first up some snaps from the tree farm, earning some extra scratch before vaca
Matt and I were off to Denver for some intense snowboard action. quesadilla night with the Millers!
Durango
up at 5 the next day, off to Vail. good tunes on the way.
"hydrate" became the word of the trip
didn't take long before we were in the trees
constant hydration leads to constant dehydration
first front 3 of the trip. this didn't end well...
this pic irritates me to no end. don't people realize that what they see in the view finder is what's gonna show up on the pic?!?! i mean judging by this photo you'd think i told the guy "Never mind the beautiful background of the Village, instead focus on the sewer grate that we're standing behind."
enroute to Steamboat Springs
free digs in Steamboat courtesy of Dr. Lance!
did I mention they had a hot tub?
mandatory snow angels before jumping back in. (yes, it was fucking cold)
as soon as you stepped out of the tub steam would pour off your body
since we pretty much only ate breakfast each day, by dinner time we'd be ravished
Jeremy's morning routine
we hiked up to get to a back bowl each run. the hike sucked but the end result was worth it
it's kinda hard to see in the pic but trust me, it was steep
Buddy's Run was the run of the day!
Jer picks his line
every run we'd find a different route to take and every time we'd find something more fun to drop in on
looking up from where we just came down
prepping for the drop-in
this is looking back up at where we just came down
endless pow
Jer sets up for something big...
sad plant, nailed it
pure cardio
steep
the sun finally decided to come out
well deserved feast back at the condo
Lance showed up later that night and brought Bud
next morning. attempting to find the trailhead to snowshoe to the hot springs. bum directions, a lousy map and poorly placed trail markers put us 2 hours behind schedule.
we finally find the trail and Jer tries to get creative for a group pic...he failed
Red Dawn
possible moose sighting on the ridge
CRIBS, Charles Ingalls style
made it
started snowing as soon as we got in
a little flurry never stopped Jer from tanning
proper snow attire
making our way back to Denver via Rabbit Ears pass
one truck ahead of us...
...a lot behind us
leaning out the window to fix the wiper in a snowstorm makes for cool pics
kinda late on the shutter but there was a bridge all wrapped up in blue lights
finally made it back to Denver. movie time.
back out the door before 6 to head up to Loveland Pass for some back country
came across this, don't know what it is though
the four of us would take turns rotating driving duty for maximum ride time. (one person drives up, drops the other 3 off, then drives back down and picks them up at the bottom.) worked out fine.
everybody would either hitchhike or wait for their ride back up to the top. we did this for 8 hours straight.
you could pull over anywhere you wanted and just drop in
looking back at one of my routes
dropping into this shute was fun as hell
looking down before another drop in
Matt coming in hot with plenty of elbow room.
tree ride
back in town we got a second wind and headed to the Denver park. great session.
Jer's still got 'em
en route to Rocky Mountain National Park. always time to pull off and enjoy a vista.
The Stanley Hotel. this is where Stephen King stayed and got inspired for The Shining
more importantly, these are the steps where Lloyd hands out tips after he and Harry find all the cash in the brief case in Dumb and Dumber.
haha
Rocky Mountain National Park
elk (these pics suck cuz my fingers were fucking freezing while we were standing in the field making "elk" noises to try to get them to look at us)
great scene. just as funny watching on the navigational system too (just in case you were wondering)
as soon as we got back to the house we threw in Dumb and Dumber just to watch the stair scene for confirmation that we were on the right steps
i was there. truly a high point in my existence
up at 5 to hit Loveland Pass one last time before we fly home. it was a bit on the chilly side
an extra tee and a cup of joe and Jeremy is good to go
we decided to scope out the backside of the pass this time
panoramic jawn from the top. (click to enlarge)
Hoth
the vistas were unresistable to this crew of shutterbugs!
we decided to hike up the ridge and drop in off the wind lip.
geared up and ready to go
my fingers were frozen solid by the time we reached out drop in point
there's a big horned sheep in this pic. find it!
here's a closer look. you should have no problem spotting him now.
sheep
there was even a baby sheep
great trip. I'll be back. big thanks to Jeremy and Lisa.
