We need more snow

The bad news is - we need more snow. The good news is - we are enjoying a long run of beautiful, sunny days and they are much appreciated by those who live with long winters in the mountains. I am looking out my window and the mountains are a blaze with sunshine. Now this isn't the best for skiing conditions, but it is great for skiing. Nothing like swooshing down a slope with the sun blazing down and glistening on the snow. The sky - so clear blue. Its just soothes the soul. And isn't that really what its all about?

Igloo New Year

Last night I went up to the igloo (see Nov. 8 for more info on igloo) for the most magical New Year's Eve. It was storming as I drove up to the pass - that sort of driving that always sets my teeth on edge. Snow deep on the roads, the wind whipping the snow around making it difficult to know which way is up or which way is down - let alone where the road is. But I was bringing the chocolate for the chocolate fondue - so I felt I had to show up. So onward I drove thinking - if its this bad in this canyon - what is it going to be like when I get on top. I've lived in the mountains for 10 years now but I still get edgy driving in this sort of storm. A long time local just died last week - slid off the road. It took them 5 days to find her car. So - its dangerous no matter how long you've lived up here.

Luckily as I got toward the top, the snow almost stopped. The road was clearer and I pulled off to where we start our 1 mile hike up to the igloo. Only two others were there - the storm kept many away. But we put on our snowshoes and began our treck up. The snow was lightly falling. Every once in a while we would stop, turn off our head lamps and just listen. There is such a peace - it is pervasive. And with this peace comes the realization that this is all you need. You are complete in this moment.

For this next year I wish you all peace within yourself and with others. Happy New Year!

On top of this ..... it was a powder day today!!!!! At least 2 feet of new white pretty snow to play in.

9th annual igloo

Every year for the past 9 winters a group of people (yours truly included) have met in the woods at about 10,000 feet to build an igloo. Its debatable as to whether it is truly an igloo (because we make it by piling up snow and not stacking cut cubes of ice) but we call it an igloo anyway. So the 9th annual igloo was finished last week.

Through the years, the igloo has been different shapes and sizes. The largest sat about 26 people - no kidding. But igloos are warm because of the people in them and when you have 6 people in an igloo built for 26 - its pretty #%$$# COLD. So this year we went back to the quaint size of seating for 14.

Last night was our first party and it was really cold up there, but 8 brave souls showed for our traditional Tai Soup pot luck in the igloo. We straped on snowshoes or put skins on telle skis and started the treck to the igloo hidden in the woods.

Tai soup in an igloo is done by one person bringing the herbs and base for Tai soup and the rest of us bringing ingredients to throw into the wok. So we put the wok on the the camp stove and everyone takes their little bag of whatever from their back packs. We announce what we have and get approval before we throw it in. Broccoli, chicken, snow peas, scallops, rice noodles etc are thrown into the soup and we talk as it cooks.

About an hour into the evening we hear a commotion outside - it is our friend and acclaimed chef, Nick. He drags into the iglloo a large pack that he proceeds to empty with huge amounts of food. He takes over the wok, which is now empty and prepares the most amzaing Tai fired rice. We dubbed it - "Fried Rice your mother wish she could make". No offense to mothers everywhere.

After about 3 hours of being in the igloo, we made our way out joking that we may be too fat to fit through the narrow igloo tunnel to the outside. But make it we did, strapped on the snowshoes and siliently made our way back to civilization.

There is something about being in snow filled woods high up in the mountains on a winter's night. Its magical. Most nights you can see without a flashlight. The stars are BLAZING. The silence is profound. The crunch of each step is freshly audible. Its calming and reminds us all what is really important. ...... HEAT! ha ha.

Skiing on new skis was certainly OK yesterday. The snow was great - scratchy in some places, but lift 5 was awesome. That was the place to be. It wasn't deep powder, but there weren't any rocks and that is something. Lift 9 was not open. Lift 6 was but only the lift - only one run - See Forever was open - not truely a lift 6 run but accessed by lift 6. But you got to go up and look at that awesome view up there. WOW!! I'm always amazed. They will most likely be opening more and more of the mountain as we get to Thanksgiving. So get on up here. Its good.

Wow - lots of snow here. The ski area is reporting 4 feet so far and 20 inches in the past few days. Even though many ski areas measure snow suspiciously, I believe them this time. There is alot of snow out there. If I were you, I'd make plans to come up to ski for Thanksgiving weekend - the ski area opens the day before Thanksgiving. Its going to be good. More snow expected this weekend! I'll keep ya posted.

Its snowing! Its snowing!! Yep the white stuff is all over the place. We got about 6 inches in town on Saturday and then it snowed again last night a bit. The mountains are looking very white. This looks like the beginning of our base for the winter. Yesterday I ran into the Mountain Manager up at Telski (the nick name for the ski mountain) and he said its cold enough to make snow - so making snow they are. Its looking good. So start waxing those skis.

Its off season here in Telluride. The fall colors are almost gone but the snow isn't here yet. Therefore we don't have alot of visitors.

If you want to see this town at its quietest - this is close to it . Things are slow ... quiet ... peaceful. The air is a bit nippy but still warm enough to sit around at the Coffee Cowboy in the center of town and discuss our opinions about when the snow will come. This time of year we all have time. Life is slow. Its the calm before the storm called .... Ski Season.