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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

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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.

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In the Swiss Alps, take time to walk from village to village

In the Swiss Alps, take time to walk from village to village

by | Jan 22, 2020 | Blog

Every tree branch and blade of grass was encrusted in ice. Pam LeBlanc photo

With this week’s cheese, butter and chocolate consumption off the charts, I needed to hike.

Fortunately, that’s easy to do in Switzerland, where you can explore the countryside via a network of well-marked gravel pathways.

Ice crystals formed on every surface. Pam LeBlanc photo

I squeezed in two hikes my last full day in Gstaad, starting with a chilly walk along a twisting river in Lauenen, where cows outnumber humans and an overnight storm had put a delicate crust of diamonds on every twig and blade of grass. When the sun broke over the mountains, the entire forest shimmered.

I passed frozen stacks of hay, shaped just like the ones Van Gogh famously painted, and crossed a narrow wooden bridge over a half-frozen stream. My walk felt like a tour inside a glass-blowers factory.

The Swiss make the best hot chocolate! Pam LeBlanc photo

After an hour, my fingers turned to popsicles, so I stopped in the coffeeshop at the Hotel Alpenland, where I ordered hot chocolate. You can get two kinds here – the classic type, made with dark chocolate, or a maltier version called Ovomaltine. I opted for the darker stuff, which came in a ceramic mug with a small cinnamon cookie and a sifting of grated chocolate.

In the afternoon, after the other journalists in my group had departed, I hitched a ride to Schonried, a 20-minute drive from Gstaad. From there, I followed the “wanderweg” signs (I love the Swiss term for hiking). Even though it had snowed a day earlier, the trails had been cleared, another indication of that perpetual Swiss tidiness.

I struck out for Gstaad.

I soaked up this view while hiking around Gstaad. Pam LeBlanc photo

My route began with a dip alongside a ski lift that was busily whisking skiers up a nearby slope. I shivered a little, as snowflakes stacked up on my knit cap. I stopped to snap pictures, then followed the gravel path as it swung around a corner and headed into the farmland. I clomped past farmhouses and the occasional bed and breakfast, inspected some pumpkin-sized cowbells hanging from a barn, admired fields frosted in white, and followed the trail as it led me across a ridge with views of old chalets and hillside villages.

At one spot, I discovered a wooden cabinet holding an array of milk and cheeses for sale. What a concept – just pop your money in the cash box, using the honor system instead of a credit card, and help yourself to a snack.

Many farmers sell cheese from self-service boxes in the countryside. Pam LeBlanc photo

At one point, the trail forked, with signs pointing in opposite directions, both labeled Gstaad. I stood perplexed for a few minutes, until a farmer pushing a cart magically appeared and asked if I needed help. (The people here seem to pop up just when you need them, eager to offer assistance.) I told him I didn’t know which trail to take, and he directed me toward a snow-covered route marked by poles. That, he pronounced, would take me to Gstaad Palace, where stars including Richard Burton, Grace Kelly and Elizabeth Taylor have all stayed.

Perfect. I stuck my tongue out to catch a few snowflakes, descended into the village, passing the palace’s striking turrets, and found my way back to Park Gstaad, my temporary home away from home, in an hour and a half.

About Pam

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Get a good look at yourself Gstaad Mirage, a house built of mirrors

Get a good look at yourself Gstaad Mirage, a house built of mirrors

by | Jan 20, 2020 | Blog

Gstaad Mirage is a one-story suburban home built of mirrors and perched on a Swiss mountain. Pam LeBlanc photo

For a constantly changing view of the Swiss Alps, head to Gstaad Mirage, an art installation by American artist Doug Aitkin.

The Mirage, a one-story house with every surface but the floor clad in mirrors, reflects its surroundings, whether they’re glistening in snow, flashing in a lightning storm or popping in fresh green grass. Time your visit for a Friday, and you might meet Stefan Werner, who takes a squeegee and a bucket of alcohol mixed with water to wipe the glass walls clean one day a week.

Stefan Welton washes all the mirrored surfaces of the house every Friday. Pam LeBlanc photo

“It’s all about the fingerprints,” he told me as he made the walls and ceiling shine.

The installation opened here last year and will remain until January 2021. According to the artist, it’s designed as a “reflection of the dreams and aspirations projected onto the American West.”

