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At Monarch Mountain, steep terrain, a new ski dog and anniversary beer

At Monarch Mountain, steep terrain, a new ski dog and anniversary beer

by | Feb 10, 2020 | Blog

Fawkes is a ski patrol dog in training at Monarch Mountain. Pam LeBlanc photo

I’ve skied every major ski resort in Colorado, from Aspen to Wolf Creek. Checked off my list so far? Telluride, Crested Butte, Steamboat, Winter Park, Keystone, Vail, Purgatory, Loveland, Breckenridge, Aspen Highlands and Snowmass.

During last week’s trip to the Colorado mountains, though, I traded expansive resorts with fancy hotels and mid-mountain lodges for smaller destinations without all the bells and whistles.

My first stop was Monarch Mountain, a 20-minute drive from historic old mining town of Salida, where I stayed three nights.

Chris LeBlanc overlooks some black runs at Monarch Mountain. Pam LeBlanc photo

I’d always skipped Monarch, assuming it didn’t have enough terrain to keep me interested. I was wrong.

“No frills, no fuss, no Prada store,” says Allie Stevens, marketing manager for the ski area. “Here it’s just fun turns and everybody gets to know each other.”

Monarch, which opened in 1938, is celebrating its 80thseason this year. We attended a history presentation led by Dr. Duane Vanderbusche in Salida, which provided some historical context (and a bunch of laughs, because he’s really funny) for the ski area. He told us Monarch started as a Works Progress Administration project (as did the hot springs pool in Salida, which I also visited).

The Mirkwood section of Monarch offers 130 acres of double black diamond (expert) terrain, but you have to hike (or take a Snowcat) to get there. Pam LeBlanc photo

Highlights?

  1. The lack of crowds. Monarch is off the beaten path for most visitors.
  2. Easy access to tree runs, my favorite, off main lifts like Panorama and Breezeway.
  3. The High Anxiety run – a steep, bumped swathe that lured me back again and again.
  4. The historic Gunbarrel run, originally accessible by what must have been the world’s steepest rope tow. Today that tow is long gone (although some of the old machinery is still visible at the top), and you have to hike up a short but steep incline to get there. Totally worth it.
  5. The ski area’s manageable size – 800 skiable acres, including 130 acres of hike-to terrain, and six lifts.
  6. That hike-to terrain! Mirkwood Basin, the best part of the entire ski area, offers 130 acres of double-black diamond expert terrain – the second steepest inbound terrain in Colorado, according to Monarch officials. You either have to hike there or buy a seat on a snowcat for the day. Either way, you’ll find amazing gladed runs, none of it groomed, all of it delicious.
  7. A sack lunch room, so you don’t have to spend money at the cafeteria at the base if you don’t want to.
  8. Lift tickets cost about half as much as the bigger resorts. Buy online the day before you ski and a pass costs about $79 per adult.
  9. The ski patrol dog-in-training, Fawkes. We met him near Mirkwood, where he couldn’t stop rolling on his back and grooving in the snow.
  10. The Monarch Throwback Red Ale brewed by Elevation Beer Co. to mark the 80thanniversary of Monarch. Beer is tasty after a full day of skiing!

 

Elevation has brewed a special beer to commemorate the 80th anniversary of Monarch Mountain. Pam LeBlanc photo

About Pam

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A night at the Halcyon in Denver: Real vinyl, a gear garage and fresh muffins

A night at the Halcyon in Denver: Real vinyl, a gear garage and fresh muffins

by | Feb 8, 2020 | Blog

I stayed a night at the hip Halcyon Hotel in the Cherry Creek neighborhood of Denver. Photo courtesy Halcyon Hotel

I wanted to spend a night at a hip hotel last week, and wound up at the highly recommended Halycon in the trendy Cherrywood neighborhood of Denver.

All my Colorado friends knew about the Halcyon, which is famous for its “gear garage,” where you can borrow cool equipment like a snow sled, a cruiser bike, snow shoes or an old-fashioned game board.

Guests can borrow snow shoes, a sled, bikes or other sports equipment from the gear garage at the Halcyon. Photo courtesy The Halcyon Hotel

I stayed in a luxurious suite – not normally my way of travel, but the occasional pampering feels good.

