Westbound Boarder

I’ve lived in SoCal for two years of my life now, but if you count the 13 years I lived here growing up, that’s 15 years total.  15 winters.  Can you believe I had never been to Mammoth?  Well, a few weeks ago, I decided I was going to change that.

After a particularly long week at work in Seattle, Washington, I decided it was about time to finally head to Mammoth.  It was May, mind you, but reports of continuous fresh pow flooded my ears all spring.  Powder and sun in May?  Um, sold!  My flight home from Seattle landed at LAX around 5:30pm, so I headed home, threw some cloths into a bag, and by 7pm my friend Matty and I were cramped up in his tough (and slightly smelly) Toyota, gear, pillows and sleeping bags sprawled in the back, cruising up the 405 freeway toward Mammoth.

We arrived around midnight (we took an hour-long detour in search of food… we ended up at Panda Express; figures) and stayed in a quaint little pad that must have slept at least 14.  Yeah, the place was tight, but cozy.  We pretty much hit the sack immediately, in preparation for the long day that lay ahead.

Now, I was told that it was pretty cold at Mammoth, so as soon as our alarms went off next morning (ok, well, after hitting the snooze button a few times) I piled on the layers.  Two pairs of pants, three top layers, and two pairs of socks later, I was bundled and ready to hit the slopes… only to find that it was at least 50 degrees F but the time we got up to the hill.  Translation, I could have worn a bikini and made out just fine.

From the main town area, you can either take a tram from the bottom to the hill or drive up.  It’s maybe a 10-minute drive and parking kind of stinks, but if you’re willing to shell out 20 bucks you’re granted premium parking right in the lot (we don’t like exercise, so we opted for that route).  We picked up our tickets (beware - lift tickets will run you a whopping 87 bucks, but rumor has it prices will rise to 92 next year, making Mammoth one of the highest priced mountain resorts in the US) and were finally ready to face the hill and shred some ridiculous spring snow.  And the sun definitely wasn’t stopping the pow from being anything less than amazing.

One of the great things about Mammoth is that there really is something for everyone.  There’s more than 90 acres of free terrain that incorporates a nice mix of beginner and advanced slopes.  There are some fun tree runs, but plenty of bowls and open groomers as well.  We spent the morning shredding the terrain (I’m sure we didn’t even begin to graze the surface of all that was available to us) but the real fun began in the park.

With three pipes and seven parks, Mammoth is continually touted as having one of the best parks in the nation.  And I can definitely see why.  Their park area was pretty sick.  It had a nice mix of jumps and they were very well groomed, but also a good number of mid-sized jumps, just enough to challenge me without completely scaring me off.  There were a few 70 footers, too (and people were actually doing them )  This year toward the end of the season, Mammoth even brought in a landing pad where riders could try new tricks or perfect the old… you know, without dying and such.

My favorite thing about Mammoth, though, is the chill and laid-back vibe this hill resonates, especially in the less-crowded spring season.  Everyone spends their days chilling in the park or hanging on the benches outside with a drink in hand before they start round two.  Out of any resort I’ve been to, Mammoth is hands down the most fun, whether you’re riding or not.  And the nightlife ain’t too shabby, either.

Insider Tip: Given its close proximity to what is commonly referred to as the mecca of action sports (ahem, LA) there is always something going down at Mammoth.  Before you plan your trip out though, be sure to check the events calendar on the Mammoth website before solidifying your trip dates. The best weekends to go are the weekends when there’s something big going down - the Roxy Chicken Jam or the West Coast Invitational, for instance.  And there’s always a pro or two to be spotted - especially when you go during a big event weekend.  I saw US Olympic rider Greg Bretz and Tyler Flanagan in the park line several times, for instance, and I bumped into Elena Hight at lunch.

With more than 45 feet of snow falling throughout the 2009/10 season, Mammoth Mountain is currently slated to stay open through the Fourth of July weekend.  So if you’re still looking to satisfy your snowboard fix, you still have a whole month to make it up!

If I were to sum up Mammoth in three words or less, it might sound a little something like this - Great snow, killer parks, and awesome local vibe (Okay, so that may be a few words over three, but you get the idea…)  All in all, Mammoth is a mountain worth going for.

Just when we thought that we had seen it all in the Vail Village we were introduced to the Steve Meyer show this year, and thank goodness we were! It takes place at ‘The Club’ (as we mentioned in our Vail review last year, this bar is on Bridge Street and is our favorite bar in the village and worry not because this place is the farthest thing from a ‘club’- rather a club mockery) and if you are lucky enough to be in the Vail Village on a Wednesday or Saturday night during the winter season you can witness the insanity that is Steve Meyer.

