Yay, a new resort!

If you're wondering why 50% of our blog is taken up by skiing, that's because skiing is pretty much what we've been doing recently. Due to business travel, my ski season will end on March 14, so that means we have to pack it in.

We decided to maximize our 50% off lift ticket coupons by going to Monarch Mountain, which is down by Salida. It is a tiny resort but neither of us had ever been there, and it was reasonably priced. $54 for a lift ticket, and with our coupon? No-brainer!



Here I am at the top of the Skywalker run. It is the first time that I have been at the top of a Colorado mountain. You can see the trail map next to me. It is the green run that goes across the top of the mountain toward the left edge of the trail map, and then curves downward.



This view was utterly amazing. We are at the top of the Continental Divide, and the trail is labeled as such. The view is to the west. There wasn't exactly a horizon--more of a gentle fading into eternity.



Here's Jeff with the view from the same place, facing to the east. The view there is just as great as it was on the other side. Truly amazing. We had to stand there for a while, soaking it in.



The runs here were harder than the easier runs I had been doing at Copper. Here we are part of the way down the mountain. You can see the lodge and the parking lot, way down there! So we still had a ways to go. I had a couple of really ugly runs, meaning big snowplows and putt-putting across the slope, because as you probably all know I have an insane fear of falling.

Ironically... I did fall once at Monarch. It was on the babiest of hills, the Snowflake run. I think I leaned too far toward the slope, my ski caught and then I just kind of tipped over. I still don't know what I fell on! I didn't hurt myself, thankfully, and was more amused by the whole thing. I still don't know how to get up without taking my skis off, since this is only the second time I have fallen since starting up again. Guess I never learned before!



Here we are at the end of the day, in front of the lodge. Awwww.

After sharing a cup of hot chocolate, we decided that we will be back to Monarch--perhaps not this season, but next year. The drive alone is worth the trip!