10 Highlights
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After two days of snowboarding in Colorado, my leg muscles were sore. I had never experienced anything like that before! My neck was also really sore….
The last run on Saturday Jake and I decided to blast down the trail to get in one more run. It was 3:55 PM and the lift closed at 4, so we were really moving. I decided to be a punk and jump and grab my board, something I haven’t done in 10 years. I guess a body and skills change in 10 years because I landed incorrectly and went tumbling down. My board (or something) hit me in the head and I ended up face down in a lot of fresh powder. My head immediately started pounding, and I tried to get up but couldn’t. I flipped over and sat with my hands between my head for a few minutes before attempting to get up again. My head still hurt. I sat back down and started crying (typical). Luckily PB was way behind Jake and I (Jake hadn’t seen I fell and kept going) and PB saw me and stopped! It took me FOREVER to get down the mountain and I was sobbing the whole way. A little kid heard me sobbing and said “momma that girl is CRYING!!!”… I was mortified. Anyway, long story short (not really short), my head feels fine now but my neck and shoulder are still a little stiff.
Sunday I decided to take it easy because of Saturday’s fall. It hurt to turn my head too quickly so I didn’t want to zoom down the mountain. Early in the morning the four of us headed to the Larkspur bowl to enjoy the fresh powder again. The trail was groomed with about 6 inches of powder over it. It was so beautiful and so fun to cruise down. We split up and met up around noon at a mid-mountain lodge. We bought tickets for the Crystal Grotto show at 1 and wanted to be nearby for lunch. I had an unmemorable lunch and beer and we all warmed up before heading to the Crystal Grotto.
If you are ever near Beaver Creek you really need to make an effort to see the Crystal Grotto. It is a very large igloo that is entirely man made out of ice and took 6 weeks to build. Inside, a band awaits using instruments made entirely of ice. The experience was amazing and something no one should miss! The concert was short but really fun and so COOL! Here are a few photos…
Outdoor bar:
instruments:
Full setup:
Seating area:
Incredible, right?
We split up again after the show and PB and I got so lucky! We saw the Snow Cats grooming a trail so we popped right below them and took the freshly groomed trail! It may have been my favorite run of my life. We were literally the first tracks on a freshly groomed trail that had tons of packed powder. It was incredible!
The day had more excitement! I took PB through some really easy glades to show him why we need to buy helmets. It was a fun little adventure! It was incredible pretty, too.
We ended the afternoon with another Sunshine Wheat beer outside at the base while waiting for Jake and Gina to meet up with us. It was so nice out and really enjoyable to watch the end of the day skiers with a beer in one hand and my husband’s hand in the other.
We had dinner at Terra Bistro in Vail and had our favorite dinner of the weekend. A few amazing meals were enjoyed….
I had a sprouted quinoa salad to start which was insane. It was crunchy, chewy, and soft all at the same time and was tossed with some tomato, avocado, and a strong basil balsamic dressing.
I also had a portobello mushroom entree with goat cheese, assorted vegetables, and an artichoke heart. It was equally as enjoyable:
We were seated next to a large engagement celebration and we joined in the revelry! It was a perfect way to spend our last evening in Colorado.
Monday morning we only had a few hours before heading to the airport in Denver, and we wanted to take advantage of them. We signed up for a 1.5 hour snowmobile tour. Have you ever been on a snowmobile? The experience was exhilarating! We first went on a groomed path through beautiful greenery and actually passed an avalanche, which was a bit scary. Then we got to speed around an oval speedway for about 10 minutes before our guide, Bo, decide to take us through some fresh powder.
Snowmobiling through fresh powder is so different! We got to really push the speed and actually had to in order to not get stuck! At one point both Jake and PB got stuck and it made the rest of us get stuck a couple of times. When Bo jumped off his machine to go and help, he sunk down to his neck in the fresh powder. Can you believe it? It was so fun. I guess it was a different experience for Bo too because he called all of his buddies to meet him for a ride.
PB is stuck:
Jake is stuck:
The girls are not yet stuck… but will be soon!
Then it was time to leave.
The drive to Denver was sad, but made a bit better by a stop to BackCountry Brewery, suggested by @heathersdish on Twitter (follow me at www.twitter.com/rhodeygirltests). We had a fun lunch and then continued on our way. This Colorado trip was more fun than I could have imagined, and I can’t wait for our next adventure.
Highlights from the trip:
1. No one looking at us strangely when we mentioned that the fresh powder was so rad and that we were stoked for the next day.
2. Getting upgraded to double rooms at the Beaver Creek Lodge.
3. Really delicious beer with lots of slices of oranges all weekend.
4. Seeing the famous back bowls at Vail and having fresh powder (see #1) up to our hips.
5. Gina and PB making it down black diamonds without trouble or panic.
6. Dinner at Terra Bistro and being part of a fun engagement celebration.
7. The Crystal Grotto!
8. Getting stuck on the snowmobile tour and also riding really fast.
9. Being warm on the slopes… for once!
10. Having lots of laughs and smiles with great friends.
Previous Colorado posts:
oh my goodness! I’m so glad you’re ok! What a scary experience! The man made igloo and instruments look INCREDIBLE! Sounds like overall you had a truly incredible vacation- something to remember forever!
