Ski Trip

Every year our friends Alyssa and Brian organize a week-long ski trip in Colorado. Every year we have to miss it because our plans are so full of weddings and family that we can't find the extra time or money for a week-long vacation. But this year they added their wedding to the festivities and we were finally able to join everyone in Colorado for a few days of skiing and partying.

It's been five years since I've been skiing, and that was true the last time I went skiing, too. But last time it came back quickly, so I was confident it would this time too. And it mostly did, except that I no longer live in Colorado and hadn't quite thought to account for the extreme elevation change I would be dealing with.

This was somewhat mitigated by our arrival in Colorado on Monday with no plans to ski until Thursday. I figured this would give me plenty of time to adjust to the climate. Especially since we were spending two nights with my mom who lives at 8000 feet. It mostly worked. But with everything together (elevation, dry air, crowded condo, lots of skiing, impending illness), I was off balance for most of the week. Which mostly manifested as a lack of partying or even staying up late.

The skiing itself was a lot of fun. After a bumpy first run, during which I fell and spent several minutes wondering if I'd be able to get back up, I traded in for better equipment and did enough to have fun for the next couple of days. When I fell, I was convinced I had managed to twist my ankle. This should be (and is) impossible in ski boots, but my boots didn't fit great and my ankles are horrifically weak. I figured if there was going to be an exception, it would probably be me. Instead it appears that I merely bruised my ankle, albeit in the place that bugs me whenever I do twist or sprain it. Which happens entirely too often.

After that mishap and a bit of time to recover from it, Kevin and I had a lot of fun on the blues over on the west side of the mountain. They're a bit shorter and less steep than the ones on the east side of the mountain, and I had a lot of fun flying down them.

Around all of the skiing, the bride and groom had planned a bunch of events, including happy hours, lunch barbeques, and the bachelor ad bachelorette party. As I said, I wasn't up for much partying, but I did manage to hang out with everyone until at least 10 every night. I'm such an old person.

The wedding was on Saturday, but not until late in the day. Kevin and I used the time to go tubing (expensive, but highly recommended), wander around the village (I bought a sweatshirt) and hang out with beer and board games before it was time to get ready. The ceremony was lovely, with Bryan and Alyssa officiating their own wedding, which is a thing that I think should spread throughout the country. Currently it's only legal in Colorado and Pennsylvania. It adds a nice, personalized touch to weddings, especially those without a religious component.

Around our time in Copper, we also had a few meals in Idaho Springs (pizza at BaeuJo's and beer at Tommyknockers), visited with my parents, and read a bunch. We also go sick, with Kevin getting the bulk of his illness out of the way on Tuesday before we went up to the mountains and me suffering on the trip home. At least it didn't interfere too much with skiing and socializing. I just hope we didn't give it to anyone else staying in the condo with us.