Before I start though I should admit that I don’t traditionally care for comedy shows and am easily bored by them. So I really was not especially excited about attending the Steve Meyer ‘Comedy Show’ as I had my opinion about what a comedy show is and what it was going to be like. The Steve Meyer Show doesn’t feel like a comedy show per se- rather a gathering of friends shooting the s#it - it is intimate and personal and such a great time.

"The Good Times Man"

With all of that said, I am not exactly sure if words can do the ‘good times man’ justice. Steve Meyer is an experienced musician who has turned his plethora of original songs and cover pieces into a 2.5 hour comedy show.  He picks his own victims out of the crowd and spares no one in the process. If you are a women with perky ‘tickets’ or a man in a fedora, consider yourself fresh meat and expect to be incorporated into the show. Don’t fret about it though - Steve will break the ice by challenging you to a drink race (you take the tequila and Steve will chug the beer and somehow he finishes first, this guy is not only a professional musician…). He finds the rowdy ones and invites them on the stage, he finds the rich ones and has them buy the bar a round and he finds the ones hiding behind their friends and challenges them to a shot on stage.

Andrea and I with "Big Tickets" lady

If the excessive drinking is not enough for you, well, then good…because his jokes are vulgar, offensive, inappropriate and all around hilarious. He is nonstop action between the shots (which he shares), the spotlight he puts you under (literally) and the mockery he makes out of each person in the audience. The Steve Meyer show really is such a good time, do not go all the way to Vail, CO without fitting him in. I promise you, you will NOT regret it (although maybe your pride will - see for your self check out our full album on flickr).

Andrea taking shots with Steve

Shots with a stranger, thanks to Steve

There is good reason that the Beaver Creek Resort in Avon, CO boasts, “Not Exactly Roughing It” as their slogan. From a quaint and exciting village, to world renowned skiing/snowboarding, Beaver Creek offers something for everyone, which is why Andrea , Rochelle and I had such an awesome time during our latest visit to the Rockies. We ventured to Denver, drove out to Avon and were able to shred Vail, Beaver Creek and we even made our way over to Breckenridge.  So I am just going to cut to the chase here and start out by telling you all how great the shredding is at Beaver Creek (then I’ll tell you how to get there, where to stay and what the must do’s are in the Beaver Creek Village).

We all make our way to the Rocky Mountains for one reason and one reason only. To shred like we never have before! And at Beaver Creek you will have no problem doing so. Let me disclaim my Beaver Creek experience here by letting you all know that the snow conditions we experienced were rare and less than desirable. No new snow in the previous week and a measly base of 30-40 inches didn’t give us the best surface conditions (which is an understatement).  However we were just stoked to experience the new mountains and weren’t too concerned.

If I could describe Beaver Creek in one word it would be STEEP! When we arrived to the base of the hill we hoped on the Chair Six, the Centennial Express, and we were on our way. We were all instantly impressed by the grade of the runs. Everywhere we looked we saw steep, steep trails and we could not wait to get our day started.

We spent the first half of our day on lifts 9, 10 and 11 where we were on a mission to find whatever soft packed snow we could, as it was a rarity this trip. Despite the poor snow conditions, we were able to do just that on the tree runs off of Lift 11, which was a blast. The bowls were steep, the trees had some powder stashes and to top it off, it was empty so we had the mountain all to ourselves! Our next stop on this side of the mountain was the Birds of Prey lift, which is a must see if you are visiting Beaver Creek. The run is ridiculously STEEP and in 1999 it was home to the World Alpine Ski Championships (do you finally believe that this resort is steep?!) We cruised over to this run and were in awe of what we were looking down at (and how we were at the edge of the world about to fall off!!) We could not believe it when we heard that this race course is actually doused with water before races to make it slicker and icier so racers can achieve maximum speed. Talk about a death trap. Either way, a must see and a must ride when touring Beaver Creek. We had a great, albeit out of control, run down this race course, and I highly recommend it  J.

After a couple of hours of searching for the powder, and finding the steepest runs on the hill, we decided it was time to find and conquer the terrain parks. We found the smaller terrain park, Park 101, underneath Chair 8, Cinch Express, and we had a great time goofing off there. With wide based box rails and smaller jumps (perfect for practicing your latest feat on, whether it be straight airs, 1’s or 3’s…), these jumps were great for hucking as the lips were small, which means you were never falling very far if you didn’t land! We also made it over to Lumber Yard and the Zoom Room, both which offered diverse and interesting features (tires, tree logs etc…) and was a lot of fun. Insider Tip: Looking for something else out of a terrain park? Well, with Beaver Creek’s 5 terrain parks (including the pipe), you are bound to find what you are looking for.  Take a look at the Beaver Creek Extreme Terrain interactive website where the Beaver Creek Progressive park system is detailed so you can map your route before you ride so you can really get yourself comfortable and pumped up for your day!

