Colorado’s hometown hill is a funky, lovable I-70 sleeper that wins over new converts season after rowdy season.
WINTER HOLDS TIGHT AT 11,000 FEET ALONG THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE even as the days grow longer, the sun intensifies, and the calendar slips into the second quarter. Through April, I gladly accommodate late season storms that sweep over Colorado’s Love land Ski Area. It’s impossible to argue with a foot of fresh on a 100-inch base. But in May, on closing day, when unsettled weather and a half-inch of graupel thwart my agenda of sunshine and top-to-bottom slush bumps on Chair 1, I bitch a little, though no one seems to care.
As I ride the lift, I watch skiers dive bomb under my skis into a popular fall line, feathering their edges just right to surf the grabby snow frosting the moguls. First comes a pack of free ride team kids, then a couple tele skiers at full lunge, and finally Ruby Rhod, or rather a dude decked out in Ruby’s low cut leopard print jumper and Popsicle hair wig, charging Fifth Element style under the lift. The sight of the greatest radio star in the galaxy completely turns my day around. (Kudos if you get this cult-classic sci-fi reference.)
Ruby’s unexpected appearance caps a laundry list of fond memories from this season, my first year as a Love land pass holder. After several years of bouncing around the Front Range, I finally found a home in the quirky ski community perched atop the Eisenhower Tunnel. In a crowded state full of world class ski options, Love land’s unpretentious vibe cures my mega resort blues.
Denne historien er fra Spring 2017-utgaven av SKI.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra Spring 2017-utgaven av SKI.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Park City Resort, Utah
Want to ski the biggest resort in the U.S.? Brush up on your map-reading skills.
Men's Groomed
No powder? No problem. The right ski—narrow and knifey—makes the most of fresh corduroy. No friends on a groomer day.
Can Facebook Save Skiing?
Social media might be the hook to land new skiers.
Snowbird, Utah
This Wasatch snow magnet is the same as it ever was—only better.
Citizen Skier
Chris Steinkamp has grown Protect Our Winters into the ski industry’s leading voice for climate action. His next challenge: convincing skiers to spark a movement to save the snow—and bag some turns.
made in the shade
an outdoor-loving jackson couple invented rex specs for their ailing pets. what they didn’t see coming was the launch of a career.
How Not To Teach Your Kids To SKI
It was the coldest month of the year in the coldest place in Colorado. We’d pulled into the parking lot at Ski Cooper on that February morning and dashed into the lodge, vicious wind whipping any exposed skin. I briefly wondered if maybe this wasn’t the ideal first ski experience for my toddler. But no. We came here to ski, and damn it, we were going to ski.
Fountains And Mountains
Can One Find the Secret to Longevity in Japan? Not Sure, but You Can Find Some Amazing Powder Skiing.
Slopeside Sounds
Ski-town Music Festivals Are Not Just Summertime Affairs Anymore: Four Melodic Events to Get You Dancing in Your Ski Boots.
Swiss Cheers
A Stop Along the Haute Route Proves to Be a Festive and Frugal Way to Sample the Freeride Terrain Outside of Saas-fee.
