Last year I got about five days of backcountry skiing in, a hut trip, loads of touring, a trip out to Utah's steep and deep Powder Mountain, and about ten resort days here in Colorado. This year is going to be better. And my wish list is getting bigger by the second:
1. Work less, play more. We live in Colorado for a reason, right? So I
figure I'm going to go for a winter work week of no more than 30 hours.
Considering I only work from noon to six right now, I think this
shouldn't be a problem.
2. Hut Trip. I just received a sweet map from the 10th Mountain
Division Hut Association (970.925.5775). Turns out they
have a new yurt this season. According to the brochure, The
Fowler/Hilliard Hut suffered a "devasting fire in late September 2009
and was a total loss." So they put up a yurt in its stead. We'll talk more about hut trips later; for
now, get to the website and book your trip now. They fill up
quickly, and most weekend slots are already taken.
3. Buy an Avalung. After seeing that video of the skier being buried in an avalanche in Alaska, I've decided it's high time to pull the trigger and buy me one.
4. Take an avalanche class. Lot of good the Avalung will do me without
a solid refresher course on avalanche safety. Friends of Berthoud Pass
offers great classes. They have two classroom
sessions this year October 28 in Colorado Springs and November 6 in
Denver at the Oriental Theater, followed by two days of on-the-mountain
training. You need to attend the classroom session to get out on the
snow.
5.Teach someone how to ski. I've signed up to be a volunteer
instructor with the National Sports Center For The Disabled up in Winter Park. And now I'm trying to guilt you into doing something similar.