by Greetings friends! I hope this post finds you doing well. Because I definitely have the summertime blues, I wanted to do a recap of my season and share some of the highlights. People ask me all the time what a typical season is like for me. There is no typical season. Each season brings its own people, snowfall, highs and lows. There are many pieces that make up a great season. But, like always, the combination of great people and amazing snow conditions make for a great day on any mountain!
I started my season on November 12, 2018, at Breckenridge and officially ended the season on June 2, 2019. Let’s start from the beginning…Breckenridge
I was already having fears of losing out (FOLO). Early season snowfalls pushed up opening days across Colorado. I missed early outings in late October and the first week of November. Then my season opened. It’s always hard to remember what it was all like at the time. I do have a pretty good sense though – from all the pics I took.
Here’s a pictorial look back on my 2018/2019 Winter of Love #4 in the mountains.
Nov – 12 Breck Nov – 13 Breck Nov – 14 Breck Nov -15 Breck
Met Mark Gerardy when he walked into Pioneer Crossing. Knew him from his helmet the moment he walked in the door.
Dec – 2 Breck Dec – 3 Keystone Dec – 4 Vail
The Trifecta!
So far this had all been pretty much early season conditions – And then Vail proved to be an awesome early season powder day. Great early season on the back bowls! The terrain this year in many place had already opened and was opening earlier than in many years past.
Dec – 7 Snowmass Dec – 8 AJAX
My quick rendezvous with Mountain Girl!
This was a great quick get-a-way. Stayed in downtown Aspen which is always a fun treat.
Jan – 6 Mammoth Jan – 7 Mammoth Jan – 8 Mammoth Jan – 9 June Mtn Jan – 10 Mammoth
New terrain for me!
The snow was dumping on this run. 5-6 feet fell in the week. Amazing first experience at Mammoth! It was a great week up in the Eastern Sierras with my buddy, Todd. He was a great host and knows the lay of the land very well. I learned a whole bunch about the area/terrain on that trip.
Jan – 11 Alpine Meadows Jan – 12 Heavenly Jan – 13 Northstar Jan – 14 Kirkwoods Jan – 15 Heavenly Jan – 16 Northstar
The Annual Reno Ski was a blast! Small crew but good time!. This trip has been going on for the last 25 years, with the last 12 trips being based in Reno. It’s always a privilege to ski with you boys!
Jan – 20 Beaver Creek Jan – 21 Beaver Creek Jan – 22 Beaver Creek Jan – 23 Beaver Creek Jan – 24 Beaver Creek Jan – 25 Beaver Creek Jan – 26 Beaver Creek Jan – 27 Beaver Creek
Back to my home base!
l 
This was a crazy run. My friend, Kenny, and his son, Connor, were in town and they hosted me for a few days. We got Connor on skis for the first time! By day two he was shredding – it was really great to watch! Friends started coming in off of the holiday weekend and it was just one big ski party culminated by the Scott Simmons Ski Memorial on the last weekend of Jan. By Friday the 25th the group was large.
Feb – 3 Beaver Creek & Hanging Lake Hike Feb – 5 Beaver Creek Feb – 6 Beaver Creek Feb – 7 Beaver Creek Feb – 8 Beaver Creek Feb – 9 Beaver Creek Feb – 10 Vail
Took a great winter hike with a marine! Congrats, Justin – we are always rooting for you! Then started another fun week with another two dozen friends who made the trip from FL & CA. This group, they like their apre!
Feb 11 Beaver Creek Feb 14 Beaver Creek Feb 15 Beaver Creek
Ken, Karren, Mark Gerardy and my cousin Ian all hit the slopes one day to ski our hearst out! Conditions we very good during this run. Trees and chutes were all accessible.
Feb – 16 Crested Butte Feb – 17 Crested Butte
Another first!
Amazing snow conditions! Was able to find untracked pow and ridiculously good hike-to terrain. Great first trip to this mountain and Gunnison with the Goldstein brothers!
Feb – 19 Beaver Creek Feb – 20 Breck Feb – 21 Beaver Creek
My revolving door of friends/family kept on moving – My buddy, Dave, and his daughter, Alexa, were in town for the week. Had a chance to ski with them as well as my friend, Paul, and his brother, Allen.
Feb – 23 Beaver Creek Feb – 24 Beaver Creek
Had the chance to share a lift with Bonnie and her friend. The snow was still falling. Nearly everything, everywhere was open.
Feb – 28 Beaver Creek March – 1 Beaver Creek March – 2 Beaver Creek March – 3 Beaver Creek March – 4 Beaver Creek
Feb 28-March 4, 2019 – I hosted the 12th Annual Thrill of the Mountain Ski Shindig held @ Beaver Creek. What a wild time! Another group that likes their apre!
