Yesterday was a ski day for me in Breckenridge. I thought I would share a few things that are peculiar to living here that came from the day.

1. The weather. I left the Springs under sunny skies and mid 30's. It was still sunny when I got to South Park (yes, it is a real place along Highway 24, west of the Springs), but it was -7! The temperature fluctuated dramatically along the whole route. It was 18 degrees at the top of Wilkerson Pass (where the top photo was taken), and -7 just 5 minutes later! Once I crossed Hoosier Pass it was snowing off and on the rest of the day, and very cold and windy. I left Breck on the early side, and it was still mid 30's and sunny when I got home to the Springs. Lesson? The weather is hardly ever the same in the mountains as it is in the Springs, and always dress for the coldest scenario when skiing, especially at Breckenridge.

2. The Drive. It was 2 hours and 15 minutes, and 115 miles, both coming and going. Highway 24 always has some slow traffic situations (it is a 2 lane state highway), but it hardly ever stops like I70 can. I saw elk just west of Hartsel, and a large herd of antelope right along the road just east of there. The buffalo herds in South Park were also very close to the road, and it made for a very scenic drive.

3. The Skiing. They had about 4 inches of fresh powder, and conditions were excellent, except for how cold and windy it was . They were actually stopping the lift periodically on Peak 7 because the blowing snow made it impossible for the upper lift operators to see the chairs coming in. There were virtually no lines except for right after lunch break. The new gondola from the village up to peak 8 is very nice, although the new parking setup is a bit sketchy (they have eliminated a lot of the free parking they used to have, and charge $5 to park in the old free lots).

4. The International Snow Sculpture Competition. This was a little surprise, first that it was going on, and secondly how interesting the sculptures are. They have people from all over the world who come and create ice sculptures, and they are very ornate. I have included a few photos here.