We took a lunch at the top of Chair Six and were loving life. We easily found a few lounge chairs and ate our lunch as we basked in the sun. I highly recommend a mid-afternoon break as you take in the view.

There was the entire Rose Bowl side of the mountain that we didn’t have time to ride, however, what we did see of Beaver Creek was very impressive. I look forward to going back again when there is more snow as the steepness of the resort would be absolutely epic on a powder day (which typically, the area is well-known for!!) Insider Tip: To top off a perfect day at Beaver Creek, try to make it down to the Base of Chair 6, Centennial Chair lift, by 3pm for free, hot and fresh chocolate chip cookies!

Our Beaver Creek adventure did not end on the slopes - we received a private tour of the village (from our best friend and Avon, CO local) and he suggested a few hot spots as far as the night life in Beaver Creek is concerned. After a long day riding he suggested a few chill destinations that we really enjoyed. The Coyote Café and the Dusty Boot are two hotspots that are snowboarder friendly too. At the Café enjoy a large and strong margarita or pick up a dollar PBR at the Dusty Boot (if you time their specials right). Either way, you can’t go wrong, as smack in the middle of these bars is Blue Moose Pizza Restaurant (which is a popular destination in the Vail Village as well).

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So now that you know where to ride and dine, I am going to back up now. If you are not staying in the Beaver Creek village you can get there a number of ways. (1) Hope on the local city bus (ECO Transit) from wherever you are staying along I-70 (near Vail and Beaver Creek) it is an easy $4 bucks each way and it stops right in front of the Beaver Creek parking lot for easy access to their free shuttle.  (2) Depending on where you are staying there is a Beaver Creek complimentary door-to-door shuttle - call village transportation at 970.949.1938 to see if they service your hotel. (3) Pay for parking in the lot at the base of Beaver Creek and take the free shuttle all the way to the top.

With so many close resorts in the Vail Village vicinity, if you are planning a trip to Beaver Creek, I would check the conditions first.  With fresh powder, this resort would be magnificent!  However, if the resort hasn’t seen snow in a few days/weeks, I would opt for another resort in the area, such as Vail or Breck, which both contain better terrain to ride on days where the snow is not there.

Last week, Danielle, Rochelle and I all took an epic trip to Vail, our second annual snowboard trip to Colorado.  But this year, instead of spending the entire time riding Vail, we decided to try something new and shred at several different resorts.  Enter, Breckenridge.

Ever since last year’s Winter Dew Tour, I’ve been dying to ride at Breckenridge, CO.  Several of the biggest names in snowboarding call Breck their part-time home - Shaun White, Chanelle Sladics, JJ Thomas and Bobby Brown, just to name a few.  And the park and super pipe consistently top Transworld’s best list.  The combination of the high elevation, expansive free terrain and variety of terrain parks makes Breckenridge a top-notch resort in my book.  Oh, and parking was free for parties over four the day we went - love that they promote carpooling! (Normally, it’s $5 weekdays and $10 weekends, which is still pretty inexpensive in comparison to Vail).

This would be the medium park

When we arrived to Breckenridge, we thought we might as well start out the day right with a run through the park.  Looking at the trail map, we noticed there were three different types of parks - small, medium, and large.  We decided to settle for the in between and hit the medium park (also because it was the most convenient from where we started out, Peak 7).  Well, apparently the folks at Breckenridge do not quite go by the standard definition of “medium” we had envisioned … Compared to what we’re used to riding at Hood and High/Bear, this “medium” park was HUGE!  After staring awe struck for a moment at the top, glancing down at the tables below, we decided to bypass the park (this time around) and sit on the side, watching some of the local riders pass through.  Well, nearly thirty minutes later, our jaws were open just as wide as they were when we first sat down.  We had never seen so many amazing free skiiers and snowboarders all in the same place!  We sat and watched 720 after 720 whiz by, and then quickly came to the conclusion that everyone who rides at Breck is pro … or all pros ride at Breck.  Either way, it was really cool just watching all the talent built up at the mountain throughout the day.

Come on dude, really?!