A doormat outside each room has a saying on it, like “Charmed I’m sure” or “Go West” (appropriate, since I’ll be joining an expedition led by a paddler named West Hansen this summer.)

Rooms are equipped with a record player and vinyl records. Photo courtesy Halcyon Hotel

I opened my door to a sleek, mostly white, modern room and a cheese tray that I immediately wolfed down while I waited to meet friends with whom I’d been roaming the halls of the Outdoor Retailer Snow Sports show.

That night, I slept on a cushy king bed, chilled out in a lovely sitting room, and soaked in a bathtub in the sprawling bathroom. Best of all, I fired up a vinyl album by Janis Joplin on the record player, a modern version of the old classic. Something about the crackle of a real record makes we swoon.

Other favorite amenities? A small notebook, suitable for jotting notes from interviews, set aside for my use. It came in handy as I met with adventurers and companies that might want their gear tested in the Arctic this summer. The location, around the corner from restaurants and boutique shops. The attentive staff. And the fresh-baked cinnamon muffins and bowl of crispy red apples in the lobby when I checked out.

I’ll be back. Other than the guest room at my sister’s house, I don’t know of a better place to stay in Denver.

The lobby of the Halcyon Hotel is sleek and modern. Photo courtesy Halcyon Hotel

About Pam

I’m Pam LeBlanc. Follow my blog to keep up with the best in outdoor travel and adventure. Thanks for visiting my site.

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Old-school snow-school charm at Arapahoe Basin

Old-school snow-school charm at Arapahoe Basin

by | Feb 7, 2020 | Blog

Patrick O’Sullivan skis a gladed run in the Beavers section of Arapahoe Basin on Feb. 6, 2020. Pam LeBlanc photo

The last time I skied at Arapahoe Basin, I wore blue jeans which I’d attempted to waterproof by spraying them with Scotchguard.

That was 1985, and the spray didn’t work so well. Also, I didn’t even know how to ski at the time. But yesterday – 35 years after that first visit – I finally made it back to the mountain known for having the longest ski season in Colorado.

A-Basin, as they call it, just feels different than the big guys. The resort opened in 1946. We pulled in to the “Early Risers” lot, just 100 yards or so from the base area. No fancy restaurant. No ritzy hotels. Just spinning lifts, moving chairs and a mountain to explore.

We stopped at Il Rifugio for antipasti. Pam LeBlanc photo

Patrick O’Sullivan, director of safety and risk for the mountain, showed me and my husband Chris around. It snowed hard, big fat flakes sifting out of the sky. And the wind blew so hard some of the lifts were shut down.

O’Sullivan says he knew when he was a rookie ski patroller in Keystone 31 years ago that he wanted to work at A Basin, mainly because he likes the natural setting of the ski area.

Instead of cutting wide swathes of trees to cut uniform trails, operators of A-Basin left most of the design work to nature.

“Almost 100 percent of A-Basin is native or organic,” O’Sullivan says. “You can’t fake nature like that.”

Another thing he loves about the mountain? A range of terrain, from gullies and chutes to rolling cruisers, nicely spaced glades and open bowls. “It’s like an English muffin,” O’Sullivan says. “It’s got really nice nooks and crannies.”

Operators pride themselves on the ski area’s old-school charm.

“We’re not a resort. We don’t have snow coasters and trampolines,” says Katherine Fuller, who does marketing for Arapahoe Basin. “Seventy five percent of our terrain is black and double black. That tents to scare some people off, but it’s a skier’s mountain.”

Here are some things I like about A-Basin:

Tail gators enjoy a “shot ski” in the parking lot at Arapahoe Basin. Pam LeBlanc photo

 

  1. The Beavers and the Steep Gullies. A new lift opened last season now whisks skiers to huge section of expert terrain, including some of the best glade skiing in Colorado. (Before the lift opened, anyone who skied The Beavers faced a 20-minute walk to get out.)
  2. You can park for free, walk to a lift and in a single ride reach some of the steepest in-bounds terrain in Colorado.
  3. The Pallavicini Lift (which is getting replaced next year), legendary among locals for carrying skiers to “The Center of the Universe.” To think it was so close all along!
  4. The old-school charm. It isn’t fancy. That’s a good thing.
  5. The Il Refugio, the highest lift-served restaurant in Colorado, which serves an amazing antipasti with olives, thin-shaved meats, olives and roasted veggies.
  6. The resort’s emphasis on minimizing impact. “We didn’t cut runs, we shaped them,” O’Sullivan says. “We trimmed limbs, took out deadfall, and were very conscious about wildlife habitat.”
  7. Even on a powder day (a Friday no less!) with only two lifts operating due to the storm, the wait was less than 5 minutes.
  8. The Beach. People tailgate – even during blizzards! – in the parking lot. We’re talking grills, coolers full of beer, shot skis and table clothes.

