Beyond a page...: My Winter in the Mountains

After a full ski season almost in the books up in the mountains I thought I'd give some of my thoughts about living up here:

First, I'm so glad I chose to live in Avon over Vail or Breckenridge. Living in an established, older, and less transient community make it both easier to stay long-term and not let the smallness of the town get to you.

Second, when you live 3 minutes from a chair lift you have the right to be picky about what days you ski. No, I may not have gotten the 100 days of skiing that some locals brag about, but I sure didn't have many bad days of skiing. And, oh yeah, those Tuesday and Wednesday powder days I always dreamed about free from lift lines sitting at my desk in Denver sure are as nice as I thought!

Third, roundabouts are so much better than red-lights!

Fourth, I am glad I got to see as many friends as I did this winter come out from the city. Intially, I was a little sad about leaving Denver from a social aspect, but I had no shortage of visitors this winter.

Fifth, aside from friends, I really don't miss the city. I'll never say never, but I am very happy living in a smaller town as of now.

Sixth, I spent more days in Canada than I did Denver this winter. Guess I can thank Lise for that one ;-)

Seventh, working for the Westin turned out much better than I thought. Anyone that knows me well knows that I am not much of a "resort" guy. I still would rather spend 2 months backpacking from hostel to hostel than lying around at the spa or side of a pool all day, however, I have a lot of respect for where I work and think it is a great place to stay. Let me know if you are ever interested in getting a deal on a room.

Last, I can't wait for summer! Skiing and winter sports/activities are amazing, don't get me wrong, but the whole reason I moved to Colorado 5 years ago was because I loved the summers here. Hiking, trail running, fishing, camping, biking and so on all without the 100 degree temperatures and 100% humidity of East Texas... hope to see you all out here this summer!

Here are a few pictures from the winter to leave you with: