera had dead batteries, so a thousand words in the closest I could get here. I think I’ll spare us both the trouble.
You may see the ski chicken on channel 2 news. Laura Main from WB2 was up there interviewing people, and I made sure I got some camera time – mostly to try to overcome being a camera chicken. My interview pretty much sounded like a Copper Mountain commercial, and afterward I lamented that I did not open my heart and really communicate my fervor for that sacred place. I didn’t mention the blog, except to Laura Main after my interview. She laughed when I told her the name, but I doubt we’ll get a mention. I warned her before the interview that I was very enthusiastic about Copper. I told her sometimes I fall just so I can hug the mountain.
I met a couple of chatty folks on the lifts: A best buy employee from the geek squad who plans to ski every Wednesday. I like his attitude. I also met a couple of guys out from southern california. They said only old guys ski there: everyone else is snow boarding. Ouch! I told them this is what a rebel looks like. We talked about snowboard injuries, and the one guy said he broke his wrist and nose in the same day once. His wrist went snap and his nose took to the ice. He went home and his mom kept preparing dinner. She is a nurse and ever since she worked on someone in the E.R. with a knife in his liver, I guess that has become her test for serious injury. Unless you’ve got a knife in your liver, this is hardly an emergency. That’s harsh.