My Page: Mark Phillips
You're Invited
Key Bloggers at Keystone WednesdayClub Colorado and the Blog Business Summit host a group of influential bloggers at Keystone tomorrow including Steve Broback, Buzz Bruggeman, DL Byron, Robert Scoble, Biz Stone, and Mie Yaginuma from SixApart .
After a day spent discussing blogging and it's role in the business community (presumably the resort and tourism sectors), the bloggers and Colorado Ski Country personel will gather at Keystone's Great Northern Tavern. Everyone is invited.
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On Lift Chairs and Legacies with Mark Phillips
A Guide Through Monarch MountainOur weekend snowboard plans were nearly scuttled when a minor flu bug descended Thursday evening. By Saturday morning, though, the fever was gone. After a flurry of phone calls to the resort, we began our first trip up 285 to Monarch at 2:30. We saw reports of snow, but we hoped to beat the setting sun and try out the skatepark in Salida.
I introduced Oscar to my This American Life CDs during our drive back from Christmas in Kentucky. On our trip to Monarch, we continued where we left off. Oscar likes the show and that makes me happy.
The drive from Boulder to Monarch is spectacular. When we exited the canyon above Fairplay, we found ourselves atop a vast white plane with snow-covered mountains on all sides. From Fairplay to Salida (just 20 miles or so), the landscape changed dramatically, so much so that driving nearly became a distraction. The light was low and yellow and warm and it highlighted jagged ribbons of land marching toward the mountains.
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On Lift Chairs and Legacies with Mark Phillips
Eldora: Boulder’s Backyard With a View
The busy holiday weekend found us close to home. Oscar and I slept at home on Friday and headed to Eldora for a day-trip on Saturday. The magic of backyard skiing made itself apparent from the time my alarm rang…7:00, not 5:30. It continued as the light pulled us through 15 miles of world-class Boulder Canyon, from the first glimpse of Red Rocks to the site of Eldora as we crested above Barker Dam. On the mountain, we had clear skies and Spring Snow conditions.
As Loveland does, Eldora offer close-in, free parking. We arrived just before 9:00 and the main parking lot was already about 85% full. Perhaps it was the three-day weekend or perhaps people are just now shaking off their holiday hangovers. We made quick work of the Passport check-in and made our way to the Challenge Lift. If you’re with beginners, I recommend that you only put two in a chair at a time. The exit ramp comes up quick and it’s easy to get tangled up as you exit the lift. Note: lifties all over the mountain will slow the lift down for boarding and exit if you ask. As you make your way up the mountain on Challenge, make sure you crank your neck around (but be careful…there are no safety bars) and take in the view. You won’t see it from the top of the mountain and the view of Nederland, Barker Dam, Boulder Canyon, and Boulder is spectacular.
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On Lift Chairs and Legacies with Mark Phillips
Loveland’s Offerings to Day-Trippers & The Parental Blessing of a Lift Ride
My son Oscar and I made our first snowboarding trip this weekend. I worried that our heavy holiday travel schedule made us miss the epic early-season Colorado conditions, but I was wrong. After a traffic-free Saturday evening drive and a pleasant evening in Georgetown, we took a short trip to Loveland Ski Area, where we had a day full of deep, soft powder.
Like most Front Rangers, I’ve driven by Loveland hundreds of times on the way to the bigger resorts in Summit and Eagle Counties. I always thought that it looked awfully steep, windswept, and small, and willingly stuck behind the wheel for another twenty (or sixty on the weekend) minutes to ride Breck, Copper, or Vail. After just one visit, however, I may be ready to swear off the big resorts (Winter Park will never really count as “big�, will it?) forever.
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On Lift Chairs and Legacies with Mark Phillips
Getting a “Passport” to Some of Colorado’s Best RunsMy son Oscar and I live in Boulder, Colorado. With thousands of miles of open-space and back-country trails, a million-dollar view to lighten the load of the daily commute, and a few hours’ drive (or, in the case of Eldora, a half hour’s drive) to the world’s best snow resorts, we have many wonderful options to help balance our daily electronic activities.
Not everyone has it so easy, especially where snow sports are concerned. Not everyone has a local shop like Christy's Sports which offers a convenient upgrade program for parents worried about children outgrowing $1000 worth of gear and clothing every year. And not everyone can have breakfast at home, get four hours of runs in (after four hours the meltdowns kick in anyway!), and be home in time for the afternoon soccer game or, more likely, nap. Yet, precisely because it’s been so easy, Oscar and I have done little exploring outside our hometown.
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