Snowmass Trip
February 3-10, 2018

46 members of the Jacksonville Ski Club traveled to Snowmass Colorado for the 2018 season ski trip.  We flew on Southwest Airlines which was a direct flight into Denver. A private coach bus then picked us up, upon arriving to a bright sunny day in Denver. We stopped at Applejacks & King Soopers on our way to the resort. We made it safely to the village of Snowmass in about 4 hours. We got dropped off at the Leaf Building at Top Of the Village condos. Most members stayed in this building as others were in the Slope Building or Summit Building, at the very top. The check in process went very efficient and quick, as the TOV staff handled our luggage and took them to each of our condos. 

The Top of the Village resort are all ski-in & ski-out condos. Some of us had a ground floor, as others were on 2nd & 3rd floors with gorgeous views of the mountains and slopes. Each 2 or 3 bedroom condo, had a balcony or patio, at the ground floor. There was also a large living room area, dining room, FULL size kitchen, nice size foyers with cubbies for our skis, poles, and other ski equipment. All of the members were pleased with the floorplan layout, decor as well as the size of the condos.

After getting settled in our rooms, we took a shuttle and headed over to Gene Taylor's Ski Shop located at the base of Snowmass Village. The owner, Duke & Julie, who also worked there, were very accommodating in helping us select the rental equipment. We then brought our ski equipment back to our condos.
Afterwards, we were invited to a "Welcome Reception" party at the Gatehouse at the TOV. This was a great opportunity for all to get to know each other alittle bit more. They provided us with cheese and crackers, and some drinks. At this time, Corky & I were able to hand out all the lift tickets to everyone. It gave a chance for the current members to get acquainted with some of the new members. Once we were done, we all settled back in our condos.

Sunday....we woke up to a nice sunny warm day. Some of us met at the bottom of the lift at 9 am to get in the 1st run.  The temperature got up to about 40 degrees. Most of the slopes were groomed, but since there was a lack of fresh snow, we had to watch out for some twigs/rocks. Once we got familiar with the mountain, we were able to manage our way around the bare spots. After skiing, we headed back to our condos to prepare to watch the Superbowl. 2 of the condos decided to host a SB party. I had ordered pizza & philly cheesesteak sandwiches for both condos to enjoy while watching the game. We all had a great time, especially with an Eagle's 1st SB win.

Monday...we were back on the slopes at Snowmass. It was another nice sunny day, with some clouds rolling in towards the end of the day.  Once we returned from skiing, some of us decided to meet up at the hot tub to relax. Some people ventured into the sauna afterwards as well. That night, everyone was on their own for dinner. Some of us went to the village mall area to the local hang out, Zane's Tavern. Others ate at other establishments within the village, while some cooked dinner and stayed in their condos.

Tuesday...or as we call it...."Tu-Tu" Tuesday :)  This day was an ALL SNOW DAY.....about 7" total. We all got on the slopes dressed up in our colorful Tu-Tu's, crazy t-shirts, and/or anything that made us stand out in the crowd. It certainly brought a lot of attention on the slopes. We all met up at "Elk Camp" restaurant on the top of the mountain for lunch. Right after we took a group picture, then went back out on the slopes. 
After a fun day of skiing, most of us took a bus into Aspen for a "Pub Crawl". As we arrived, all the streets and trees were full of lights. We encountered 4 different hotspots that night. 1st starting at the Limelight Hotel, where most ate dinner and enjoyed some drinks. 2nd stop was Hotel Jerome, at the J-Bar. This was an older hotel with vintage decor. Some of us ventured into a Ice Hut with cozy long white warm jackets to sample some vodka. Then the 3rd location was the Red Onion, the oldest bar in Aspen. Some people also ate here and we enjoyed more drinks. Lastly, we ended up at stop 4, Eric's Bar. This was a lounge area in which was a nice relaxing atmosphere where we played shuffleboard to end the night. 

Wednesday....Most were back on the slopes after a day of fresh powder. This helped out with some of the bare spots on the mountain. Some people took the day OFF from skiing. My group took a bus into Aspen for a day of strolling around/shopping the town and had lunch. Others skied at Aspen or Aspen Highlands. This is a smaller mountain located by Aspen. 
Later, we all headed to the village mall area and enjoyed our group dinner at Venga Venga, Mexican Cantina restaurant.

Thursday...Another day out on the slopes and most skied at Snowmass. It was another warm sunny day. Afterwards, some people went to the hot tub again to relax. That night we had a catered group dinner in the Gatehouse at Top of the Village. We had ordered food from Hickory House BBQ from Aspen. There was plenty of food including chicken, pulled pork, ribs, beans, potatoes au gratin, as well as desserts...delicious rice crispy treats & cookies. We even had 5 February birthdays, in which we surprised them all with a chocolate cake. 

Friday...Our last day! Most of us skied that day while others ventured out and went snowmobiling to see Maroon Bells up close. And a few others took the bus to Aspen to enjoy a day of walking around the town. Afterwards, most of us had to drop our rental equipment off at Gene Taylor's ski shop in the village. Some people relaxed that night, while others ventured into the village mall for one last outing...either grabbing a bite to eat, a drink or playing pool & shuffleboard. What a great way to end the week!

Saturday....Our bus left the TOV at 8 am. It was a snowy morning as we were driving back out to Denver. With a little bit of traffic & all the snow, we managed to make it safe to the airport in alittle over 5 hours. Then we had a direct flight back from Denver to Jacksonville and arrived at 9 pm.

Overall, even though there was a lack of snow during the week, there definitely wasn't a lack of fun with this large group. With only 1 day of fresh snow, the skiing wasn't bad at all. It was a pleasure to be leading this trip with Corky. We all made a lot of new friends and shared many unforgettable memories that will last a lifetime :)

Trip leaders,
Ana Yazdan & Corky Kegebein