Spring is here and with that we got Snow!

Elk walking amongst the trees at Fred and Lorraine's house in Evergreen on Saturday

A snap shot of Breckenridge in the background where I spent this morning skiing, had a lot of great fun even when the wind picked up. I managed to complete 11 runs in total and took on some really steep sections today.

You can tell it's a South African back yard because even with blizzard conditions the Weber braai stood proud against the elements. This is the first time I have seen the snow come up to the door frame and cover the windows with the fierce wind that accompanied the snow fall.

As you can see the roof got around 2 foot of snow in the first 6 hours of the blizzard. There was about another 2 foot that feel throughout the next morning.

Our front garden was transformed from the Spring warmth and sunshine with trees starting to bud to this huge snow dump all in 24 hours. There is another dump expected on Monday so there goes the theory that it will all melt away in 4 days.

The past week was a mixture of hard work, socializing with the neighbors, and today a great day out on the slopes at Breckenridge. With only a couple of ski weekends left before the season is closed the slopes are going to be really busy.

Every Saturday is Ski Day for the months of Feb and March

Lesleigh and I at the top of Parmlee Gulsch mountain hike, beware of Brown Bears and Mountain lion reads the sign at the start of the hike.

A view of the terrain on the hike

It is the start of spring but there is still a fair amount of snow lying about

Steve on the far right had his 50th birthday this past weekend and he is in good shape at this stage of the evening, the tequila got the better of us later on that night.

Even though the ground appears dry behind me is a dose of snow beginning to fall for all of 15 minutes.

Toni came out to the US and Lesleigh took a trip to meet her at Jackson Hole in Wyoming. A beautiful and cold destination.

This is the view of the road on the drive to Winter Park.

Taken whilst I was skiing down this Forrest road between the slopes on the Winter park Mountain. More like cross country skiing.

One of the restaurants up on the top of the mountain, as you can see this is very popular for a pit stop.

Lesleigh and I at the base of Winter Park Mountain.

Winter Park is a huge mountain with more than 23 ski lifts and has so many routes to choose from that once up on the mountain you can generally ski all day before having to go to the base again.

This is the popular base of Winter Park and we have now spent two great days out here.

The gondola at Winter Park is an open carriage and at 2 below F it is a very cold start to the day.

The view in the background from the car park is Breckenridge mountain where we have spent the majority of time skiing this season. Between the trees in the background are some great blue and green runs.

This is Lesleigh heading down the street after breakfast in Breck and off to ski.

The streets are still fairly snowed in and the spot with the blue sign out front is where we have had a good breakfast or two.

The day this photo was taken we had the pleasure of skiing in powder all day, the snow fall broke a record fall for 8 years.

Hello to all the family and friends out there and apologies for the absence on the updates over the past week. Lesleigh and I decided to make the months of Feb and March a ski day every Saturday until the season closes. So far we have managed to keep going each Saturday. We leave the house at 05h30 and head west for about an hour and a half to get to the slopes. We get to the slopes at about 07h00 and then have some coffee or breakfast at a local spot before climbing onto the first chairs up onto the slopes. One of the privileges of skiing early is having fresh powder under your skis and without the mounds of snow laying all over left by snow boarders who keep falling over. The past few weeks have been magnificent with bright blue skies, windless days and pure magic on the slopes. The sun is really warm out there and you can burn so easily. Last weekend we spent the Sat in Breckenridge and this weekend at Winter Park. The two mountains are very different and Breck has steeper slopes with shorter runs, whilst Winter Park has long runs that take at least 20 min to come down and then back onto the chair to the top again. Lesleigh had some issues with her boots but this weekend it seems that all is now good and the shoes are a lot more comfortable. It's always better if we could ski with friends on your own it is like playing a golf game as a one ball. The satisfaction of betting the slope is great but it would be a lot more fun with friends.

On the work front I am working really long hours and had a few travel trips this month. I have been to Grand Junction, Pueblo, and Fort Collins. This month of March I also spent three days in training, so the pressure just does not stop.

We are missing all our friends and family, so this is the ski novice signing out.

On Board The Ski Train

We started out on this train with a bunch of people and landed up making great friends and having a fantastic trip.

Here is a shot of me and Lesleigh on board the ski train headed into the mountains.

Outside the Winter Park resort and ready to hit the slopes

On the steps of the train that would take us out of Denver and into the mountains

The Denver Ski Train

There are not many places or opportunities that anyone gets to ride on a ski train. We got to go on the ski train this weekend out to the very base of the mountain slopes. The ski Train is America’s largest scheduled passenger train and is in its 69th season offering a postcard-perfect train experience through the dramatic peaks of the Rockies. Skiers and sightseers alike enjoy a day at Winter Park/Mary Jane Resort, one of Colorado’s most popular winter destinations.

For comfort, convenience and amenities, there’s no better route to go. We travel through scenery you’ll never see any other way. In addition to the scenic wonders of the Flatirons and South Boulder Canyon, we encountered rugged alpine wilderness and vistas not to be seen anywhere else but on the Ski Train. We passed through dozens of tunnels including the historic Moffat Tunnel under the Continental Divide.