Brrr!

Temps in the Butte have taken a nose dive: the high today was 4 Fahrenheit: -16C for those of you who speak Euro temperatures. (The current update at 8.15 p.m. is -12F or -24.4C and lows forecast to be in the 10 to 20 below 0 degrees F range...) It's a little chilly - though I did still manage to get a handful of runs in today: a couple before I froze and had to go to work at the Ice Bar at 10 this morning, and then a few more when I got off this afternoon and the sun was shining a little...


The crowds seem to have dissipated and gone home after the holidays. I can't believe there isn't a single person skiing in this photo which was taken near the Prospector lift!
There are some British people around though on holiday. I met some people from Sheffield on Monday who were here with Thompsons, and then a Welsh couple who were back independently for their third year (they said it was cheaper that way!)

The good thing about this is that we finally have some time to ski...the bad news is that we aren't earning any money doing it because there aren't many people in town!!! Oh well, take the good with the bad - I can work more when it gets busy again!

Here are some photos from the weekend - I have now managed to ski three out of the last four days...though only a handful of runs today. If it's not too cold tomorrow, I will try and get a couple of hours in before work and then I get to ski most of the day again on Friday...fun, fun, fun...

We took a lesson on Sunday and it has certainly helped my skiing. Nick was already pretty proficient, so I don't think it was quite as useful for him though he still got some pointers. Before the lesson I had some speed and turning issues. i.e. I didn't turn very much and went downhill way too fast! I have now improved and can even comfortably get down some of the "Black" or advanced runs.



Somehow, I don't think I will be jumping off the Peak before the end of the year like some people do though! Yes - this the Peak, and yes, they ski off the top of it!!!


This is the top of Ruby Chief: a blue run from the top of the Paradise lift - it's the expanse of white to the left of the Peak on the other photo. The views are amazing from up here...




And this is me at the top of the Twister lift for the first time - notice I am hugging the edge!!! Most of the runs up here are labeled black, or advanced, and I managed to get down several of them in the last few days - in decent time too!!! And yes, the bottom is all the way down there! (But you know, these slopes still aren't as steep as the one Nick hauled me up when we climbed Whetstone this summer!!!)




These photos are of the Bank of Crested Butte building - they have so many icicles that I had to take a photo of them - I thought the juxtaposition of the real icicles and the leftover Christmas decoration light icicles was interesting, though I'm not sure you can see all the detail here.












And these are downtown Crested Butte. The snow banks aren't quite as impressive as they were just after the last storm - the snow tends to settle and then when the banks become unstable they move the snow and start again. I always wondered were all the snow went - then I tried to pull into the parking lot that I usually use when I go "down town" and found out - it was all piled up in an enormous heap that covered the entire lot!

Life is definitely more fun now that we aren't working so much and actually have a chance to see each other on occasion - so much for being semi retired!

I also had to include some photos Adele sent us. See - they have almost as much snow in Hull as we do here!!!



And this is Hollie and Thomas making snowballs...






And finally, a typical day at the English seaside! Lovely!!!

Last stop, Hull

After our visit to Lisbon, London and Devon in the fall, Nick left for Crested Butte and I headed north to Hull. As always, it never feels like I have enough time when I go home to visit everyone and all the places I miss. I did manage to see my grandparents a few times though.



Here is a photo me and my Nana, my Mum's Mum.


And one of my Mum, her sister Ann and husband Tony, and my Grandad







I also managed to catch up with some old friends. Anne, Will (sorry, Nicola - old habits die hard!) and I have known each other since we were about 13 0r 14....far too many years ago for any of us to want to remember exactly how long that is!! We had a great evening out at the Lambwath in Hull reminiscing and catching up...Anne and I managed to do that at The Olde White Hart as well when were were out "Christmas shopping" one day!!!



No trip to Hull is ever complete without the obligatory visit to the seaside. This beach is at Dane's Dyke, a bronze age settlement north of Bridlington. We walked along the clifftops to get there and were going to walk back to Bridlington along the beach, but the tide was coming in and the danger of being cut off in this area is to great to really risk it.


