Ski Vacation to Wolf Creek Ski Area (Colorado)

I went on my first ever ski vacation (skication?) last month! Raisin Bread, my sister-in-law, some friends and I spent five days in southwest Colorado to enjoy the snow.

Source: Wolf Creek Ski Area

We visited Wolf Creek Ski Area and stayed in nearby Pagosa Springs. Wolf Creek is said to be one of the best kept secrets in Colorado because not only is it off the beaten ski path but it also gets the most annual snowfall in Colorado, at an average of 430 inches. It is a 3.5 hour drive from Albuquerque or a 4.5 hour drive from Denver. There is also no on-resort lodging, so out-of-towners must stay in the nearby towns of Pagosa Springs or South Fork. The remoteness added with the lack of amenities is probably what keeps the crowds away, which is the very reason why I absolutely enjoyed our time there!

I am very much new to skiing. Before this trip, I had been on skis a total of four times. My husband, on the other hand, has been skiing probably since he could walk. For Christmas, Raisin Bread bought me a pair of skis and ski boots so that I could be fully equipped now that we live in close proximity to good ski areas.

Ready for vacation!

All of my previous ski experiences were day trips, so I was not sure how I would do with multiple days of skiing. I wound up hitting the mountain for two days, taking two days off and skiing again our final day.

I was, by far, the least experienced skiier, but I was lucky to have some really kind traveling companions who were generous enough to stay with me and give me some pointers. 

Since it was only my second time skiing this season, I started off on the beginner slopes and eventually became comfortable enough to mostly stick to the intermediate slopes. 

Our first two days of skiing were in the middle of the week, and we weren't sharing the mountain with a ton of other people. No lines for the lifts and hardly anyone on the runs at the same time as us!

On the night of our first ski day, it dumped 8 inches of fresh snow. Since I learned to ski on the East Coast, I have never skied in powder before and I was sure not to miss it. It made for such a different experience. It felt like I was floating on marshmallows. 

I got a little carried away and actually got my skis caught in the powder, not once, but twice. At least falling and getting up is easier in the powder. 

On our last day of skiing, I really fell and hurt my knee on a run that I had already done at least five times. The difference was it was much much more crowded and the snow was no longer nice and pristine. Whoops. I sat most of the afternoon off. 

Another thing I liked about Wolf Creek was there was a lodge at the top of one of the lifts. That meant I could sit out while my ski companions continued to do their thing and then when I felt like it, I could just pop back into my skis and re-join then!

Plus, who doesn't want a mid-afternoon hot chocolate with marshmallows break?

Although it would have been nice to be at a resort that was ski-in, ski-out, I think the lack of crowds and the nice conditions was a fair trade-off. I will definitely be skiing at Wolf Creek again, and I absolutely can't wait to!

January 2014 Happenings

Welcome to February! January was a busy and very very cold month. Here's a brief run down of January 2014!

- #Polar Vortex: I am so over this weather. We experienced 6.6 inches of snowfall in January and I have lost count of how many single digit degree days we have had. This has been by far the coldest winter we've had since I moved here in 2011. Is it spring yet?

January 21, 2014

January 21, 2014

January 25, 2014

- RAMW Restaurant Week: I got to experience a new restaurant this month as well as enjoy another meal at an old favorite during DC Restaurant Week. There has been some noise about how Restaurant Week isn't really a good deal and might also be a rip off. I don't disagree, but you can also find good deals by scouring the menus and picking high price point restaurants. 

I had a lunch date with myself at Sushi Taro, my favorite sushi restaurant in DC. My lunch was comprised of a 3 box tasting of shrimp and vegetable tempura, salmon and albacore tuna sashimi and soba. For my sushi course, I received eel, yellowtail, tuna, salmon, white fish and shrimp nigiri and salmon and avocado maki. Lunch ended with a serving of green tea ice cream. Yum! And not bad for $20! 

Raisin Bread and I had a friend who was in town for a week on business so we set up a Restaurant Week excursion with him to Charlie Palmer Steak on Capitol Hill. I don't often find myself around the Hill but this establishment was teeming with Hilly people. 

I started my meal with a cocktail called The Lobbyist's Libation (Hendrick's Gin martini with cucumber puree and lemon-infused simple syrup). I wasn't at the table when our amuse bouche arrived, but it was yummy and tasted like tomato soup. 

For my three course meal, I had the red oak and roasted beet salad with crisp goat cheese, black walnut and a sherry shallot vinaigrette, the grilled angus sirloin with short rib ravioli, sweet potato puree, braised swiss chard and black garlic jus, and lastly, green apple consomme with crisp apples, cinnamon panna cotta and almonds.

My favorite course was the entree. It was perfectly cooked and I really liked the accompaniments, especially the black garlic.

- Funniest Thing to Happen: I won a year's supply of toothbrushes from Colgate and Influenster. Sweet! Clean teeth! If you haven't tried the Colgate SlimSoft toothbrush before, I highly recommend it. It's magical.

- Making an Apartment a Home: January was the first month since we've moved to DC that both Raisin Bread and I weren't in graduate school. We got a chance to spruce up the apartment a little with some greenery. I love plants but I have a history of not having the greenest of thumbs. Hopefully, these bad boys will thrive.

- The Treadmill is My Friend: When it's cold, I treadmill. When it's icy, I definitely treadmill. I'm currently training for my next half marathon, the Rock 'n' Roll DC Half Marathon in March. I also got to put in some miles in my awesome new Union Jack leggings, which I received from my mother-in-law for Christmas. 

Total mileage this month: 30.8 miles. 

- Trip to San Francisco: Last but not least, as you know, I visited San Francisco over MLK weekend. Be sure to check out my posts on this fun trip. The final post will be up later this week.

Part 1: The Hills of San Francisco
Part 2: Sunshine, food and wine in Napa and Sonoma

Sushi Taro
1503 17th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20036

Charlie Palmer Steak
101 Constitution Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20001