I think maybe I may have angered the ski gods. Or maybe (more likely) it was just the wrong time of the year. At any rate, Winter Park 2007 was not my favorite ski trip.
We headed up in March. I began to worry when we passed through Berthoud Pass, elevation 11,307 ' , and the snow was almost absent. Chalk it up to Global Warming, but the temperatures on the trail were in the mid 50's. Pleasant, yes, but lethal for snow. Slush can be a dangerous element to navigate through, trust me on this one. I've never witness as many ski injuries going on around me as I did on this trip.
The other major issue that I had with *most* of Winter Park was the terrain. It was flat. Sadly, after a day or so of uncomfortable "poling" - using one's ski poles to propel forward - we dubbed the resort "Weenie Park". No thrills. If I'm going to take a week of vacation, rent skis, buy lift tickets, and pay $20 for a burger, slopeside, I want me some thrills. I'm not asking for double-black-diamond-thrills, but give me more than "It's a Small World", please. To be fair, there was an adjacent ski area called "Mary Jane", but it was extremely confusing to get there.
Which leads me to my third complaint about the Winter Park resort; the trail markings were confusing as heck. Believe me when I tell you, I would not have skiied into the black trail moguls if I had had any inkling that they were there. Enough said. (Annoying, yes, but I *did manage to stay on my feet.)
So, Live and Learn, as they say. Next time, I won't take a chance on Mother Nature. I'll be sure to book my trip in late January or early February. March is a fickle ski month, apparently. And I'll be sure to read the reviews on www.goski.com. Why not learn from the experience of others? Not every trip is a winner, as I've discovered over years of traveling with my hubby. But you've got to take the good with the bad, and keep searching for good times.