It was a nice bracing walk though (!), and of course, we were able to stop off on the way home in one of my favourite pubs in the area, the Tiger in Brandsburton...here are Mom and Dad enjoying a pint...well, Dad is anyway, Mum was driving!

















We also managed a day in Lincoln, somewhere I haven't visited in years. It was as lovely as I remembered and the cathedral was just beautiful.

It was a gorgeous day too, if a little cold (in hindsight, it was a scorcher compared to Crested Butte these days!)

And see - even Hull looks lovely in the sunshine! We spent an afternoon wandering around the Marina watching the yachts sailing into port and checking out the cost of a boat for Nick and I. One day, when we have sold something in Crested Butte we will be out sailing the Med!! Oh yeah, and we snuck in a pint or two in Minerva...another favourite that just happens to be near the Marina!

James and Ben, were all ready for Hallowe'en when I visited them, but unfortunately, Hollie was ill and I didn't want to take a photo of her laying there not feeling well, so this one of Hollie and Thomas is from a holiday they took in Devon earlier this year (along with Mum, Adele)!




I also go to spend an afternoon with Ian, Natalie, Zane (with dad) and Lucas who I'd never met before...Zane was as charming as ever ("hiya gorgeous" was his catchphrase last time I saw him!)






And it looks like Lucas will be following in his big brothers footsteps - he was just the cutest little thing - and a little mellower than his brother! Thanks for picking me up Ian - and Natalie, I promise to send Oreo cookies your way sometime soon!!!





No photos of York this time round, which is always a favourite place to visit, but I did get one of the pheasant stall in the market!
And as it's such a lovely place, these are from a year or so ago...

York Minster in the mist and the Shambles getting ready for Christmas










And last but not least, our good friends, Mike and Av in their lovely new temp housing while they wait for their home to be fixed up after the floods in June. And yep, this was taken in late October, and yep, they are still in the caravan waiting for the house to be finished...seven months later...and almost even worse, Mum and Dad are still waiting to find out when they are moving out so the builders can even start on their house...unbelievable...


But the trip to Hull was a lot of fun and it was great to see so many people. Thanks to everyone who made the effort and rearranged plans last minute so I could catch up with them - Lou, I didn't get photos of you and Em and Jack, sorry, but it was great to catch up with you and I'll get them next time!

Looking forward to getting home again in 2008!

and it's still snowing!

According to http://www.skicb.com the local ski area website, we have 18 feet of snow so far this year. 65 inches were in the last seven days...and more is on it's way! It's driving us crazy that we have been working so much we can't get out there!!! First day off today that wasn't a Sunday or a holiday and we needed to get down to Gunnison to run some errands...but I am off Sunday and Tuesday this coming week, so guess where I'll be headed? yep. Up to the slopes. the skiing is unbelievable. We both get a teaser when we work up on the mountain, but that's usually all it is as we ski to and from work! We had planned on going last Sunday, but the blizzard conditions were so bad that we didn't even risk driving the two miles to town...plus they had closed a lot of the lifts in the morning due to wind, blizzard conditions and avalanche danger...things are starting to slow down now the Holidays are over though, so we should get chance to get out there a lot more. Here are some photos I took today of the snow. They have been moving what they can, but there is generally no where for it all to go! If nothing else, I think we chose the best snow season in years to be up here skiing!just outside the lot. the roads are piled high on either side and when the sun isn't shining or it's snowing, it is really hard to see where you are going as everything is completely white!!!

Happy New Year...

Happy New Year to all our friends and family from chilly Crested Butte...it was -31 F or -35 Celsius this morning - no wonder I had a hard time getting my car started at 6.30 am! And now I really don't want to hear complaints about how cold it is where you are!!!

Hope everyone had a great New Year celebration and here's to a Healthy, Happy and wealthy (!) 2008.