 

 

 

About Pam

I’m Pam LeBlanc. Follow my blog to keep up with the best in outdoor travel and adventure. Thanks for visiting my site.

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It got really cold, but we skied Copper Mountain anyway…

It got really cold, but we skied Copper Mountain anyway…

by | Feb 6, 2020 | Blog

Hardly anybody was skiing yesterday at Copper Mountain, and the snow was great. Pam LeBlanc photo

Temperatures cold enough to freeze the bottle of water I left in the car overnight didn’t keep us off the mountain yesterday.

Chris and I just stuck toe warmers on our socks and hand warmers in our gloves, then covered every patch of exposed skin with clothing before catching a chair lift to the top of Copper Mountain in minus 15-degree weather.

After a few days of skiing Monarch Mountain near Salida, we drove to Frisco on Tuesday. We’re now staying at the cozy Frisco Inn on Galena Street, which feels like staying at a friend’s house (and that friend brews three kinds of amazing coffee every day, cooks you hearty pre-ski breakfasts and pours you a glass of wine to sip in front of the fireplace every night). From our base in Frisco, we’re exploring nearby Copper Mountain and Arapahoe Basin.

In the meantime, a blast of winter weather has arrived.

Lots of wide open expert terrain to tackle at Copper Mountain. Pam LeBlanc photo

Guide Todd Casey at Copper explained the resort’s two-peak layout. I skied here two years ago, but since the big news is a new lift that opened this season. The Three Bears lift, the culmination of a 15-year vision, now whisks skiers up Tucker Mountain, to some of the steepest, lift-served terrain in Colorado.

“There’s more challenging terrain here than people realize,” Casey said. “It’s steep, north-facing, ungroomed, above-the-treeline into glades. It’s always been inbounds, just not often used.”

The key to skiing in minus 15-degree temps? Cover up every patch of skin, like Chris LeBlanc, shown here. Pam LeBlanc photo

If you like double-black drops, chutes and razor-edge ridgelines, this is your mecca.
We spent most of our time in the slightly milder terrain of Copper Bowl, where we bounded down fluffy mounds of snow, and in the untracked stretches of powder back in Union Meadows. We also found lots of gorgeous glades, where the wind couldn’t find us among the trees.

And here’s a tip for skiing Copper in cold weather: Take advantage of the American Flyer lift, where you can pull down the blue-tinted, plastic bubble cover to shield yourself from the elements. Also, stop frequently for hot chocolate.

Today, we’re heading to Arapaho Basin. The forecast calls for balmier temperatures in the 20s, and snow all day.

I’ll take that.

The temperatures at Copper Mountain never reached zero yesterday, and it was minus 15 when we started. Pam LeBlanc photo

About Pam

I’m Pam LeBlanc. Follow my blog to keep up with the best in outdoor travel and adventure. Thanks for visiting my site.

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Spending a night at the historic Palace Hotel in Salida

Spending a night at the historic Palace Hotel in Salida

by | Feb 5, 2020 | Blog

 

 

The Palace Hotel in Salida opened in 1909. Photo by Pam LeBlanc

I’d much rather stay in a historic old hotel with creaky floors and stairs instead of elevators than at a modern, cookie cutter chain, so I knew I’d be happy as soon as I swung open the front door of the Palace Hotel in downtown Salida.

Here are 10 things I loved most about the place, which opened in 1909:

 

  1. The lobby, decorated with historic photos of cowboys, a chandelier straight out of the Old West and old-fashioned tin type photos made by a local artist. I needed to do a little work, so I set up shop at the desk and logged onto the WIFI.
  2. Free guest laundry, which I took advantage of since I’m burning through long underwear and ski socks like they’re made of kindling.
  3. Breakfast, delivered. The chef himself dropped off a yogurt parfait made with yogurt, granola and fruit, along with the fresh-baked muffin of the day (I liked oatmeal best, but also tried cranberry orange and banana). Its breakfast delivered to your room at whatever time you request.

