SkiChicken.com

I made my daily visit to Copper Mountain’s website this morning, and saw they had a few more trails open. They had a buttload of snow last weekend, so I thought more of the mountain would be open. I do see my sweet “Upper Collage” run is open, so I might just venture up this afternoon. I also saw loverly is open, which made me ask “What the heck is a loverly, and where is it?” The Copper Mountain Trail Map is NO HELP:
http://www.coppercolorado.com/mountain/trail_map/statictrailmap.htm

Jeez, guys – do I have to roll my own?

Well, I didn’t get up to copper until 2pm on Saturday. I missed opening day but made it for opening weekend, and it was sweet. The mountain was emptying out and the bars were filling up. Beginners were tuckered out, leaving the mountain much less terrifying for the rest of us. Not that I’m an expert by any means- I terrified my share of people up on ptarmigan, some of which I know will never be the same. Think about that. Never the same.

I spent 4 runs on the lowest trail they had open, Main Vein. They wrapped the trail around to the east a little this year before the final descent. It seemed much more mellow than the icy frightfest it has been in previous years.

I ended the day with a plate of jalapeno poppers and a pint of guinness at Endos’s cafe. The bar staff was much more responsive compared to the end of last season. Ski season burnout runs rampant at Copper and every other resort near the end of the season, so no hard feelings.

The place next door was horrible a few years ago. We had to wait 45 minutes to be served at the bar. Luckily, we got a table and got served some nachos and beer at a table. It’s much more efficient to serve bar food and drink at the bar, and save the tables for customers wanting a full meal, but that place wasn’t exactly a bastion of efficiency.

Excellent staff here at Endo’s, though -the bartender just offered me water in addition to my beer. She’s good seed.

Oh yeah, the snow. Not melty. The snow was pretty good. I heard it was a little more icy up top yesterday. Today, a light breeze kept a dusting of snow and prevented the snow from getting too melted, then iced up. Many left the slopes early, but I rode the mountain until every lift closed. Because If you don’t ride the mountain until every lift has closed, it’s just sad.

It is a beautiful day over at Copper Mountain, and I’ll be joining them for the opening day festivities later today. I was only able to ski the afternoon last year, but I found the mountain empties out. It is a much better experience having the mountain entirely to yourself, and hearing the music and fun at the base in the background.

In previous years, I tried to get up there early only to get tuckered out at 2pm like everyone else. Now I am going to arrive at noon or 1pm and ski my (chicken) heart out!

I should pack up today and go to the mountains and ski! My buddy Mike was over last Friday(We drank beer and threw knives at my dartboard – it was great!). He asked me “A Basin is open – Why haven’t you gone?” I suddenly knew I had failed God and man with my delay.

Am I preparing for the full season, or delaying? It’s hard to say. Sure, I’m finishing up some projects, and waiting for the amazing snow to fall. Sure, I’m waiting for Copper to open. We’ve got to get up there- Who’s with me?!!

Arapahoe Basin is open! Unfortunately, I was not one of the happy ski folks shown on channel 4 news tonight. The snow looked like packed powder. I licked the TV set, but couldn’t tell anything else about the snow. A Basin always seems to be the first to open and last to close. I haven’t skied there before, but this may just have to be the year. I’ve heard the bowls can give you a little vertigo, and I’m excited to see what that’s like. Anyone been to opening day at A Basin this year?

Summer is clearly over in lovely Thornton, Colorado. There is a certain nip in the air that makes me start to jones for snow. The heat has been excessive this summer. No one in the Denver Metro region has said “Gee, if it could only have been hotter”. They never do. Of course, they don’t really talk like that anyway.

And now begins the time of year I perform my snow dance. It’s an eclectic mix of hip hop, funk, and goof ball. Just enough to get the snow’s attention in that upper atmosphere. But not enough to make anyone want to call the cops. It’s directed skyward anyway. “Yeah, I’m talkin’ to you, SNOWFLAKES”. They zoom overhead watching, waiting to fall on Colorado’s ski country. A good dance – well, a dance anyway – is what makes them want to land.

If you feel the urge, and I know you do, help out and do your own little snowdance.

A pint of Guinness makes the perfect end to any ski day. It’s long been a tradition with my buddy Mike and I to finish the day with a tall glass of Guinness. Why is Guinness the perfect beverage after a day of hard skiing or riding? Simple: Replenishment.

The B vitamins. Guinness is full of them. B6, B12 and um… 13. Mix in Endos‘ giant nachos, and you’ve got a full day’s supply of a lot of things.

And you know the antioxidants that makes blueberries blue? Tomatoes red? Well, Guinness has them too. But it has so many that the drink must be black. Think of the damage a nice healthy pint can repair. Drink several and you can almost feel it happening! (Drink responsibly, make sure your buddy Mike is doing the driving, etc.)

Yesterday I went down one of favorite flying saucer trails at Copper Mountain Resort. It is sweet, but hard to get to. It is off of the beaten path – you must go up the lumberjack lift and commit to ending up at the bottom of kokomo. That route is not for the faint of heart: Kokomo is usually infested with children. Which makes it horrible for skiers of any age. Still, the trail is worth checking out!

We had dinner with Kevin and Amy last week. They told us about the time they were headed up to ski and decided to TURN AROUND. Now if I were to turn my car around on the way to ski, it would only be if all gears were broken except reverse. With them, that wasn’t the case. Kevin and Amy felt that traffic was too slow and cumbersome. They actually proceeded AWAY from the ski resorts. I told them it was the saddest story I have ever heard.

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.