March – 5 Jackson Hole March – 6 Jackson Hole March – 7 Jackson Hole
Mountain Girl and I had an adventure in Jackson, WY. I am still believing my wallet will appear one day in my mail box and that Mountain Girl will indeed, ski off the tram!
March – 13 Beaver Creek
Back at it after a few days of R&R (had to re-cooperate from “the Hole.”
March – 14 Breckenridge March – 15 Beaver Creek March – 16 Beaver Creek
March – 17 Breckenridge March – 18 Breckenridge March – 19 Breckenridge March – 20 Breckenridge March – 21 Breckenridge March – 22 Breckenridge
March 17-22, 2019, brought a quasi “cousins club” family reunion on the slopes. Having had the opportunity to ski with my cousin Mary Ann was something that had been in the making for many years. Was an awesome week surrounded by family and friends! Hope to do it again this upcoming season (HINT HINT)!
It was at the end of this run that I quickly began to realize that my season was coming to an end. The temperature continued to rise and the melt was in full force at this time. I pressed on for a bit more…
March – 27 Loveland
Another first! I’m skiing Loveland, a resort I have passed countless times and even taken pictures of all while traveling to Summit and Eagle counties. Fun day with my buddy Jay.
March – 29 Beaver Creek
Old man winter not wanting to give up! The Ptarmigans are confused as to when I was gonna call it a season. As it was looking like this down in Eagle (yep, looks like hiking time to me!)…
It was really dry down in the valley. But the junior nationals were going on at Copper Mountain. There was still more snow, so I could not call it quits yet!
March – 31 Copper April – 1 Copper April – 2 Copper
This was great above tree line towards the end of my season. Real nice hike to in bounds stuff (for those of you that like hikes, anyway).
Go Bucs. The season was close to being done but I still had a few days left in the tank…
April – 3 Monarch
Caught a nice April storm on the continental divide. Still had about a week or so in my head to ski before I got out of dodge.
April – 4 Beaver Creek April – 5 Aspen Highlands April – 6 AJAX April – 7 Aspen Buttermilk
Great few days up in Aspen with my buddy Frank – always a good time with you, man. Late season hike to Highlands bowl. Buttermilk closing day was bacon loads of fun. Bacon day for close (for those of you that like bacon, this is the day for you to ski!). It was at this point that I was feeling complete – Like my season had run its course and it was now time to pack up and head home. I left Colorado for Florida on April 11, in the middle of a mid-April snow storm. A complete dump. What was I thinking? But I was done; physically and mentally. It was time to go home.
Two weeks back home and the longing for the mountains come back. Not one to give up easy, I repacked for a May rondezvous in the mountains. Actually, I had barely unpacked, so not much to do to get ready.
May – 1 Breckenridge May – 2 Breckenridge May – 3 A-Basin
Another great outing at Breck and A-Basin. It was now spring, but I was still checking boxes off my season’s to-do ski list. And my buddy, Bill, from Colorado Ski fun was still at it to. And of course, my cousin, Kyle, was still showing me lines we could check off the list. After Breck and a sunrise skin up A-Basin, my season felt so very complete. I was never counting days but I now really felt like it was a season. And just like that I was back in FL.
I thought my season was complete but the cravings don’t go away easy! I went for a 3-day jaunt at the end of May and beginning of June to get my fill of that last little bit of the ski season.
June – 2 Breckenridge
Two of the days were spent back-country skinning and I have not counted any non-resort skins or hikes in this resort recap. The drive out into the mountains felt different this time. It was May /June and the temps were just delightful. It certainly didn’t feel like winter anymore. Most of the snow had long since melted and spring was quickly becoming summer. My season had a failed back-country summit on skins of Quandary Mountain two days before I called it quits. And I closed with a slushy day surrounded by only the most crazy and die-hard of winter enthusiasts. It was an anti-climatic finale but a season not to be forgotten and certainly not one I can complain about!
Days on resort mountains: 77
Number of different resorts: 20
Total span of season in months: 8
Number of states skied in: 4
I know what your thinking! Let me tell you that I, indeed, am a lucky man!
Thanks for taking the time to read this post. Until next time, love one another and be kind to each other. Get out there, The Thrill of the Mountain is waiting for you.
CM MAN
Want to be an author and can write about the mountains or mountain life? If so, contact us.
I loved this post, thanks for sharing. Iām looking forward to great times with you and the crew this yearšāļø
Wow. Amazing. I keep wanting to see more. Great recap and pictures. What will next season bring?