Archive for the 'Eisenhower Tunnel' Category

Kids Ski School at Loveland Valley

Sunday, December 16th, 2012

I just took my kids to the Kids Ski School at Loveland Valley. Kids are supposed to have reservations. I called the number and only could get voicemail: I don’t know if it’s a different extension than the 170 “general mailbox”, but that’s what I called into. From the road.On the way up.At a stoplight. Yeah, I’m lame.

Ideally, you should make reservations days before. Ideally, have your kids up at at 8am (9am at the latest, but there I go pushing it again). Despite being late, they took us in and got the kids suited up. I always feel like the ski resort staff and instructors are wiling to go the extra effort, and they sure make the kids comfortable.

The all-day lessons are a hundred dollars a kid, but that includes rental and ticket. I’ve been saving up my money and enthusiasm for years, and had to take the kids!

They really know their stuff at loveland, too: At the rental shop, they put the boots onto the kids for a perfect fit. That’s rare. My smallest son marveled at how the boots made him feel like he was walking on the moon. My oldest son did a great job at staying excited through the process of signup and rental. One tip for parents: Most kids can’t walk fast at all in ski boots. So don’t take off suddenly like I did!

This is the first of a lifetime of ski trips together, and I have looked forward greatly to this day. They are actually on the mountain now as I write this, an I’s better get back out to do my own skiing. 🙂

Ski Conditions / Loveland Valley / Eisenhower Tunnel
It’s blustery and cold up here, but such a wonderful day. We’ve got enough snow to “suffer through”, and the roads are passable.

Holy Cow – There is snow!

Sunday, October 21st, 2007

I just got back to Thornton from Breckenridge. How Cow – there was a bunch of snow. We BARELY made it back over the continental divide. Many cars – including ours – were spinning their wheels trying deperately to get over the pass. I had better traction on the side of the road, but found our short little car could easily bottom out it I wan’t careful. Through careful twisting of the wheel back and forth, the occasional grain of sand(hey, I’ll take what I can get), and a lot of luck, we made it back over the pass and through the Eisenhower tunnel.

Even after the tunnel it was slick. It’s rare for me to see weather on both sides of the tunnel, but we saw it today. Some cars were exiting the tunnel way too fast, and one nearly went off of the road to the left! I got behind a nice dark horsetrailer with blinking lights and we made the white knuckle journey down the other side of the mountain. I was surprised to see SUVs behind me moving at the same snail’s pace. Maybe we all had a little more excitement than we needed that day. Snow is WONDERFUL to ski on, but horrible to drive through. Visibility was pretty minimal for a good part of the journey down the mountain. From Georgetown onward, it was clear sailing.

I have met the snow of the 2007 Colorado season, and I have this to say:

  • It’s slick
  • It’s fluffy
  • It’s wonderful
  • It makes me giddy
  • I miss it already