Bucket List: Back country skiing

Who says that you have to be lift dependent in Colorado?

After 14 months of dating a back country ski enthusiast, I agreed to join B on the mountain.

I will admit that I was terrified. I hadn’t skied in 11 years and was always very cautious (ie snail slow) when resort skiing.

On Saturday afternoon we sat in traffic on I-70 for just over an hour, before pulling into a small parking lot next to a dozen other cars.  Since there are no lifts, you must walk up the mountain to ski down.

B was smiling ear to ear as we pointed our skiis up the mountain.  (He put “skins” on the bottom of my skiis so they wouldn’t slide down while I was trying hard to climb up) The first steps were awkward, but B kept reminding me to glide vs march up the hill. I was out of breath in the steep spots and still having a blast.  How often do you get a killer workout outside in a secluded snowy winter haven?

After about an hour, we turned around and skied back to the car. I used my pizza skiing technique and B stopped every 50 yards to patiently wait for me. My reward at the bottom of the hill was a big smile, a forehead kiss and the words, “I am so proud of you.”

Then B said, “Next time we’ll ski to a hut and stay overnight.”

I asked, “Do huts have indoor plumbing?”

B answered, “No.” He tried not to laugh at the look on my face.

Ewe … outhouses are not on my bucket list, but never say never.