7 hours driving for 3 hours of skiing

This morning, Amy and I sent Andrew to Grandma's house so we could enjoy a day of skiing. (Thanks, Mom!) We were on I-70 by 7 am, but the icy roads from yesterday's snow storm made it slow going. It took 2 and a half hours to get to Mary Jane - a drive that usually takes less than 90 minutes. We hit the slopes at about 9:00 am, and enjoyed some great powder. The snow underneath the new Eagle Wind lift, on the back side of Parsenn bowl, was great. While waiting to get on the lift, I overheard a guy say that Berthoud Pass -- our route back home -- was closed due to an avalanche. We stopped at my trusty 12-year old 4-Runner for lunch, and confirmed the news on the radio. A huge slide took out 2 cars and closed the pass, probably for the rest of the day. We were fortunate - we drove through the same spot 90 minutes before the slide. Check here for some photos.

That led to a 4-hour drive home, through Kremmling and Silverthorne. Not our best day ever in the mountains.