When I last posted I didn't think I'd have collected 2 'do this before you die' experiences when I sat down again ... but I have!

The first was last Thursday at Arapahoe basin - or A-Basin to the locals. It's the most amazing 'area' (not resort like the others) that is for the die-hards of the Colorado skiing scene (although boarding's allowed and embraced). It's totally no thrills. No brand names, no daft entertainments, just the sports themselves and the infra-structure needed to run them. It reminded me of a non-for-profit golf club. The restrooms (that's common place for me now and I don't know if I'll ever re-lapse back to toilet) were straight out of Ross-on-Wye Golf Club. It's the highest area here in the Rocky Mountains and it showed it's teeth. In the morning I boarded their back bowl and you're totally above the tree-line amongst the rocks ... and the snow! We had the worst white out I've ever experienced and I limped back to the halfway house barely able to see my feet. I couldn't tell up, down, left or right. I lost the horizon and became motion sick falling over once or twice. Perhaps this should have warned me off ...

But for every white out of course there's soooo much snow. I knew it might be a bit special when, during my lunchtime recovery, I saw deep tracks disappear over a bowl of chilli (classic mountain lunch). In the space of a few hours there must have been 12-18 inches of fresh champagne powder that added itself to the already deep base of about 5 feet! It was cold, a Thursday and pretty much just me and the lifties. I spent the most incredible few hours hammering it down green and blue runs (where I could see!) just to pull the hardest turn using my back edge and spraying snow as high as it would go. I beautifully covered my whole body, face and head numerous times and got a double whammy on one go! I was so chuffed to hear another mega-experienced boarder in my hostel tell me she was out in the same conditions and they were the best of her life. I think they'll have been the best of mine? It was so deep it made the front page of the Summit Daily News (Summit County here's widely read newspaper). You just have to be in the right place at the right time!

http://www.arapahoebasin.com/

And if that wasn't enough I then travelled to my fourth area (all on the same lift ticket) on Saturday. It's called Keystone and is similar in resortishness (new word from Jez for the dictionary) to Copper Mountain. But they have a big advantage. Floodlights and night skiing/boarding! Now I'd seen this thing in magazines before and not given it a second thought. But I thought I should at least give it a try. And boy you have to all give it a go at some time in your lives! Even the non-skiiers or boarders. Learn just to be able to do this! It'll be worth it.

The best way to describe it is Disneyland meets mountain sports. It's the most magical thing to wend your way down and amongst an incredible mountain backdrop under the moon and the stars. Aided by the floodlights of course. This being the USA the floodlights covered half of their front mountain so there must have been about 12 runs for all standards to enjoy. And for my family (and anyone esle who has been to the Isle of Wight) it was Blackgang Chine on ice! It was one of those times (that I hope will be repeated in the Andes and the Himalayas) when you feel about a nano-metre big. Everything around you is so immense, it's quiet, it's dark (the floodlights create mysterious patches of light and dark) and you can sense that the world around you has been here (and, baring a cataclysmic disaster, will be) for millions of years.

It massively helped that I was at my boarding best and the slopes were brilliantly groomed. So I was going fast! (I'd be a giant slalom boarder if anything). They managed the transition from day to night so well and, while allowing you to board through dusk, got everything up and running to keep going until 9pm. The USA at it's customer-focused best! It's also pretty wild! Because of the light you don't necessarily get the best view of the terrain ahead. Consequently, I was wiped out from behind - twice. The first time I fell on my ass and lost my goggles when a middle aged man (like me now I guess!) took me out before he hit his wife who wiped in front of me. What a pair. But he was brilliantly apologetic and I went straight back down to the same place and re-claimed my goggles that were lying in the snow! The second time hurt a bit. A young punk going way too fast for his ability (and forced to apologise by me afterwards) cleared out both my back feet. I was going pretty quick and I was airborne long enough to think 'shoot, I'm airborne'. I now ache like a bugger after that and 11 of the last 13 days boarding. But wasn't it worth it for Keystone at night!

Keystone's also got the most dramatic views of any ski/board area I've visited. I found that out when I visited again on Sunday and saw it in daylight. And it stopped snowing for the weekend. Jaw dropping ...

http://keystone.snow.com/indexskiride.asp

And now it's Monday night and I face my final day on a board tomorrow before I head through the Rockies and into Utah on Wednesday. But I'm trying to go out in style by experiencing the full boarding phenomenon. Today I've completed a black diamond mogul field and ridden it without falling over! I'm even balanced enough (or unbalanced depending on style points rating) to use my hand on the mountain to show off!

And just to keep the 'rude rider' himself happy (Vanster) I hit the terrain park yesterday and today. I've slid down a couple of boxes and come out of them with my manhood intact! And, of course, I've pumped my first tranny! 3 times in fact. I totally messed up twice and fell down. But on the third time I found myself peeking over the top of the half pipe but kept it together enough to stay upright and fall out the bottom thinking 'what's that all about'! To be honest Van I'm rubbish and need a few lessons from you and your boys in the future! Not that you can see much of the pipe (Breckenridge is rubbishly cold and windy!) but here I am pulling a Reggie glum one (the eyes were up Bish - honest!) before I put my life in Van's hands!

So over and out from the mountains dudes! Grab your spurs and your horses (by the way the Spanish introduced them if I haven't told you before). It's the wild, wild west in a few days ...