Here is the trail map for Aspen Highlands. We stayed higher because it was a little slushy at lower mountain. The purple is the lifts we took up and the pink are the runs we took down. We did 5 or 6 runs over the course of about 3 hours.
Me boarding at Aspen Highlands
It's a powder day 12 new inches in 24 hours.
Renae showing off her groovy turns.
Renae and the tree at Rifle Falls
Waterfall at Rifle Falls
Renae in front of the three falls.
Me climbing down the falls.
Check out my skills on a board.
Well snow storms had been hitting Colorado big time but all the resorts around us in Grand Junction have already closed. I'd been in a bit of a funk because I didn't want to end the season with April 3rd. I had outreach planned in the Carbondale area on Saturday. Renae had planned to go with me as we were going to go hiking. But alas a big ole snow storm hit and every where we planned to hike was covered with snow. I suggested maybe we go snowboarding. Renae said she would be up to it. Aspen Highlands was the only resort (aside from Silverton) who would be open on the weekend (sweet they were getting the crap blasted out of them by snow). We decided to head up to Aspen after finishing my outreach in Carbondale. On the way up to Carbondale Friday night we stopped at Rifle Falls as I had never been there before. It was really cool and I got really wet climbing around the larger falls. They also have caves that you can go climbing around in, but I have these fears of axe murderers and big snakes and bears in caves so I get really freaked out. I posed at the entrance of one of the caves long enough for Renae to snap a photo.
We got to Aspen and parked in the Buttermilk parking lot around 1115 or so and got on our gear and hopped on the RFTA bus that was taking people to the resort. Everyone kept talking about spring skiing and what not....I had no clue what they were talking about because I hadn't skied or boarded this late in the season. We got there and got our $19 dollar lift ticket....that's right I said $19 dollars because we were season pass holders at another resort. We walked up to the lift that goes to mid mountain and hopped on. I have to say that I rode off every lift on this boarding day, I was so proud of myself and on my new board. We boarding down a short distance to get on the lift that takes you to what they consider the top mountain but then there is another lift that takes people up to the bowls, we just stayed at top mountain. We ran a run and came down to mid mountain to eat lunch, then headed back up. It was sweet....lots of fresh powder deeper than the powder at Sunlight. We had one sweet sweet powder run, never boarded in that much powder it was great. I felt a lot more comfortable on my new board.
I only had one major crash.....and it was on a catwalk of sorts. I got really disoriented and couldn't tell how the slope ran and dug in the tip of my board. I flipped all sorts of crazy directions, landed on my head, then healed broken wrist, and wrist into ribs. Needless to say I just sat there for a bit trying to get my wits about me. I knew my wrist brace popped a blood vessel in my hand, my neck was on fire, and I knew I bruised a rib or two. I finally got up and boarded to where Renae was...as she was looking for me and just sat down for a couple of minutes to stretch my neck. We took one more run and then came down to the bottom.
Once we got below mid mountain I then understood what spring conditions meant. It was like freak'n water skiing. Brown slush everywhere. The last 10 min or so was trying to get to the bottom in the slush. It was a totally new experience. So now I've boarded in all sorts of conditions, icy, groomed, big powder, and slush. It was a good way to end the snow boarding season.
