travel

Skiing in Snowmass

I was pretty sad when Victoria moved out to Colorado. It was so much fun having her nearby in Rye and New York City… but I also knew I’d get the chance to travel out to visit her. With her birthday coming up and her family flying out for a vacation, I ended up booking a flight out there (with miles, thank goodness) for a couple of days of skiing and catching up!

It. Was. So. Much. Fun.

It took forever for me to get out to her because of a ten-hour delay in Atlanta, but it was so worth it. We had a blast and, in true Victoria fashion, fit in as much as entirely possible into two and a half days. I’m exhausted just thinking about everything we did.

Victoria and her family are expert skiers. There is no way that, with only two years of skiing under my belt, I’d be able to keep up remotely. Her sister in law Megs and I decided we’d stick together on the blues. We did a group lesson on our first day, and it was just what we both needed. It could have had up to seven or eight people, but we just had another girl and us. Our instructor was incredible, and we both walked away from the lesson with skills to work on and a little more confidence than we started with.

I started out feeling incredibly on edge. I was pretty sure I was going to throw up when we started as I hadn’t skied in over a year and wasn’t sure what to expect with the lesson. After an hour, though, I was feeling good, and by the end of the day, I was feeling great.

Having Megs to ski with was perfect. We were both pretty excited to practice our new skills on the second day… and to go on our schedule. We mapped out some of the trails we wanted to do and went out to enjoy the fifty-degree weather. (Very funny considering Connecticut was getting hit with a blizzard!)

Victoria is crazy, and it’s been made clear in the past that you can’t trust her judgment regarding what she thinks you’re capable of doing. (Like when she convinced me to climb a mountain.) When my mom found out I was going to ski with her, she gave me two (funny) rules. Rule #1: Do not trust Victoria. Rule #2: Always follow Rule #1.

I was good until the second half of the day when she convinced Megs and me that we could do this one particular blue run at the top of the mountain. I should never have believed her and must have forgotten my mom’s rules for a second because I WILLINGLY got on a chairlift with her. I was immediately weak in the knees when we got off just due to the height. There were tons of black runs and only one lone blue square.

The bottom line is that I made it down the mountain. I had the skills to make it work, even with very tired legs, but it was my nerves that held me back quite a bit. There’s something about learning how to ski as an adult where you realize just how injured you can get. It’s hard to get over that thought mentally. But again, I made it to the bottom completely drenched in sweat (partly due to the temperature and partly due to sheer terror).

Proof that I was at the top with the whole family! Our matching Patagonia Primos was a total coincidence, but I love how colorful the jackets are together.

We celebrated an early birthday dinner with the whole family at Pine Creek Cookhouse. The dinner was AMAZING, but to get there, we had to cross country ski the two miles there. I’ve never done it before, and it’s completely different from skiing. The snow had also melted and re-froze so it was super slippery. The uphill parts were difficult (Victoria pushed me up a bit), and the downhill parts were super scary because I had no control. I kept asking, “how do I stop?! HOW DO I STOP!?” And the answer: you don’t. I fell hard on my knees at one point. It’s the one time where I just couldn’t stop crying. Luckily, I bribed my way on the horse-drawn sleigh on the way back. Everyone was slipping and sliding the whole way back, and I knew I had made the right decision, ha!

I can’t believe how fast the two days went and I would love to visit again before Victoria uproots again.

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18 Comments

Karen

I’m always up for trying new activities, but you’re so right about being more cautious with age!

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Chiara

I have to say just one thing: thanks god you write again this kind of post. I’ve been in love with your blog since I don’t even remember when and I’ve never stopped to read it but I’ve missed a lot this kind of post: simple, real and genuine. I perfectly know that all your post are genuine and sincere but sometimes I have the impression that some posts are just for the blog ( I don’t know if you can understand what I mean, sorry for my bad english) …
Anyway I love your personality and your blog <3

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Leda

Absolutely love this post! I know exactly what you mean when you say it’s scarier learning as an adult. My first time skiing (since I was reaaaally little) was also two years ago in Vermont. I was terrified! This past winter I went skiing in Tremblant and Loon with my boyfriend and I was much more confident (but still sticking to green runs). It was so funny seeing all these little kids zooming down the mountain with confidence haha! Now my boyfriends trying to convince me to go skiing in the Alps… (it’s not too far of a cry though as we live in Scotland). It’s so comforting to read about someone with the same ski experiences as me!

Xoxo
Leda

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Nancy

I’ve skied all over CO, but never got to Aspen. Love your pictures! You might like Copper Mountain. Trails are clearly marked in sections- one mountainside all green, next one all blues and last all blacks. There is no way to get on a trail beyond your abilities. Also Park City, Utah is very easy to get to- 1/2 hr. drive from Salt Lake. Great skiing and fun little town for dinner and nightlife(despite Utah weird drinking laws). Enjoy!

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Alexia

I live in PC!:) Rained here yesterday and we were all worried that would be the end of the snow but then snowed overnight. Kind of a hit or miss with all the ski resorts these days (backcountry skiing up north in Canada is supposedly REALLY good) as Carly saw with the hot weather in Aspen!

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Caroline

I’m so glad you finally made it out here to CO!! I knew you would love it 🙂
I recommend Vail or Beaver Creek next time, the skiing is INCREDIBLE.

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Katherine

Sounds so lovely! I’m glad you had a great time:) It’s always good to get away for the weekend and visit loved ones.

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Allie

Love the matching Patagonias. Would love to see a whole post re: your favorite ski gear! Also your thoughts on renting vs. buying skis.

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Johanna

So content to be finally reading a travel blogpost even though I really appreciate your other posts as well the travel ones always are my favourites!

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Ashley

It looks like you all had such a great time! I haven’t been to Colorado. Aspen looks beautiful! Thanks for sharing your awesome pictures.

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Amy S

Pine Creek Cookhouse is the best! My family goes there every time we are in Aspen, but I have never been brave enough to cross country ski, it is always the sleigh for us!

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Lisa

The part about you being at the tippy-top of the mountain and still making it down (despite fear) really resonated with me. We’re often more capable than we think we are! I had a really bad skiing accident when I was 9, and I’m now 26. It took me until a few years ago to get my confidence back on the slopes (plus a brief foray into snowboarding). My first day out of the season is always still a little shaky. Of course, safety is important but I find I often fall into the trap of underestimating myself and holding back!

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