Day 2, The Fight, Day 3

"...this is a winter storm warning for the Front Range up through the High Country, expect blizzard like conditions..."

"Really? October...Really? No. I'm dreaming"

We packed up and started driving to Berthoud around 7:45. Late by resort standards but hey, it's October, nobody is skiing yet right? It was apparent within 5 minutes of driving this would be no standard drive. Five inches of wet heavy snow had fallen in the Boulder area and road crews were slow to do much about it. The drive down highway 93 was dicey at best, most any rear wheel car was off the road.

We powered our way to I-70, skirted our first road block by stating we lived in Genesee, a highway accessed subdivision. What we didn't know is they had closed the highway just 10 miles up the road.

Getting off the highway, we realized it was still pretty early, and being 12-20" had fallen in the foothills, we were far from saying die. We figured out a ninja route to Idaho Springs up and over Squaw Pass.

Suddenly we were emmersed in a winter wonder land. 30+" everywhere. We would have just skiied it had it not been so heavily treed. We drove up the pass hoping to at least make it to Echo Mountain Lake at the summit but unfortunutly the plows ran short, quitting about 2/3s up the pass.

After digging out some stranded vehicles, we still knew we had a chance. After all, we'd committed quite some amount of time to this adventure. We went back to 70, this time, no cop...but no cars on the road either. Weird.

We jumped on the highway, which may or may not have still been closed for a lonely eiree drive up 70 to Berthoud Pass.

We got there pretty quickly, picking up some fellow skiers about 1/2 way up the pass. When we arrived at the top state patrol was ticketing and towing cars illegally parked. Which was funny because there was no alternative parking as C-DOT forgot to plow the main parking lot. He offered up his .02 cents, telling us it would be a 40 dollar ticket and the first to be towed if we park up there....Really?

7 hours of adventuring to be ended up Mr. State Patroller? No. We're going to the Jane. We parked in Corona Lot at Mary Jane about 2 PM. Thinking big things, we decided to skin the cat track around to sunny side and then up to the summit from there. From the start it was clear there was more snow than we ever though possible in October. Maybe 3-4 FEET. 4PM came quick, and the verticle did not. Although we can claim first turns at the Jane this year, they weren't much to brag about...and we never did summit.

Friday was a whole new ballgame. On the way back to Boulder on Friday we noted the weather was getting progressivly warmer. Thinking the snow quality would not hold, we reluctently headed up for another try Friday morning.

We were rewarded. Not only the best turns of October but some of the best we've ever had. 2-3 feet deep and in the trees. October? I guess. Freakish. Very.