Afternoon at Black Mountain Lodge

Today was a great afternoon for a wedding at Black Mountain Lodge. The group dodged a couple of showers and was able to experience some extraordinary afternoon light. A memorable day for all involved.

Fog and Drizzle

Some people think I am nuts, but I love this weather. The fog and clouds are always on the move. They have a different look every few minutes. The streams are high. The brush is green. The tippy tops of the peaks are white. Altogher, very dramatic. Days like this help make those spectacular bluebird days with bright flowers or deep snow.

Snow

It isn't much and it will be gone by morning, but that is the first white stuff of the season.

Rainy Fall Day

This morning heralds in a cool (45 F), rainy fall day. I know we still have a lot of very nice days to go, but this is another sign. The other key sign is the amount of media coverage the Broncos are getting these days. Check out my new friend from SNIAGRAB. Fall has arrived at The Basin.

Summit Daily News - "Best Of"

It is always fun to read the annual Summit Daily News "Best Of Summit County" publication. Kay brought it home today. We ranked as the 3rd Best Skiing Mountain (I might argue that a little differently). As no surprise to me though, we were voted Best Après Ski in the county. For those of you that have spent an afternoon on the deck, in The 6th Alley, or at a Moonlight Dinner know what this recognition is all about. It is a great unpretentious place to be with friends, sharing a few laughs, reminiscing about the day (or days past), and dreaming of days to come. We also won the award for Best Bloody Mary. Who would have thought bacon would be popular in a Bloody Mary? Thanks to the Summit Daily News and all of our friends for this honor.

For Bargain Hunters Only

OK, a little shameless advertising. There are some great deals to be had at SNIAGRAB in Denver through Monday.

The Bonus Pass is $369. Beginning Saturday, September 10, that price goes up to $389. These passes can be purchased at the show or at www.arapahoebasin.com.

We offer a 4-pack special at several Fall Front Range ski shows. That deal is four transferrable tickets for $129. That price is good only through Monday, September, 5. After Monday, the price goes up to $139. For a listing of ski shows where the 4-pack special is available go to www.arapahoebasin.com/events.

At SNIAGRAB only, there are also great discounts for the Snowsports School and Kid's Club Arapahoe.

Sorry for the sales pitch. Just thought some of you bargain hunters would be interested.

Great Afternoon on the Hill

Had to check on a few things at the Summit this afternoon. On the way up, I wandered around the new hiking/biking trail in TB Glades. The Trail Crew is doing a great job finishing that project up. Passing old Mid-Lenawee I spotted 10 goats in the cliffs at the top of the 4th Humbug Chute. Despite being September, I was surprised at how many flowers are still in bloom. As always, the view from the Summit was spectacular. After milling around the top for a few hours I headed down. Just below the Upper East Wall gate those same 10 goats were standing right in the middle of the road. Seriously cool animals

The Jump Family

A couple of weeks ago I had three very special visitors. Pat and Mike Jump and Mike's wife, Sloan stopped by for the afternoon. Pat and Mike's parents are Marnie (Marjorie) and Larry Jump. They had been in Summit and Eagle County attending their Mother's memorial service in Vail. Larry was the original president of Arapahoe Basin, Inc. A position he held from 1946 to 1972. He and his wife, Marnie, were the captains of this ship for many, many years.

We had a wonderful time talking and shooting the breeze about the place. We walked through the A-Frame looking at the historic photos. Mike shared the names of many people in the pictures. I could tell he was re-kindling a lot of great memories. After that we drove up the hill checking out Black Mountain Lodge, Snow Plume Refuge, and Montezuma Bowl.

We talked about Marjorie Bowl being named after their Mom. Mike told the best story about the Hummer, a shot in the trees between Towers 7 and 8 Pali. He and a few other guys were cutting the trees for the new trail. His Dad, Larry, was always humming. As they were working away, Larry walked up to them humming away. The Hummer was born.

We had a great visit and it was a very special day for me.