Post-CUP Ski and Snowboard Trip

For those interested in recreation after CUP, Pagosa Springs, CO has been chosen as the rally point. Pagosa Springs is a scenic 3 hour drive north of Santa Fe. The current plan is for interested folks to arrive Wednesday, February 23 and depart Friday, February 25.

For those not interested in skiing or boarding, there are plenty of interesting things to do: cross country skiing, snowshoeing, sightseeing, hot springs and snowmobile tours. Durango is also only an hour away from Pagosa Springs. The narrow-gauge railroad departs from Durango for daily round trips to Cascade Canyon during the winter.

For those interested in skiing or boarding, Wolf Creek Ski area is 30 minutes drive away from Pagosa Springs and should put a smile on any powderhound's face. Wolf Creek typically gets twice as much snow as New Mexico Ski areas. Wolf Creek does not have as many vertical feet as some resorts, but it does have an impressive diversity of terrain: big rollers, wide-open cruising, mogul fields, a large bowl, and even nasty steep tree runs. Up at the summit they have a walkway to an extreme skiing launch platform. We're not making this up -- a 30 foot drop directly over rocks into a run-out area. Paul Charifson has graciously agreed to give us an extreme skiing demonstration.

We have arranged a group rate at the Springs Resort, located in the middle of Pagosa Springs, with bars and restaurants in walking distance. Guests at the resort have complimentary access to the natural hot springs -- a very nice area with numerous hot tubs rated at different temperatures. If the tubs get too hot, there are stairs straight down to the river -- watch out for floating chunks of ice. To reserve a room please call the hotel directly at 800-225-0934 and ask for the OpenEye group rate. It may help to speak to Kitti as she's the person with whom the group arrangements were made. There are a limited number of rooms available, so make your reservations VERY soon before the remaining rooms are taken.

To rent equipment instead of lugging your own, we recommend the Alpen Haus Ski Center. They have top quality equipment in a number of packages (Standard, Performance, Sport, and Demo). Novices and intermediate skiers should probably take the Performance skis; Experts should go for the Demo package. Snowboards are available in both standard and performance packages, for the derelict punks of the group. Make your reservations online or by phone at (970) 731-4755 and ask for the OpenEye group rate. If you provide your boot size they'll have your skis set up by the time you arrive.

Please send any questions about logistics to Matt Stahl (mstahl/at/eyesopen.com), especially if you either require or can provide transportation. If there is enough interest, arrangements can be made to rent a van for the round trip. Matt will be organizing a night time snowmobile trip, so let him know if you are interested. Participants are welcome to join Ant and Matt in the first ever OpenEye X-Games snowcross race.