Handwarmers and Hail Marys

It's been three frigid days of skiing since I last graced your computer with a blog entry. I figured people need a weekend away from logging on, and I needed a weekend away from thinking of how to narrate my day's happenings. And the other reason for the hiatus is that Karyn and Ed were here keeping me entertained!

Karyn and Ed's flight landed almost on time on Friday morning, which was no small miracle considering the weather conditions in Chicago. I picked them up at the Vail/Eagle airport (who doesn't love the direct O'Hare/Vail flight?!) and headed right to their hotel so they could check in and we could get on the slopes as soon as possible. We were on the mountain by about 1pm and thankfully, the temperature on Friday was a balmy 20 or so degrees! After our afternoon on the mountain, we warmed up with some cold beer, margaritas and nachos at Los Amigos in Vail Village. Part of my excitement of having K&E visit was I knew that I'd be in store for some good meals. I had been eating most meals at home since I had arrived, so the prospect eating my way through the next two days at restaurants was about as exciting as getting fresh powder!

In addition to the fabulous company and food, another great benefit of K&E's stay was that their hotel was right in Vail Village and I could valet my car there and just walk to the directly to the lift! What does this mean for me?! No bus and hellish hike back up the hill for at least two ski days! Plus their hotel had free coffee in the lobby in the mornings! Damn, how quickly I had forgotten how fabulous hotel life can be!

Saturday morning when I started my car, the car's temp gauge read an impressive -6 degrees. And yes, this was before the wind. A day like this means a lot of layers and both glove and boot warmers! My Mom had bought me a jumbo pack before the trip, and on a day like this, they honestly saved you from severe frostbite. Even with the warmers nuzzling up to all ten of my digits, it was still painfully cold at the top of the mountain. Karyn was in a lesson for the day which meant Eddie and I hit the mountain together. We opted not to hit the backside of the mountain, because the wind reports were staggering. We had a great day on the mountain, lost each other a few times due to zero visibility, but always managed to meet up on the next run or so. Thank God for cell phones on the mountain. I really can't even remember what we would do when we lost someone skiing before cell phones and text messaging. Anyway, we stopped to warm up a few times and had a great day. When Karyn bailed out of her lesson, we all met up for one last run and Karyn left me at the bottom of the mountain wondering her whereabouts for about 45 minutes. At one point, I was sure she was carried down on a stretcher and started freaking out. If I'm this overprotective with friends, I'd hate to see myself with kids!

After day two of skiing we checked out some shops, grabbed a beer and then met up for a fabulous late dinner at a place called Sweet Basil—definitely the best food on the mountain, as far as I can tell. I donned my thick chain necklace and Ed from now on will be referring to me as "Junk Yard Dog" after some wrestler in the 80s who wore a big chain. I took this as quite the compliment, especially the barking that came with it.

K&E's flight left bright and early this morning, so we ventured out to the airport in the pitch dark. Their flight got off the ground relatively on time and I was bummed to see my real friends head home. But I eased my sadness with a great bagel and a giant coffee at a little bakery/deli in Avon, near Beaver Creek. And honestly folks, it was probably the best bagel I have ever had. Sometimes it's the little things...

Once home, Colleen (my roommie out here) and I decided to hit the mountain for a few hours. It was a beautiful day once we got out, although it was still bitter cold. The sun was out for the morning though, so it seemed warmer and we headed back to Blue Sky Basin again.

Now, Colleen is a ripper of a skier:

Ripper (noun): This has nothing to do with flatulence; it's a complimentary term for someone who can seriously rip on the mountain. Someone who skis 100+ days a year and has the skills to show for it.

So Colleen basically handed my ass to me on a platinum platter. She took me down some hairy double black diamonds, and little ole Midwest here was huffing and puffing to keep up. If I was Catholic, I would have sent up a few hundred Hail Marys for stronger quads, new skis, asthma-free lungs and just plain better skiing ability. It's great to challenge yourself though. I'll never get better by cruising down blue groomed trails, no matter how pretty I look doing it. I broke off from Colleen in the afternoon, opting for walking over crawling to the mountain tomorrow. I then went to scope out some new skis (more on that tomorrow) and grab a beer at my favorite bar, Bart and Yeti's. I'd say this weekend was not a bad way to end my first full week in Vail at all!