Thursday Feb 21 2008
I’ve been skiing in Colorado for 12 years. Being a Denver local almost all of my trips are by car - usually for the day or overnight. Over that time I’ve streamlined my personal process of loading up, parking, renting with friends, and transporting gear.
The only thing that stinks about skiing and snowboarding its the amount of unwieldy “stuff” you need to keep track of. I don’t surf, but when booting up at the lifts I often think of how great surfers have it needing only a wet suit and a board… The only activity more cumbersome than skiing/boarding is probably scuba diving. And like scuba diving, when skiing if you forget one item it can make for a no-go, or an expensive local purchase.
In addition to the standard stuff like boots, boards, and clothing - weather changes quickly, necessitating warm gear, liners, and lots of small things that can easily be forgotten or get lost. While skiing at Breckenridge recently I was thinking of an old Seinfeld episode in which Elaine’s friend drops her off after a day of skiing, but leaves her several blocks from her apartment, making a clumsy and painful walk back with her gear, skis, boots, and poles.
Here’s how I stay organized at, to, and from, the slopes:
Duffel Bag or really large backpack: This is a must. I use a large old duffel bag to store our snowpants, gloves, goggles, sunscreen, heat packs, long sleeve liner shirts, headbands, and other miscellaneous warm gear. I keep this in the front closet at home, and whenever I head out for a ski day or overnight trip I just grab it and go. I know it’s all there, and make sure it all gets back into the bag when returning home. I store gear both new and old in the bag, and my old stuff always comes in handy if friends need them.
Also keeping all your small gear in ONE bag means you’re not spending the night before consolidating gloves, or your ski morning searching for things in the cracks of the car. And it’s less likely to be left behind at home, or be left in a motel room. My only exception to this is my ski boots which I keep in the car during winter.
Towels. Keep a few in your ski bag. They come in handy for freshening up at 4pm if driving home. If you’re transporting skis in your car they’re useful for resting skis and boards on the dash and seats. Both can scratch up the interior of your car or a rental car. You’ll still be impaled in an accident, but hey towels also soak up blood. Also comes in handy for spilled drinks, and when you run our of windshield wiper fluid on the highway.
Walking with your gear. Nothing cramps up that small tendon between your thumb and forefinger like clasping two heavy ski boots together. Buy a small carrier from a company like skitoolcompany.com, The pictured gadget also has a tool to help clasp and unclasp your buckles.
I use a ski bag for my skis and poles, but an excellent cheap solution is to use three or four bungee cords and bundle everything together. If you’re riding for more than a day many resorts have a “valet” at the base, which will store your gear overnight. It’s well worth the price, especially if you have a walk to the car.
That is in the vast region of the U.S. West. Today they announced that beginning this April and May their Bombardier Q400s and Embraers will service new cities (from their Denver hub,) to small towns in Colorado, Wyoming, and Montana. 
Jackson, Wyoming - easy access to the Tetons and Yellowstone Parks. Just don’t park in Dick Cheney’s spot.
After a day of skiing in Breckenridge I usually head to “Downstairs at Erics,” - the most popular pizza/hang out place in town. Good pizza and a wide selection of beers round out this long standing establishment. The only bad thing about Erics? Located in the heart of Main Street they’re too popular. As expected SuperBowl (come sue me NFL) Sunday was packed, so we checked out the 
Interspersed among standard dishes of burgers, salads, and sandwiches are some definitely, umm, unique plates. How about a Meatloaf Panini? Or a grilled PB&J sandwich? If you’ve ever wanted Mac & Cheese with a side of Bush’s Bake Beans but couldn’t bring yourself to prepare it - you can get it here… They even offer a casserole of the day and shots of Mad Dog at 4:20 and 5:20. 
It’s a great summary and orientation for those planning a Colorado ski trip sans condos, large hotels, and spas. 
I’m enjoying an almost 90 degree day in the city, yet writing the first ski post of the season and anxious for some soft powder and my first day on the slopes.
Flat Lake, our destination, was already occupied by a few campers, so we continued down some muddy dirt roads, took one turn off, and found this place at the end of our second dirt road where nobody was around for miles. After setting up campsite and gathering some kindling we took a small hike. We didn’t get far since Nas noticed that there were wild strawberries and blueberries growing on the ground! We all had the same idea at once. Our Skyy Vodka would now be “strawberry infused vodka”! We had smores, hot dogs, beer, beer, more smores, and after a few hours of “infusing” we strained our vodka through the coffee press and tasted our handiwork. Perfect drinks, and perfect night.
Hey look a trip report with practical, useful tips from a Breckenridge regular. Perfect for your trip to Summit County.
Given the fact that interstate 70 is horrifically congested between Denver and Summit County on the weekends, I almost always ski the early part of the week on Monday through Wednesdays. Even better is getting a room in Breckenridge, where you can treat yourself to a nice meal and drinks, hit the hot tub at night, sleep in til eight and still be one of the first on the slopes.
I frequently read and contribute to 
Hiking trails of all skill levels can be found at the Wild Basin trailhead, from a simple stroll to some nearby cascades, to overnight camping, (via longer hikes), at the remote lakes.
Small motels can be found in Buena Vista or Salida. There’s plenty of camping sites along the Arkansas River, and up into Independence Pass, (the shortcut to Aspen), and in Cottonwood Pass, although high elevation campsites such as the one we recently stayed at can get chilly at night.
Each time I drive north of Denver I’m shocked at the extreme pace of development. 10 years ago when I moved here the area north of 120th Street in Denver was nothing but farmland all the way up to Fort Collins.