I crouched in front of an exxterior wall and looked at the mountains behind me. Pam LeBlanc photo

As I stood in front of the house and watched clouds move in, it almost disappeared into the landscape. I walked up close, crouching near rows of narrow mirrored strips to get a view of the Videmanette, which forms a mountainous backdrop. Inside, I saw eight replicas of myself on the ceiling, and rows of my image lined up down a curving wall. Walking through the house will remind you of exploring a fun house, without the dizzying distortions.

Looking out a window of the mirrored house, which is surrounded by mountains. Pam LeBlanc photo

The installation is the third of its kind by Aitkin. He has created similar homes in the desert of Palm Springs, and a former bank vault in Detroit. The Swiss version was adapted to withstand heavy snowfall, and was originally part of Elevation 1049: Frequencies, an art festival in Gstaad in February 2019.

Aitkin, 52, studied magazine illustration and now works in photography, print media, sculpture, architecture, film and live performance. His past works include a reflective hot air balloon and gondola in Massachusetts, and an underwater sculpture moored to the ocean floor off of Catalina Island in California.

To get to Mirage, take the short train ride from Gstaad to Schonried, then walk 15 minutes down a small path to the installation, which is open 24 hours a day. Entry is free.

Gstaad Mirage was created by American artist Doug Aitkin. 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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Dutch island of Bonaire serves up spectacular diving, plus a whole lot more

Dutch island of Bonaire serves up spectacular diving, plus a whole lot more

by | Dec 8, 2019 | Blog

I dove with Dive Friends, which operates a shop out of the Marriott Bonaire Dive Resort near the airport. Chris LeBlanc photo

I made six dives during this week’s trip to Bonaire, spotting everything from a 6-foot nurse shark that darted out from a hidey hole in the coral to a trio of big, torpedo-shaped tarpon that used the beam of my light to hunt during a night dive.

But the best find of trip award? That went to the 6-inch longsnout seahorse that clung to a branch of soft coral off the tiny island of Klein Bonaire.

This long snout seahorse was clinging to coral on the ocean floor. Pam LeBlanc photo

We were lucky to see the 6-inch fish (yes, seahorses are fish). They’re hard to spot, and blend into their environment like magicians.

The longsnout is one of 47 species of seahorse, which range in size from a pine nut to a banana. Most mate for life, and although we tried to find our seahorse’s mate on the coral reef, we couldn’t. It was probably watching us search from a few feet away.

This trumpet fish was hiding in sea grass. Pam LeBlanc photo

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Other cool finds? A foot-long scorpion fish in shades of red and brown, that blended perfectly into the background. Three kinds of eels – a green moray, a sharptail eel with handsome yellow spots, and a black and white spotted moray. Several drumstick-shaped puffers, an ocean trigger, queen angels, parrot fish and spotted drums. We found a large lobster during a night dive, lots of lettuce sea slugs, which look like little bunches of ruffles, trunkfish, filefish and blue tangs, too.

This spotted moray was peeking out from a crevice in the coral. Chris LeBlanc photo

The reef, to me, looked healthy, with no signs of coral bleaching or die-offs. Every dive master we met asked us not to use sunscreen, which can damage the reef, and reminded us not to touch any of the coral or marine life. The island’s entire perimeter is a protected marine park, and we each paid $45 for a permit to dive there. Dive shops also organize underwater cleanups several times a year, and restaurants and businesses recycle paper, plastic and glass.

We saw lots of healthy coral and fish during this week’s dives in Bonaire. Pam LeBlanc photo

I stayed at the Marriot Bonaire Dive Resort, just next to the airport, which operates an on-site dive shop through Dive Friends. We did two day-time shore dives, and two different two-tank dives off a boat that took us to the small island of Klein Bonaire.

We snorkeled in the mangroves the last day. Pam LeBlanc photo

Besides diving, we spent some time touring the island with a guide, checking out the salt production facility on the island’s south side, looking at the old slave cabins (a reminder of a dark side of the island’s past). watching windsurfers and kiteboarders, visiting the Cadushy cactus liquor distillery in the center of the island, and admiring the native populations of donkeys (which were brought here to do heavy labor) and flamingos (native.) The last morning, before catching a flight back to Miami, we kayaked through the mangroves and snorkeled with thousands of “upside down jellyfish” with a guide from the Mangrove Information Center.

Pink flamingos are native to Bonaire. Pam LeBlanc photo

Look for my upcoming story in the Austin American-Statesman.

I stayed at the Marriott Bonaire Dive Resort. 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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