Reconnecting With a Dormant Passion: Skiing

As we did yesterday, we begin our day by riding east on CO-82, toward Basalt. But today’s ride won’t include fishing, and will be anything but pedestrian.

Today, we’ll cross two high mountain passes, each sitting on the Continental Divide. There’s a reason they call it the Top of the Rockies Scenic Byway.

Stopped for morning eats at Breakfast In America, in El Jebel, near Basalt. Great greasy spoon cuisine. The place bills itself as “Best Hangover Food” in the valley.

Chorizo and beans. Guess who?

Chicken Fried Steak. Guess who?

We roll past El Jebel, then Basalt, and continue east on CO-82, with Aspen in our sights.

Aspen is only 31 miles from our front door. It’s 29 miles to Snowmass, a much larger but (outside of Colorado) less-well-known ski area.

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We live in the Rockies now. Maybe it’s time to give skiing another try?

Living so close to these ski areas has been life-changing for me. I’ll be self-indulgent for a moment, and share a story about me. And about skiing. Stay with me.

Growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area, I learned to ski at Squaw Valley, the week after the 1960 Winter Olympics were held there. Skiing held a special place for me; as a kid, it was my escape from real life during the turbulent 1960s.

I loved skiing so much that when it came time to go off to college, my only criteria for a university was proximity to skiing. I chose the University of Utah because, well, they accepted me. And the campus was only 25 miles from Alta.

Classes in the morning, skiing in the afternoon. Nice life, at age 18.

I was a good enough skier that Alta hired me as a ski instructor for its Alf Engen Ski School in the early 1970s. They paid me, but that was beside the point; the point was that I got to share my passion for skiing with others, and I was able to use my gifts as a communicator and teacher to help my students become better skiers.

Then, life and my career intervened.

I skied less and less, and eventually gave up on skiing altogether, donating my ski gear to charities when we lived in Southern California. We thought we’d never ski again, and stopped skiing for good in 2001, after returning from a ski trip to France. That was that. Or so we thought.

This is what winter looks like in La Quinta, our home for 17 years. Skiing is the farthest thing from your mind in that environment. Pic above is first tee at PGA West Nicklaus Private Course. Guy in the pink shirt is the blog’s author.

Living in the desert was not at all conducive to a snow-oriented life. It was hard to get excited about skiing when it was 80 degrees and sunny every winter day.

Winter in La Quinta. Who needs snow? (photo shot on December 13, 2015)

Then, in the fall of 2017, we arrived in Carbondale, Colorado, to watch our new home being built. Colorado is one of the most beautiful places on earth, with endless four season possibilities, including snow sports in the winter. But when we decided to move to the Rockies, skiing was never part of the conversation. I thought my skiing days were behind me.

Just to hedge my bets, I bought a seven-day pass at Aspen Snowmass for the 2017-2018 season, curious to see if I’d find a spark.

My first day of skiing in 17 years. February 2018. “I can still do this.”

On January 22, 2018, I had my first ski day in 17 years. I found a spark, and it turned to fire. The passion reignited. I got home that evening, and said to Sarah, “Hey, I can still do this!”

I began to see myself as a recreational skier, perhaps slightly above average, like all the children in Lake Wobegon.

And then, I had a life-altering afternoon on the hill one day in February. I had a “client relations day” on the hill at Snowmass with George, our construction superintendent. George was on his snowboard, me on my rented skis. Days later, George said to Sarah, very loosely paraphrasing – and this is how he talks – “Dude can ski.”

This is what a “Client Relations Day” looks like in Colorado. That’s George, on the left.

So, with a renewed self-confidence in my skiing after a 17-year hiatus, I decided to participate in an “on-snow” tryout to become a ski instructor at Aspen Snowmass for the 2018-2019 season. On April 4, I joined 11 other hopefuls, most young enough to be my grandchildren, as we all pursued a common dream.

Now the payoff: after a 47-year break from ski instructing, I’ll be teaching again next season. Aspen Snowmass calls it being a “ski pro.” Whatever it’s called, I’m tremendously thankful for the opportunity to follow my passion. Again.

Funny how life comes full circle when you least expect it.

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We continue our ride on CO-82, rolling past the turnoff to Snowmass, where I’ll be working next year – if you call it work.

We pass Buttermilk, home of the Winter X Games, held every January.

At the Winter X Games, everything is extreme.

Extreme enough?

And soon, we roll through Aspen, where the average home sales price is now close to $8 million. Per-square-foot prices are in the thousands of dollars. It’s an unreal, obscene real estate market given to vulgar displays of wealth.

Home prices in these parts are stupidly high. The mountains are high, too.

The highest lift at Snowmass goes to 12,510 feet. It’s above the tree line. The highest lift in Colorado is at Breckenridge, topping out at 12,840 feet. Highest in the world: Dagu Glacier in China, where its lift tops rises to 15,890 feet. Dagu is said to be the largest and youngest glacier in the world.

