Do You Know How Good You Have It?

I often tell people that a bad year in the Cottonwoods is better than a good year in Colorado.  There are a couple of reasons for this.  First, a bad year in the Cottonwoods is still probably 300-400" of snow (depending on location) which is more than average for much of Colorado.  Second, Colorado is a beautiful state and has a lot going for it, but it's still fun to poke fun at them from time to time!  

I was thinking today as I was ski touring on a gorgeous bluebird day that this really hasn't been a great ski season by Cottonwood standards, but we still have it good compared to many other regions.  I've had some pretty good days this season and, even today, several days after the last big dump, there's still good snow to be found out there.  

An old-school Wasatch ski tourer enjoys great powder and has the good sense to spoon his partner's track and conserve the hill for others that follow.  Such powder conservation is especially important when storms are widely spaced. 

Plus, it's only a short drive home to Salt Lake City from this great skiing.  It always amazes me when I'm out skiing powder and I can see Salt Lake City only a few miles away.  

Although by Cottonwood standards this is a fair year, this visiting Colorado ski tourer is all
smiles because it's still better than he can find at home. And, he has no I-70 traffic jam to
contend with!

Here's another amazing thing.  We were skiing dry powder at elevations down to 8000 feet, yet the high temperature at the University of Utah was 51ºF!  

Yup, we sure have it good.