Spring skiing in the Rockies
 

May and June 2019

When it's the end of April, we pack our bags and return to Colorado for the spring and summer. After having taken care of a lot of small worldly things, I head for the Summit County, Colorado for another spring skiing. All the major skiing slopes close by the end of April. But, this year, Breckenridge and Arapahoe Basin were open for the month of May. Most people, except a few local skiers, do not know that May may be the best month for new snow under the warmer spring weather. As always, A-Basin will open into June if snow condition is good. The snow was exceptionally good this year.

At the parking lot of Keystone Resort, the snowmakers are retired for the season. The ground of the ski trails is partially exposed here. On the left upper corner of the picture, you see a high snow slope covered with deep snow. This is the Independence Peak. The Arapahoe Basin slope is far left at about the same altitude. The A-Basin spring season pass for senior (over 70) is $105. I do not have the Breckenridge pass and I don't like there anyway.

The Arapahoe Basin Resort has everything I need for a skiing slope in the world.

At the Keystone Village at the base of Keystone Resort, two female moose are grazing on a front yard of a condo building. They don't seem to worry about people passing close by.

If you see carefully, they are kneeling in order to have the grass closer to their mouths.

In the front yard of my condo, a red (?) fox is taking a nap. Again he (or she) doesn't mind people in the parking lot just adjacent to him.

A smart looking fox squirrel is peeping at me from a lodgepole pine tree. He never stays quiet for my portrait picture of him.

In front of our and neighbor's condo, there is a large area of Beaver pond within the Federal Wetland that we can not touch. At times, beavers built their dams so high that water could invade close to our condo buildings.

The Snake River flows through at the base of the mountain. It's still early spring and the snow melting had not begun. But once the snow starts to melt, this little stream turns into a white water river. I can hear the sound of the river stream from my condo. It reminds me of the Soyang River (소양강) and my native village in Kangwon-Do, North Korea. I was born and grew up together with the sounds of the river there. I feel home perfectly right here far away from my home. After wandering through the foreign lands for 40 years, I am glad I found a heavenly and homely place here in Colorado.

It's a bit too early for the aspen trees to bloom with greenish spring leaves yet.

5-20-2019: At times, we get cold days and plenty of new snow on the A-Basin slopes.

Obviously, we are not ready for a "bikini" skiing yet.

5-24-2019: We had deep new snow overnight and the slopes above the tree line (12,000 feet high) were covered beautifully well. One doesn't see sceneries like this in America. This is the kind of scenes you can see in the high Alps or the Canadian Rockies.

This area is the "West Wall" of the A-Basin.

The early birds came and skied down the virgin snow slopes already.

Under the "Lenawee" chairlift going to the summit.

A part of the "South Wall"
 

The "East Wall" under the Black Mountain.

6-09-2019: Back at the Keystone Village, the spring has arrived. The light-yellow buds of the aspen trees in the south-facing slopes.

A moose grazing on light tree branches which have more nutritional value than the grass.

A father with his son and daughter, celebrating the spring skiing.

6-09-2019: It was a time for bikini skiing today. It was unusually chilly this spring.

6-22-2019: Another new snow at the end of June. The green aspen trees were all covered with new snow this morning.  I hope they don't get frozen.

Three skiing scenes at the A-Basin slopes.