Friday, January 4, 2008
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John, Rayner and Randy were able to make the best of our first day there (no skiing - too wet) by showing me around Truckee and surrounds. The following day was pure bliss. Powder and more powder. It just kept coming down. We skied the day and had a wonderful time. There was not a hint of Sierra cement. It remained fluffy and fabulous. Unfortunately due to the havoc the storm had wrecked on plane travel, I had to get out of there that evening and get into Reno. The flight delays meant that I missed the connection from Denver to Aspen so I became instant best friends with some fellow travellers and we hired a limousine to drive us. Our driver was competent and fast and we made it in 4 ˝ hours through thick snow which continued to fall for most of the 10 days I was in Aspen. The locals said it was the biggest dump in 30 years and given how much of it they had to truck out of the township of Aspen, I could well believe it. Last year at Steamboat, the snow was a little thin on the ground but this January there was almost too much of the stuff (if such a thing is possible). We had a few days with clear skies and sunshine. The skiing was fantastic but occasionally I had to get my feet off the slopes and go to lectures at an Australian Lawyers and Accountants conference (one of the main reasons I was there!). Our skiing was enhanced with some day long lessons from a local ski instructor Mike Jacobs who even let John and Rayner tag along for a few runs and gave them some hints. In all, I couldn't have picked a better season and the travel which was hard and long was well worth it. I am now back in Australia and experiencing days of 32 degrees Celsius. It is hard to imagine that your wonderful season is drawing to a close. I hope I find the time and money to do it all again next year. In the meantime, I will dream of light as light flakes falling…… (Webmaster's note) Due to the severe winter storms, most of the participants were unable to reach Northstar. Highways were closed most of Friday, and much of Saturday as well. (SAGA North was able to get a partial refund from Northstar and return it those who couldn't make it.) |