    The lobby of the Palace Hotel in Salida, where I spent three nights during a visit to Monarch Mountain. Pam LeBlanc photo

  4. The environmental consciousness. No individually-packaged containers of shampoo or conditioner (it’s in a big pump bottle), a tiny bar of hand-made soap without a wrapper, and no daily maid service (really, who needs it?) unless requested.
  5. A kitchenette. The Governor Hunt suite where we stayed ($195 per night) comes with a small kitchen complete with full-sized fridge, microwave oven, a tiny oven and stovetop, plus all the dishes you need to cook pasta, which we did one night. The Palace Hotel in Salida opened in 1909. Pam LeBlanc photo[/caption]
  6. A gorgeous view of the mountains from all the windows.
  7. A great downtown location across from a park, kitty corner to an old Victorian bar, and a block down from the bustling Boathouse Cantina, where you can eat a burger and watch the river roll past.
  8. Walking distance to the amazing Café Dawn, which serves amazing soup for lunch (we had white bean and spinach), along with an assortment of bagels, quiches and coffees.
  9. Plenty of room. Our suite, the Governor Hunt (Room 301) was spacious, with a king-sized bed, a kitchenette with a small table, and a couch arranged in front of a flat-screen TV.
  10. An amazing staff. One night I was craving chocolate. We couldn’t find a nearby shop, so we asked the clerk at the desk. Everyplace nearby was closed, so she shared her own personal bag of peanut M&Ms with us. Breakfast is included in room rates. Pam LeBlanc photo[/caption]

 

 

The Palace Hotel in Salida opened in 1909. Photo by Pam LeBlanc

I’d much rather stay in a historic old hotel with creaky floors and stairs instead of elevators than at a modern, cookie cutter chain, so I knew I’d be happy as soon as I swung open the front door of the Palace Hotel in downtown Salida.

Here are 10 things I loved most about the place, which opened in 1909:

 

  1. The lobby, decorated with historic photos of cowboys, a chandelier straight out of the Old West and old-fashioned tin type photos made by a local artist. I needed to do a little work, so I set up shop at the desk and logged onto the WIFI.
  2. Free guest laundry, which I took advantage of since I’m burning through long underwear and ski socks like they’re made of kindling.
  3. Breakfast, delivered. The chef himself dropped off a yogurt parfait made with yogurt, granola and fruit, along with the fresh-baked muffin of the day (I liked oatmeal best, but also tried cranberry orange and banana). Its breakfast delivered to your room at whatever time you request.

  4. 4. The environmental consciousness. No individually-packaged containers of shampoo or conditioner (it’s in a big pump bottle), a tiny bar of hand-made soap without a wrapper, and no daily maid service (really, who needs it?) unless requested.

  5. A kitchenette. The Governor Hunt suite where we stayed ($195 per night) comes with a small kitchen complete with full-sized fridge, microwave oven, a tiny oven and stovetop, plus all the dishes you need to cook pasta, which we did one night.

  6. The Palace Hotel in Salida opened in 1909. Pam LeBlanc photo

  7. A gorgeous view of the mountains from all the windows.
  8. A great downtown location across from a park, kitty corner to an old Victorian bar, and a block down from the bustling Boathouse Cantina, where you can eat a burger and watch the river roll past.
  9. Walking distance to the amazing Café Dawn, which serves amazing soup for lunch (we had white bean and spinach), along with an assortment of bagels, quiches and coffees.
  10. Plenty of room. Our suite, the Governor Hunt (Room 301) was spacious, with a king-sized bed, a kitchenette with a small table, and a couch arranged in front of a flat-screen TV.
  11. An amazing staff. One night I was craving chocolate. We couldn’t find a nearby shop, so we asked the clerk at the desk. Everyplace nearby was closed, so she shared her own personal bag of peanut M&Ms with us.

  12. Breakfast is included in room rates. Pam LeBlanc photo

About Pam

I’m Pam LeBlanc. Follow my blog to keep up with the best in outdoor travel and adventure. Thanks for visiting my site.

Where is Pam?

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