A Winter Wonderland

Snowy Helmet, originally uploaded by kardinalsin.

Somehow, we end up scheduling our first snowboarding trip of the year as our big trip of the year. Three years ago, it was Whistler. Two years ago, it was Park City. This last year, we spent a couple weekends in Mammoth the first month out. This year, we started out with another big mountain, this time in the Colorado Rockies at the finest of resorts, Vail.

First off, I have to say that Vail is a great place for skiing. There are plenty of wide open runs, moguls, catwalks, lots of ways for skiers to enjoy themselves. Snowboarding is another matter altogether. The catwalks are so numerous that slagging through the flatlands is exhausting. The moguls are well constructed and maintained, but that just means snowboardings have to battle their way through the two-foot high bumps in a frustrating matter. After a first day spent dragging our boards behind us and hiking all over the mountain, we vowed to spend our second day on some runs more favorable to our limited skills.

After a night walking the Vail Village and partaking in an excellent dinner (in which I was served lamb bacon! bacon!), we crashed out and dreamt of the smooth snow that would await us the next day.

We were not disappointed.

The snow was smooth, dry, and buttery. I always say that each trip is another opportunity to improve and I think that we all experienced a bit on this trip. While Vail is a great resort and I enjoyed myself immensely, maybe the next time we're in Colorado we'll try another mountain to mix things up a bit.

Next up, perhaps a trip to Mammoth is in order...

Oh, and more pictures can be found here.