43. Champagne Powder in CO

43. Champagne Powder in Colorado

Fruita (MTB) - back to skiing in Beaver Creek and Vail - Denver (total food indulgement)

From bone-chilling -10°C back to a balmy +20°C. After our deep freeze in the Utah ski resorts, we craved warmth and headed to Colorado. A quick stop in Fruita allowed us to dust off our mountain bikes. The weather was perfect—warm sun, clear skies, and everything was thawing, including the ice in our car and the lingering cold in our bones.

A visit to the Colorado National Monument provided a welcome change of scenery after days on the slopes, a brief respite before returning to the snow.

Back on skis and back in the cold. Beaver Creek Ski Resort seemed vast and relatively flat to me, though we did tackle the Birds of Prey, the legendary World Cup venue where Hermann Maier, "The Herminator," blazed down the downhill course in 1999. Skiing in Vail was incredible. My initial impression was unfavorable—icy conditions in the morning—but by 10 a.m., with the sun high and the air still crisp, the snow transformed. It was slushicious! I have to admit, the slush in the US is a revelation. It was a completely new and delightful ski experience, unlike the often-dreadful slush skiing in Europe. We also met a delightful character named Edward (64) who showed us some hidden gems, including runs like Lover's Leap and Forever.

Another day brought a gift of deep powder, a truly amazing experience. People talk about "champagne powder," and I never fully grasped its magic until then. We connected with another friendly American, Rick, who became our guide to the best local runs. A true snow whisperer (or listener—"Don't go where it's crusty, listen to the snow," he advised), Rick led us away from the crunchy stuff and into a world of pure powder. We explored glades, carving through the super fluffy, flowy slopes far from the groomed runs, embracing the off-piste freedom. He was our powder guru. I think it was some of the best skiing I've ever done. The unique feature here is the bowls, and I was particularly smitten with Sun Down Bowl. The off-piste run was such a thrill that we lapped it six times in a row. Keystone was equally fantastic; we spent the entire day glade skiing, feeling like snow ferries gliding over the flowy hills. It was exhilarating...though the Siberian-like -20°C temperatures added another layer of challenge.

In Denver, we reunited with my UK cousin, Gemma, for a long weekend to… well, not exactly celebrate President's Day (Mon, Feb 17th). We enjoyed some lovely hikes and indulged in delicious food and visited the largest single site Coors brewery & tasting.Leer más