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We roll out of Aspen, and immediately begin our journey on the Top of the Rockies Scenic Byway. This spectacular roadway takes us across the Continental Divide and within view of Colorado’s two highest peaks, Mount Elbert (14,440 feet) and Mount Massive (14,421 feet).

On CO-82, heading east out of Aspen, toward Independence Pass. Lots of bikers on the road. As there should be.

From Aspen, it’s less than 20 miles to Independence Pass. The pass, at 12,095 feet, is the highest paved crossing of the Continental Divide. Indy Pass, as it’s known, is generally open from Memorial Day to November 1, depending on what kind of a snow year we have. It’s been a very mild snow season, and the pass opened this year on May 23.

Independence Pass is a popular photo op spot.

Independence Pass gets its name from the village named Independence, which was established on July 4, 1879 – and is now a ghost town four miles west of the pass – on the Aspen side.

Independence grew quickly as miners found gold in the mountains.

Clark Wheeler, an early investor in those mines, funded the construction of a stage road from Independence to Leadville, the first road to cross the pass. It opened in November 1881, with winter already in full swing at the pass.

No toll at the pass today.

The toll road charged 25 cents. The tolls, collected at three separate gates, primarily reflected the cost of retaining a large crew of men with snow shovels to keep the road open in wintertime; they were able to keep the road open through its first five winters. When the snow was too deep, sleighs were used instead. During the summer the stages were able to take the switchbacks at full speed, with dogs running in advance to warn other traffic. A typical voyage over the pass required 10–25 hours and five changes of horses.

Today, our passage from Independence to Leadville will take less than an hour, and will involve no changes of Harleys.

The Colorado gold boom turned to silver in the late 1800s, causing Aspen — where we were just an hour ago — to grow like crazy. But by the late 1920s, Aspen’s mining fortunes had reversed, and its population dropped below a thousand. Mines gradually closed down, but the route over the pass remained open. In 1927, the year of the great stock market crash, the state of Colorado replaced the stage road with what eventually became Highway 82 – which we’re riding today over Independence Pass. Most of the old stage route over the pass is still used today.

One more pass pic. Cuz, you know, hate to waste a good selfie.

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In addition to marking the Continental Divide, Independence Pass is also the crest of the Sawatch Range, the Pitkin-Lake county line, and the boundary between the White River and San Isabel National Forests. And, a darn good place to pull over for photos from a spectacular vista point.

We’ve crossed the Continental Divide several times on this trip, and will do it again later today. Probably not a bad idea to clarify what the Continental Divide is.

It’s a natural boundary line separating the watersheds of the Pacific Ocean from those of the Atlantic Ocean. Technically, a continental divide is a drainage divide on a continent where the drainage basin on one side of the divide feeds into one ocean or sea, and the basin on the other side feeds into a different ocean or sea.

The Continental Divide runs north-south from Alaska to Northwestern South America. In the continental U.S., it follows the crest of the Rocky Mountains. There are thirteen paved mountain crossings of the Continental Divide. During the 2018 Rocky Mountain Rib Rally, we’ll cross seven of them.

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In Twin Lakes, we take a break. That’s Twin Peaks in the background.

After our latest Continental Divide photo op, we begin the journey down the mountain toward Twin Lakes, 17 miles east of the pass. Twin Lakes is 9,200 feet high in the San Isabel National Forest, a drop of nearly 3,000 feet from Independence Pass.

In Twin Lakes, across Highway 82 from the General Store, there’s a Lake County Sheriff’s car, permanently parked. It has a dummy in the driver’s seat. Actually tempts you to slow down.

Just past Twin Lakes, we turn north on US Highway 24. Thirty minutes later, we arrive in the historic city of Leadville. At 10,152 feet, Leadville is America’s highest incorporated city. It’s a former silver mining town, whose population was nearly 30,000 at the height of the mining boom. Today, the population is closer to 2,700.

Leadville is credited with producing 240 million troy ounces of silver and nearly three million troy ounces of gold. And today, it’s home to the National Mining Museum and Hall of Fame.

We leave Leadville, and set out to bag our second Continental Divide crossing of the day. We’re heading north on US-24, toward Tennessee Pass, elevation 10,424 feet. The pass is named after Tennessee, native state of a group of early mining prospectors in the area near Leadville – and birthplace of Sarah Murr.

Tennessee! This one’s for you, Sarah 😎

Tennessee Pass, is also the location for Ski Cooper, one of the oldest ski areas in Colorado. It opened as Cooper Hill Ski Area in 1941. During World War II, Ski Cooper served as the training site for the 10^th Mountain Division. To this day, it continues to host a Memorial Day celebration for the World War II veterans of this division. Ski Cooper is a laid-back ski area, with two chairlifts and a family atmosphere. Season passes for the 2018-2019 season go on sale July 1.

Ski Cooper. Season passes go on sale Sunday.

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From Tennessee Pass / Ski Cooper, it’s about 20 miles on US-24 to the charming mountain Town of Minturn, population 1,000. The town is named for Robert Minturn, who was vice president of the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad that founded the town.

