copper mountain is closed for the season, and i'm back in minneapolis for a minute, after a rocky roadtrip from colorado.  we pulled into laramie, wyoming just as they were closing all roads out of laramie for dangerous winter weather.  and so it was that we spent a day in a pool hall in wyoming, and in a geology museum and then a bowling alley, and then took tequila shots and played baseball trivia at an applebees, and overstayed our welcome in the hotel pool.  we drove another whole day in unpleasant winter storms and only made it to des moines, where we ate chinese takeout in a motel 6.  finally back in minnesota, i say to you: stay the hell outta wyoming.

these photos are from the street in Cody, from the last time i was stranded in wyoming.

eight inches of snow on the first day of spring.  we didn't stop giggling all day.

and now its april already.  i'm headed to work in a minute sans socks for the first time since wyoming, and it feels alright.  it's prime patio season around here, all of us sprawled out with rum runners, working on very attractive goggle tans.  two more weeks of this, and then a little springtime vacation in minnehappylis.

hiking Tucker Mountain in my big backyard.  

pretty much right after i took these pictures, my favorite person to ski with tore his knee in a billion places, and my winter got a whole lot less epic (though not as bad as his winter, to be fair).   

i'm skiing with a liiiiiiiiitle more trepidation these days, though our colorado spring began with heaps of surprise snow.  and more in the forecast.    

there are only three weeks left until the end of the season.  things are winding down.  my knees will be thankful for the off-season, but the rest of me hates the idea.         

hiking "the cirque" in winter park, colorado.

"The ski bum trades security for face shots, the future for the moment. Considering how hollow the promise of a corporate career has become, who can say the ski bum is not the wiser investor in his or her youth?"

thanks to this article for legitimizing the bum's life.  :)

hiking in ski boots, boatloads of snow, backcountry powder turns...
my mind was completely blown this week.  

iphone shots from sister's visit last week!

two more road trips, and the most incredible february i've ever had...

1) & 2) back to Steamboat Springs
3) the amazing Crested Butte

 

dear family and friends, i do owe you an update.

the last few weeks have been a spectacular blur of snow and beer.  i said "best day ever" about six days consecutively this week, and it just keeps getting better.

mumsey and pops were here for a long weekend.  the only photos i took were on film - film that i accidentally and stupidly exposed at a party this weekend - so i can't show you just how much fun we had.  but i can tell you that we drove to Glenwood Springs and soaked in the hotsprings there.  we went cross-country skiing in a winter wonderland.  we ate delicious lambchops at relish, and german sausages at prost, and étouffée at the lost cajun.  we ice skated on the pond (and simultaneously watched an on-ice nighttime mountain bike race!).  and we of course drank some wine and watched hockey in our hotel room.      

the snow has finally picked up around here in the last week, so i've spent every non-working moment on the mountain.  or on other mountains.  we roadtripped to Winter Park and Steamboat this week, chasing storms.  my knees are achy, and my face is sunburned, but morale is high, folks.  life is good.

love from colorado,

hope february treats y'all well!

i got a replacement camera battery in the mail today!  

these are from last weekend at strawberry park hotsprings and skiing in steamboat springs. 

mumsey and pops are coming to colorado in a week, and i believe there is more hot-water-soaking in our near future. 

back to steamboat today...we just can't stay away

steamboat aspens make me swoon!

copper mountain by iphone

i accidentally threw my camera battery off a ski lift at steamboat yesterday, so here is the iphone version of our little ski trip.

met up with an unlikely group of montana friends and took Steamboat Springs by storm.  we spent a day soaking in these amazing hotsprings and another day skiing through the aspens.  this new year is already pretty fucking rad.