Glad you had a great time and I hope your neck feels better soon! On another note you and PB need to get helmets ASAP!!!!! As someone that grew up on a ski hill (every Saturday and Sunday and after school most days) I know a ton of expert skiers and boarders (think racing coaches, ski patrollers etc) who have been in accidents that have taken months to recover from, some even on beginner runs. Especially since PB is new he needs to get one but you really need a helmet all the time not just on glades and expert bowls. The few times I have had injuries on the hill have mostly been on easier runs when I wasn’t concerned for my safety. Maybe print an article about the actress Natasha Richardson who died after a fall on a beginner run last year at Tremblant to try and convince him. They are around 100$ which is really nothing incomprehension to the value of your safety!!
Bec, Thank you so much. I really appreciate this comment. We ARE getting helmets at the end of the season sales (our snowboarding season is over and boards already have storage wax etc). We both want helmets and I promise the next time I snowboard I will be wearing my new helmet.
wow, what a fun trip! Except for the fall…ouch!
That quinoa salad sounds really different. I’m new to quinoa; so far I like it! Yum to the portabella mushroom dish, too:)
Hey! I just found your blog and love your CO post. I moved out here with my husband in september and have been loving it!! We just had an awesome powder day at Keystone this past saturday…sooo much fun!! Haven’t gotten into snowmobiling yet but it looks super fun 🙂
Looks like your trip was a huge success 🙂 Everything looks amazing and so much fun 🙂 Love the highlights of the trip so true about laughing a lot with friends 🙂
so cool! We’ve watched the discovery show on the building of the ice hotel in europe and it’s just amazing, didn’t know there was anything like that in CO!
@RunToTheFinish, We didn’t know either until we got to the mountain! It was so amazing.
Wow, what an awesome trip!!! I loved seeing the photos, it seems like an incredible experience. And I’m sorry to hear about your head! How do you feel now?
The Crystal Grotto is amazing, I’ve never seen anything like that- so unique!
Have a great Thursday!
@Andrea @ CanYouStayForDinner.com, I feel better! My neck is still really tight and feels weird but it feels much better than it did before. Thank you for asking!!!! Have a great Thursday as well!
So glad to hear you weren’t injured – those kind of falls are so scary. This whole trip has me jealous of all the snowboarding. My board has been sitting in my closet this whole winter – I’m so focused on the marathon, I don’t want to take a chance and hurt myself before the race. Hopefully there will be some snow in upstate NY or VT still after the race (wait… did i just ask for the snow to stick around 🙂 I would really like to get out once or twice this season.
that igloo is insane!!!
hi
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hi friend!
@lauren, HI
So glad to hear that you are okay. If your neck is still sore, rubbing an essential oil (like lavender) on the sore spots really helps. Also helps relaxes you of course! Love the pictures of Colorado; looks like you guys had an amazing time. Safe travels!
Vail/Beaver Creek has some great eats:)
Glad to hear there is a helmet in PB’s future:)
That crystal grotto looks amazing!
Also, I guess I never thought about regional “sayings” in regards to skiing. The number 1 on your list, is something I’ve said countless times!
Looks like you had such an amazing trip! Love the new website layout.
WOW!
Looks like you and PB had an amazing time at Colorado!
Loved all your pics!
How fun is that frozen bar?!
Hahahaha.
Have a great night!
Brazilian XOXO´s,
Gabriela
Ouch!
On a happy note I love the photos.. and the gorgeous new site!!
glad you are ok! All of your pictures are beautiful…I want to go to that snow bar! And I really like the new blog layout…
Hi Sabrina!!
Wowieeeeeee! That colorado trip looks like it has been a BLAST! I have a cousin and tons of skating friends (that skate there- it is HUGE for skating) that live there, but I have yet to go!!! I went skiing for my first time this winter and loved it, so I definitely would love to begin traveling to winter areas too! On list are also Sun Valley and Whistler!!
I’m so sorry you had a bad fall though! It sounds like you are a really skilled snow boarder! I am impressed!! The grotto sounds so fun too! Instruments of ice?! crazy!!!
and that quinoa salad sounds divine!!
The snowmobiling pictures are hilarious! I’m impressed you got so much of it on camera!! Thank you for sharing!!
HOPE YOU HAVE A FABULOUS WEEKENEDDDDDDDDDD!
Love,
GC
OMG I *LOVE* the pictures of the instruments!
I’ve never been to Colorado…and now, I see that you have SO much fun there…but I’d rather admire your pretty exciting pics from afar…all that snow is giving me chills! Lol!