Schif Posted February 9, 2022 Report Posted February 9, 2022 It was day 1 on the snow and the altitude was definitely getting me a little. Only about 12 hours between touching down and getting the snow will do that I guess so it was a nice casual day of exploring and western groomers. The first groomers off of Independence Super Chair on Peak 7 were a great way to just tear up some long and fresh cord before we started exploring more. Most of the day was just nice blue cruisers as most of the blacks were ungroomed days old sun baked bumps and didn't look particularly appealing. Peak 8 was fun and we did two laps to the top of that chair, the highest lift in the country. A few runs on peak 9 were nice before wandering around trying to find the route back home. I didn't do a ton of research on the lift layout and we missed a whole peak so a second day would have been good. At the end of the day it became a guessing game of where each chair would take you. It was my first time experiencing chairs that crossed over each other so that was cool. The last one we took was a slow double that not only crossed other chairs but made a hard right at one point. From there it was a nice little cruise down to the road where Skiincy's brother picked us up. ****Not sure why the text up there is so weird so here it is in a more legible way**** 4 Quote
Schif Posted February 9, 2022 Report Posted February 9, 2022 Loveland: From my perspective Loveland was the best mountain of the trip. Woke up to a surprise 2 inches and spent the morning meadow skipping through titty sparkles. I think the worst part of going to a new mountain is not having your bearings completely no matter how much you look at the map ahead of time. Would have been sweet to go out to the meadows earlier but we started with two sweet fresh snow runs off of Chet's Dream to start before we explored more. We got to the top of Chair 9 relatively early. When that chair drops you off though it really whips around the bull wheel fast and caught my arm a little bit, kind of annoying. I turned around at just the right moment to see the next chair slam into Skiincy's brother's fiance like a linebacker and toss her at least 6 feet. She was definitely shaken and after a quick check from the lifty we were on our way. She did not want to come back up that chair though so my plan to ski off of that chair at least twice before the cat ride went out the window. I guess that's what happens when you ski with a group. The ridge cat was absolutely Tits McGee to the highest order. Just seeing that beast pull up and knowing you are getting inside is just awesome. Being at the drop off point, pretty much alone, is amazing too. Just you, your crew and the solitude of nature. There weren't too many possible lines from where we got dropped but we picked one and ran with it. Some spots were definitely wind swept and thin, decent amount of rocks poking out but still really killer. My take on The Face trail is that it was a narrow, double track bumpy east coast style little run out trail that was pretty technical and more annoying than difficult. I definitely stopped at one point and let a guy who had taken a bad line come back onto the main trail so it was half managing the snow and half managing the line. Seemed completely worth it to get to a kick ass ski tunnel though until you pull up and realize you need to walk through the tunnel. 😒 The vibe at Loveland is just perfect though. Everyone there is legit and is PASR worthy. I would love to get the whole gang out to Loveland and have a kick ass tailgate. The sun and the vibes were just as good as the terrain. 6 Quote
Popular Post Schif Posted February 9, 2022 Popular Post Report Posted February 9, 2022 (edited) Skiincy at the top where the Cat dropped us Skiincy and the Cat Dropping over that edge Loveland can look desolate in certain spots \ I would suggest replacing Punxatawny Phil with Loveland Skiincy Disappointing Tunnel Edited February 9, 2022 by Schif 12 Quote
Barb Posted February 9, 2022 Report Posted February 9, 2022 Loveland is great, I had a pass there our first season here. With all the multi mountain pass issues of crowding etc I think people are realizing what a gem the independent places like Loveland are. There has long been talk of people wishing for a Loveland/ Abasin pass. Glad you had a good trip. 2 Quote
momskeeztoo Posted February 10, 2022 Report Posted February 10, 2022 Pictures are beautiful. Glad you got out there. Quote
Schif Posted February 10, 2022 Report Posted February 10, 2022 Here are some final pics from the last day at Keystone. I hiked out above the Outback Express lift with Skiincys Brother. Such a beautiful day. We dropped into Puma Bowl together and then I lost him in the trees. He got down to the chair just a few minutes after me though. I liked Keystone but it skied a lot smaller than it looks. The 2k very runs off of the front are great but realistically since it hadn't snowed most of the black trails were ungroomed, sun baked, bumps with some questionable troughs. Great cruisers though. If I had more time I would definitely hike the bowls more. Loveland Pass on the way back was amazing to see. 9 Quote
indiggio Posted February 11, 2022 Report Posted February 11, 2022 Wow! Is that what winter looks like? Quote
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