USA 09/10 – Beaver Creek Day 2 – Time to hit the slopes

Day 2 (our first full day) at Beaver Creek started at a very reasonable time – 8:15am we woke up (although Ed had been up for some time before this) in order to make a 9:30am scheduled departure for the slopes (ie, out the door on level two). We did pretty well to make this time, and were only 10 minutes late hitting the snow. We first skied down to the village (much easier than walking mind you) and bought lift tickets for the remaining days. Crowds were not to be seen anywhere, and this was probably a result of how late in the holiday period it now was here in the US.

Pip and Ed on the lift

We headed up the hill and tried to explore as much as we could while the weather was nice. It was cool up top (anywhere to about -10C) but much warmer (closer to 0C) at the bottom. Although there was some patchy cloud cover, it wasn’t snowing like the forecasts, and so we used this to our advantage to try and familiarise ourselves with the area and terrain.

We skied a number of runs and lifts on the main mountain for a few hours until we stopped for lunch at just after midday. The first lunch spot we came across was the Spruce Saddle Lodge, so this was the pick of the day. It was busy inside, but we managed to find a table and something nice to eat (although, not particularly healthy again). We spent nearly an hour here, then headed back to the snow just after 1.

While the sun was shining, we spent the remainder of the afternoon exploring the adjoining mountains, runs and lifts – without tackling too much difficult (or tiring) terrain on our first day. Everyone was getting very tired very quickly (let’s blame the 11,000 feet altitude on that), so once we had completed a real once-over of the ski area, we made our way back towards the hotel (using a series of runs, lifts and shortcuts).

Great scenery!

The snow conditions were very good, and the nice weather helped our understanding of the mountain layout enormously. The skiing was largely uneventful, although Pip was nearly completely cleaned up by a man who smashed into his child and then slid down the hill towards her. Luckily, no one was hurt, and Pip escaped without being touched at all.

After we had completed the journey back to the hotel, it was decided that a swim was in order – however, the pool and spas still had their covers on. We had half a feeling that they had “closed” them (and now the closest spa would be at Westview) because of the fuss we kicked up yesterday about being so far away from them, but it turned out that this was done simply to conserve energy. While the pool cover had been removed before we got outside (oh, I didn’t mention the pool was still a short walk outside), Ed had to remove the spa cover as the hotel staff chose not to do this (if there was some reason for not doing it, we didn’t know).

Great views

The swim was relaxing, although not terribly hot, and after spending nearly 30 minutes floating outside next to the ski slopes, we took ourselves very quickly back inside, and then crashed for an hour or so. Before it got too late, however, we decided to head to the village once again for dinner, and tonight visited The Dusty Boot (Steakhouse and Saloon) for a meal. The food was enjoyed by all, and Pip ventured well out of her comfort zone and indulged in some BBQ Pork Ribs – photo evidence below.

While in the village, we returned the demo skis that I had been using for the day and made a purchase of some of my own – the skis had received good reviews online, and my testing today seemed to confirm what we’d read. While Ed returned to the room early, Pip and I continued shopping until the skis were ready, then we made our way back as well.

Pip and the BBQ Ribs

Everyone was completely exhausted from our first day out on the snow, so bed and TV was the order of the day. The forecast is similar for tomorrow’s weather, so with any luck we should have lots more opportunities to take some awesome photos and videos throughout the day. I’m hoping to get out with my new helmet cam to take some action shots, so stay tuned for that!

Take a look at some of the great photos here (sorry if you don’t like snow, or landscapes), or check out the photo mash-up below for a quicker review. Thanks for your comments – I promise we’ll get to them real soon!

About the Author

Scott

Web designer, graphic designer, coder, scripter, photographer, musician, performer, entrepreneur (and the list goes on) based in Adelaide, South Australia. Scott loves to experiment with new ideas, and OnSno.com is his creative dumping ground.