Making do...

...with Monarch Mountain's less-than-ideal snow, that is. It still, apparently, has some of the best snow in Colorado. But either global warming has struck with a vengeance, or—hopefully—we're just in the midst of a batch of sub-par winters. (Last winter was bad, too.)

The area's opening date had to be pushed back almost a month, and the snow is definitely not up to the place's usual very high standards. But we still had a good time, especially since we got to ski with friends and family, and visit with more, during our early-January trip north.

It's actually rather ironic that I've been talking about "warming" when this was one of the coldest ski trips I've had in years. Most of Colorado was in the grips of a really cold snap (even the natives were complaining) and it cut my ski days, at least, down a bit.

The picture above was taken on my half-day, when wind chills were well into the negative double digits. But there was new snow!! So you can't pass that up completely. Plus, the newly remodeled and expanded lodge at the area makes really good hot cider and hot chocolate!

But doesn't this look chilly?! The winter sun is trying—really hard—to give us some warmth. The cable running across the picture is part of one of the ski lifts.

No matter the weather, though, you have to stop at the top of Panorama lift for a picture looking west from the Continental Divide. Three guesses which trail I took from here (and the first two don't count)—Mirage or Skywalker.

We did get some sunny weather later, although a few of the sunny days were even colder! But Monday, our last full day in Colorado, was sunny and un-windy, and we had a great time skiing all day on the nicely groomed slopes. The ski area crews do a marvelous job of making the most of the snow that they have.

We knew it was going to be a good day when we got up Monday morning and saw the sunrise just kissing the top of the ridge across the valley from our cabin...

And we were right!

Here's Henry half-way down the beautifully groomed Romp:

And here's a panoramic shot of one of the most recognizable mountains in the neighborhood, Mt. Aetna. Looks like it might be getting some more snow, but the sun's winning the battle on this day.

I can't write about the trip without mentioning how cheap it was for us. Not only were our Southwest airline tickets to Denver a bargain, but we got a great deal on this all-wheel-drive car. Big enough for skis and friends, and able to get up our steep, slick, driveway with no problems.

Henry at potty and hot chocolate stop in Fairplay on the way to Monarch

In the next post, I'll give you some shots of gorgeous and interesting scenery during our drive through one of the most interesting counties in Colorado.