Of Frisco, Breckenridge and Ski Bums

Hey dudes! What’s up? (Slope-speak) I thought I would take advantage of this convenient internet connection and provide you with an update. We head to another condo tomorrow and so I don’t know when I’ll have such again.

So, here’s how a day goes, generally-speaking. Wake up, grab a quick bite to eat or some coffee and head to our first property. If it’s a property management gig, we connect with the manager, get a map, keys of the properties to shoot, or they accompany us. We’ll generally shoot 5 different places and try to include some of their amenities such as pool, spa, ski-to-lift, etc. Then we go get some lunch and check out some other interesting sites, stores, mountains and such. Next is the second property owners/managers and we repeat the process of the above.

I’ve been doing most of the shooting now, which is nice, because the more I shoot, the more comfortable I feel. Even with my director and property manager hovering about, it still feels pretty good. Of course, I will feel best when my stuff is found useable, gets edited and is on the video segment portion of property pages.

Eating has been a major part of this experience. Some places are rated at the fine-dining end and other’s mom and pop, but all have been great. Forgive any repetitions but the Hickory House in Aspen had some of the best Baby Back ribs in the world. (They ship ribs, by the way. You may want to check them out.) Il Poggio had great veal and gnocci. The asparagus held its own lemony, buttery sweetness apart from the veal, apart from the gnocci, which might indicate they were cooked separately. Fuel had a filling California-style breakfast burrito and great mocha. Here in the Breck village-area we’ve had some Cajun at Po’ Boys, one of the best Greek salad’s I’ve had at a place that escapes me, Himalayan fare (similar to Indian), and at Food Hedz, one of the best lunches I’ve had. Pheasant Peach soup and Burgundy braised short-ribs over penne. It had a thick, brown gravy, mushrooms and carrots. The short rib formed the spoke of the dish, circled with the pork, resting on the bed of pasta and friends. I’ve tried to vow to eat less, but this seems part of the gig as well. I’d like to get work outs in, but ‘When in Rome-ing’ it now.

The weather here has been cold lately. Today started at 15 below and warmed up to about 7. It was coldest when we drove up to the continental divide at 14,500 feet to catch a shot of Quandry peak, of which I’ll include a picture. The cold here does not seem to be as severe as back home, but it seems that you are getting similar temps there.

Takes on the the I-70 corridor: it is Western ski-culture here. Many ski bums that have since graduated to other professions, yet still maintain their slope-habit. The shops here are mostly expensive, yet villages range from the snow-globe pretention of Aspen to the bar, headshop, dude-ness of Frisco. (These are generalizations from an unexperienced flat-lander, mind you). Locals know the right places to go to avoid tourists and some of the excessive prices, but also use the nature of the place to feed themselves.

Music is played in every store and establishment. Common are such bands at Crosby, Stills & Nash, Beatles, Chicago, Phish, Doobie Brothers, Pink Floyd, Chili Peppers and the taste seems pretty consistent. People drive lots of Subarus, Jeeps and other 4x4 vehicles. Shops cater to many tastes but the alternative is prevalent and cool, but pricey.

The geography is dominated by, what else, the mountains. They are awesome, rising sharply, coniferous and snow covered. A common site is to see a white ghost of snow whipping from the peaks. The snow has a billowy, pillow-like texture, not common the Midwest. The trees seem to be quite happy with a heavy blanket. The very same snow coats roofs and creates gigantic ice dams. These ice-shafts often extend to the ground and if you had ice-climbing equipment, you could ice axe and crampon your way to the rooftops.

While these experiences are grand I am still in the training mode. My director and I get along well. The relationship feels at times like a little-brother trying to prove himself to the bigger. So, at times I’ll get the WTF-glance in response to a dumb inquiry or feel that I don’t want to do anything too stupid, technically or whatnot. My directory has the type of history that I find extremely intriguing and he quite enjoys telling me about it. We also share many a peculiar trait, such as where we get our mead, passion for flintlocks and the types of people we associate with.

Just today we picked up someone stranded, needing to go to town for some radiator coolant. After a brief introduction he drops the name of Fletcher Anderson having been one of his friends. This immediately rings a bell. His friend was no other than the extreme kayaker who shot the Colorado river faster than anyone in history. He died extreme- flying his plane. Flying too low, he hit cables some 20 feet above the Snake river. That very river and very cable I had seen many times, bringing students white water rafting down the snake. I had met a friend of his guiding our raft and who shared similar stories of that unique extremophile. Small world, eh?

Snowboarding has been ok. Even in the mountains I get bored of it quickly and would like to journey off into the woods or go hiking in the mountains. I know my limits and with a bag of gear and a tripod on my back, I am even more cautious. But my dude has been cool with everything so far and the elevation tires him quicker than me. Though, the final runs of our first time out found us both eating snow as our legs and fatigue wore into us. At Breck we have some experienced skiers lined up and perhaps some trick riders. We'll see. I certainly won't be doing any 'extreme' stuff but hope to find some nice powder!

So, a few more days in Breck, then Steamboat and Winter Park and, just added, Vail. We may hit Utah as well, but are still waiting on that. So, for now, thanks for tuning into the ramble and I hope to catch you soon. “Giddy-up!”