After watching the pros in the park, we rode through the pipe for a while (not the smoothest pipe I’ve ever  been in, but I definitely blame it on the conditions - it hadn’t snowed in days - and not the resort itself).  The 18 foot walls were super fun, and the pipe was nicely cut.  One of the things I really liked about Breck was their “progressive” park system.  Their parks are set up in steps, or difficulty levels, so riders can start from the small parks when they’re first learning to jump and work their way up.  There are three small terrain parks and one small pipe, one medium park, and one large park and super pipe.  So riders who start  riding at Breck can go through the park system and take it up a step when they’re ready.  And since I am a person who grew up learning to ride a baby park, then immediately transitioning to a large, comp-style park, I can definitely appreciate this style of “at-your-own-pace” learning.  Also, Breckenridge has a really neat Web site called Breck 1080, where you can actually preview the features, meet the team riders, and watch videos before you head up to the slopes.  But park riding definitely isn’t all there is to Breck, unlike some jib-heavy resorts.  There’s tons of free terrain to ride as well, and several bowls and fun tree runs, really making Breckenridge a well-rounded resort.

Lunch!

Now, Breckenridge boasts a lift with the highest elevation in North America.  It’s called the Imperial Express Super Chair (at the top of Peak Eight) and it sits at a record elevation of 12,840 feet.  To put that in perspective, the highest point reached by a chair lift at Mt. Hood Meadows is 7,300 feet, and the top of Palmer at Timberline, one of the few resorts open for skiing year-round, is 8550 feet.  That’s kind of a big difference.  Even though the dismal Colorado snowfall (or lack thereof) during our stay made for some pretty icy runs near the peak, we finally decided that we couldn’t not take at least one run down.  So after lunch, we headed up the 6 Chair to make it over to Imperial before it closed for the day.  We had to rush because the lift stops operating at 3:15.  We made it over to Imperial by 3:02, but of course with our luck the lift had just closed at 3pm, early due to conditions.  Bummer.  But then again, we now have an excuse to go back to Breck next year!  Insider Tip: If you get a chance to make it to Breckenridge, especially on a powder day, I’d recommend starting out your day on the Imperial Lift before the bowls get chopped out.  And before the lift closes.

After our journey to find the top (which we didn’t) we made our way over to Peaks 9 and 10, the final side of the hill we had yet to experience.  And we finally found the small terrain parks!  The small parks were a lot of fun to ride.  We particularly liked Eldorado, because the jumps had a lot of pop and a nice, solid landing.  The perfect way to end our day.

The lifts at Breckenridge are open 8:30am to 4:30pm, with the gondola operating 8am to 5pm, but one of the cool things about Breck is that if you think that 8 hours on the hill isn’t enough (???) then you can head straight to Keystone, which is one of the only resorts in the area open for night skiing (your ticket is good for both resorts).

Overall, I really enjoyed riding at Breck, and I think it is one of my favorite places I’ve ridden at so far due to the vast versatility of park and free-ski options.  I was really surprised at how big Breckenridge is.  Though it’s only half the size of Vail, it really didn’t seem like it, and we definitely didn’t cover as much ground as we would have liked to in just one day.  We had also heard that Breck was a lot less steep than Vail (our skiier friend, Kevin, said Breck isn’t his favorite for this reason), which is true to some extent, but there are definitely a fair share of steep runs as well, especially if you hit the back bowls above peaks 8 and 7.  Personally, I’m not a huge fan of super steep runs because I like straight-lining it the whole way down, so I thought Breck was perfect, especially since there wasn’t much powder or fresh snow when we rode.  Insider Tip: If you head out to the Vail area during icy conditions and are able to add some flexibility to your resort riding plan, I’d recommend riding Breck over Vail or any of the other resorts, namely because there are more options to ride less iced-out runs than the other nearby resorts.

Also, if you can swing it, I’d recommend staying in Breck for a night or two, at the very least.  Unfortunately, we didn’t get the opportunity this year, as we had prior arrangements in Eagle-Vail, but the town of Breckenridge is so adorable, I wish we could have stayed and checked out the nightlife!  Unlike Vail, which is a bit more family-oriented, IMHO, Breck tends to attract a younger crowd, likely due to its stellar reputation within the snowboard community and younger audiences.

Now, I had always thought that Breckenridge (or any Colorado resort, for that matter) was purely a winter resort with not much to do in the summer other than dream of the first snowfall of the following year.  However, in talking with a few Breckenridge locals, I learned that this is not the case.  Not at all.  Breckenridge boasts more than 100 miles of bike trails (yes, I say “more than” because they stopped counting after they reached 100), the Peak 8 Fun Park, which features everything from Alpine slides to Colorado’s largest human maze.  Also, we hear the vibe is a lot more chill and laid-back in the summer, so this might be a good option for a relaxing, laid-back summer vaca.  Like the saying goes, “Perfect Mountain, Perfect Mountain Town.”  I’ll add “year round” to that one.