Wednesday, November 11, 2015

Ricky of Breckenridge




Pulled my car over to call in some wine orders…and spotted this guy & his fat buddy.  A decidedly entertaining duo involved in a high stakes & mischievous plot.  I highly recommend their show.  Catch it if you can. Intermittent appearances @ the corner of French & Washington.   

Sunday, April 5, 2015

Sunday, January 25, 2015

The t-bar @ Breckenridge


 
 
The t-bar at Breck goes up to @ 12,000ft but that has nothing to do with the difficulty. Even after riding the t-bar for 20 years…it is bit of a challenge and a scene (everyone is cool or trying to look cool in the t-bar line). This is not a beginner’s lift and terrain off the t-bar is all expert terrain…granted there are easier routes down than Lulu & Contest Bowl).  Depending on who you ride with it can be a challenge for the most seasoned rider.  Guys look toward the outside and you have to implore “inside…inside!“…and then the bar comes quickly between you…and you are just happy to have avoided catastrophe at the start.  Only major geeks try to sit down…but that is the least of your problems.  A lot of times guys will brace against you, pushing their ski into your ski (at which point I just lift my ski up), but the encroachment can be even more subtle…the tail of their ski crossing over on to yours and effectively tripping you. On such rides I am uber-aware, because falling off the t-bar is not an option in my mind. If they fall…fine, but I am not going down with them. 

I know that snowboarders have a tougher time managing the t-bar than skiers. I know this not because I am a snowboarder, but because I ride the t-bar a lot and the ratio of snowboarders falling off the t to skiers is like 100k to 1. Generally they ride alone or with eachother. Snowboarders that can truly navigate the t-bar are rockstars in my book. There are some great snowboarders out there, and they have no problem with the t-bar. God bless them, and I prefer riding up the t with them than any bad skier pushing his weight, boots and skis at me…and let me tell you there are a lot of bad skiers attempting the t-bar.  They will tell you they are from Boulder, but really it doesn’t matter.  Sometimes skiers from Houston are better skiers than the ones from Boulder or Breckenridge. They have grown up coming to Breck as kids and now they are seasoned veterans on the t-bar.  It’s the ones who have the ego but no sense of balance that are the problems up there.  (I say “up there” because it is “up there” in the wind, in the elements at 12,000ft on a mountain in the winter.)

On any given day the longtime locals are in the t-bar line, and you can spot them miles away with their stance, confidence and ease at getting on the t-bar. There are quite a few of them in Breckenridge…the guys and girls who have skied here for 10-20-30 years, and this is the lift they ride. They are the ones who will heckle the ones who fall off the t-bar the loudest (because honestly you have no business being up there unless you can really ski or ride).  ”Back of the line” is what you never want to hear.  It means you have fallen off the lift and you need to gather your gear and yourself and wait in the long line again and re-attempt it…if you are recomposed and so inclined.  I’ve seen it happen 500 times, it isn’t pretty. So I was naturally hesitant when my husband said to our 7 year old: ”Ok Finn are you ready to ride the t-bar?” “Game on” our little guy effectively said.  And…he did just fine.