My family and I have been very irregular skiers. Some years, we’ve had ski destination vacations for five years in a row; then we’ve gone three years or more and not ski at all. This year was an exception as we were invited to the Colorado home of our friends and neighbors, Michael and Lynn Seidman, two months after we skied in Italy. Bill and I had not been back to Aspen/Snowmass since we were 27 and 28, and although we had skied many areas in the West while our kids were growing up, we never made it back there until now. So, I’ll take you through our day-to-day since I’m writing this while I’m still out here.
Day 1 – We arrived mid-day and took care of the business end: ski rental, lift tickets (gird your loins when buying because the prices are eyebrow raising – about $150 per day), and settling in before going out to a very nice dinner at Toro in Snowmass.
Day 2 – Their house isn’t strictly ski-in, ski out, but access to the mountain is nearby. I called it 200 yards of hell. It is narrow, maybe 4 feet wide with trees on either side, bumps, and short steep areas that make it hard to control your speed. Well, my speed anyway. We knew before going out there that Michael and Lynn were expert skiers, and they knew we were intermediate skiers. But Snowmass is a big mountain that can accommodate all levels of skier, so I wasn’t worried. And they were pretty easy on us that first morning, partly to let us ease into it and partly due to a surprise Michael was planning for Lynn’s birthday at the base camp of the mountain. (OK, I’ll share the surprise. He flew their youngest son, Kevin, out and arranged to have him come out with a tray of drinks as our server – surprise!! She was surprised to say the least). As we found out the next day, Kevin is also an expert skier and snowboarder and, of course, why wouldn’t he be with them as parents? We’d see him in action on Day 3. Birthday night, we went into Aspen to Cache Cache for another wonderful dinner, a bit sore but happy to have bones intact.
Day 3 – After blundering through the 200 yards from hell, we skied a “groomer,” a groomed trail, the type that those of us who ski infrequently like to ski due to limited surprises. I was feeling pretty comfortable when we all decided to go up to High Alpine. I knew it was near the top, but I also saw a blue trail, so I was confident I could do it. Once there, I really didn’t pay attention to where we were going. Big mistake! It was a black run (expert). I got down the trail with some coaching and no falls, but my legs were burning, my heart was racing, and it made me more aware of my limitations. It was Academy Awards night, so we got takeout pizza and salads and did the hot tub, Apres-ski thing from the comfort of their gorgeous home.
Day 4 – More skiing, this time on heavenly, fresh powder, with Bill and I staying on the intermediate slopes and meeting our friends for lunch and last runs. Intermediate runs can take anywhere from 15-30 minutes from the top to mid-mountain depending if you’re taking your time or racing. The runs are wide and long, which is why Snowmass is a favorite. That night, it was the Snowmass Club for dinner, another wonderful meal with elk as the main course.
Day 5 – We hit the slopes from 10-3 followed by hot tub and a superb dinner at Nobu Matsuhisa.
Day 6 – A much-needed day to recuperate and a shopping trip into Aspen, followed by dinner at Il Poggio. Every night seemed like one dinner outshined the night before.
Day 7 – Hike with physically superior beings, Lynn and Michael, as they hiked up the mountain in record time. I turned back at some point; I was too tired to remember when. Later, we picked up girls coming in on various flights and dinner at Venga Venga in Snowmass Village. Michael leaves; girl trip commences.
Day 8 – Girl time! It’s like living in a sorority house. It was a perfect, beautiful day skiing. Dinner was at L’ Hosteria in Aspen for Lori’s b-day. One amazing day – see picture.
Day 9 – The day began with a very light dusting of new snow. Colorado has not been overly blessed with much of the white stuff this year, but it’s still breathtaking from high up top. I took a lesson to fine tune my skiing, and the other girls headed to Big Burn and High Alpine. Went to Toro again for dinner, but since most of us were tired, our evening was more subdued.
Day 10 – After a relaxing morning, we headed into Aspen, shopped, and had lunch at Schlomo’s at the base of Ajax Mountain. It would be hard not to have fun in this crowd. After midday chocolate martini’s, followed by a Prosecco toast, hilarity ensued. We were seated in the perfect spot with the mountain as a backdrop, the warm sun and blue sky overhead, music playing and a perfect lunch. More shopping – Aspen is dangerous, and we only encouraged each other. We stayed in and made paninis for dinner.
Day 11 – Final full day of skiing, take-out pizza, packing and closing up Lynn’s house. Lynn has to say goodbye to Cheyenne the bull, her latest art project. We leave at 5 the next morning.