Minturn was originally developed as a railroad town in the late 1800s, attracting railroad workers from around the country who settled in Minturn and helped shape the town’s character.

Despite its small size, Minturn claims to have more year-round residents than its resort neighbors, Vail and Beaver Creek, which are both just off of I-70. As we roll through Minturn, we are only about two miles south of I-70.

Today’s destination is Steamboat Springs, 87 miles northeast of Minturn.

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So, we quickly jump on I-70, heading west for 14 miles, passing Beaver Creek, Avon, and Edwards before exiting I-70 at Wolcott and turning north on CO-131. We’ll be on CO-131 for the next 68 miles, riding through Toponas, Yampa, Phippsburg and Oak Creek on our way to Steamboat Springs.

We stop at the General Store in Toponas to hydrate, stretch, and cool off.  The store is a hoarder‘s haven, with a bizarre selection of nothing you’d ever want to have in your home, or be associated with.

You could get pretty much anything at the store — used tires, old briquettes, firewood. One man’s junk is another man’s treasure. Or something like that.

Tourism Colorado’s official website calls this roadway one of the state’s “Must-ride” routes, noting its nickname: The Steamboat Scream. It’s a must-ride for us, for sure. Couldn’t figure out any other way to get to Steamboat Springs.

Steamboat Springs has its own hot springs, which gave the town its name.

Upon first hearing a chugging sound, early trappers believed that a steamboat was coming down the river. When the trappers saw that there was no steamboat, and that the sound was coming from a hot spring, they decided to name the spring Steamboat Springs.

Billy Kidd, at Steamboat Springs, on his 75th birthday. Always wearing his signature Stetson.

The image that most often comes to mind of Steamboat Springs is skiers in cowboy hats – a visual made famous by Billy Kidd, Steamboat’s most famous skier, and Olympic silver medalist in 1964. Kidd, who never seems to age, turned 75 this year. He grew up in Vermont, but settled in Steamboat Springs after retiring from ski racing, making skiing in a Stetson stylish. He’s been the Director of Skiing at Steamboat for, well, forever – 48 years. During ski season, skiers and snowboarders can join Kidd for a free, on-mountain clinic (when he’s in town) at 1 PM at the top of the Steamboat gondola. Dude can ski!

Steamboat is legendary in the winter. Summers are awesome, too — offering rodeo, hot-air balloon riding, Gold Medal fly fishing, river rafting, the Strings Music Festival, opera, arts shows, and all sorts of activities to rejuvenate the soul.

Steamboat is where we’ll spend night ten of our Rocky Mountain Rib Rally.

Dinner is at Low Country Kitchen, a southern-themed restaurant. Dinner was great, and the ribs were really good. Dave loved the hush puppies (he’s a bit of a hush puppy connoisseur).

At Low Country Kitchen. Great food, terrific ambience. Even had linen napkins!

The ribs at Low Country Kitchen. Very tasty. Tangy sauces. Wonderful presentation. Just no smoke 😦

But we discovered something interesting tonight. There are a lot of ways to cook ribs, but the only way to do it right is to smoke them. That’s why our three top rib choices, so far on this trip remain: #1, Slow Groovin (Marble); #2, Serious Texas BBQ (Durango); and #3, Moe’s Original BBQ (Eagle).

It’s not the fault of Low Country Kitchen that they didn’t make our top three list; their ribs were as good as they could possibly be — considering they weren’t cooked in a smoker. And we’d highly recommend eating there when in Steamboat Springs. Try their fried chicken; it looked scrumptious!

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Day Ten Summary: Life comes full circle.

Click here to see today’s complete route from Carbondale to Steamboat Springs.

Glad you’re along for the ride.

Vroom, vroom.

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Today’s Colorado Fun Fact: In Aspen, which we rode through today, you’re encouraged to ski your butt off all winter long. But here’s one thing you can’t do in the winter: be caught throwing snowballs at people or buildings. It’s illegal. Also illegal in Colorado: riding a horse while under the influence of drugs or alcohol. While dandelions are considered the official flower of Carbondale, it’s illegal to let a dandelion grow within the town limits of Pueblo, Colorado.

Today’s Rocky Mountain Rib Rally Fun Fact: Leadville, which we rode through today, is the highest incorporated city in the United States at 10,430 feet elevation. Because there were lots of silver-named towns at the time (ie, Silverton), the founding fathers suggested Leadville instead.

Today’s Colorado Food Fun Fact: We rode through Aspen today, where one of life’s great culinary indulgences can be found – at the Ajax Tavern, part of the Little Nell Hotel. The tavern and hotel are both owned by the Aspen Ski Company (SkiCo), my soon-to-be employer. At the Ajax Tavern, treat yourself to a tasty, and expensive-but-worth-it snack: Ajax Truffle Fries (gluten free, $17). Pairs well with almost anything: Snowden Cabernet, $32 a glass; a Belvedere Mule, $16; or a Breckenridge Brewery Avalanche Amber, $8. For a real celebration, try their Louis Roederer Cristal champagne (2006), $1,485 a bottle. Hey, welcome to Aspen!