What a Glorious Day, What a Beautiful Week

Spring Powder in Colorado

Amidst all the mud, mixed precipitation and snowstorms here in Colorado, one can sometimes forget the promise of rebirth and renewal that recharges the spirit every spring. We just need to tap into reminders of this awakening more, especially when we don’t find ourselves surrounded by budding trees and blooming flowers.

If it weren’t for the sun shining so high in the sky these past couple of days, I’d swear it was the month of February. Huge, puffy snow pillows weight the trees as birds dart about wondering what happened to spring. It’s been cold, too, and all told I’d say it snowed at least two feet in Telluride throughout the Easter weekend and into the early part of this week. Then finally the sun emerged revealing a beauty so spectacular that it’s hard to regret that it looks like winter all over again in much of Colorado.

The sun, however, is so strong here that it should start looking like spring again sometime soon. In the meantime, die-hard skiers have been hitting the back country for some of the best spring skiing in years. Others are busy giving thanks for finishing out the season with such a significant snowpack, a not-so negligible happening in the West where fire danger consistently looms. Plus snow in the mountains means lots of rafting on our rivers throughout spring. With the huge snowfalls of this April, it looks like folks will be riding the river through the fourth of July.

Yes, even with all this snow, I feel the sense of optimism and awakening ushered in with spring.

Maybe I’m also revitalized from the Easter Day I experienced this year. It was doubly special since it was both Easter and closing day at Aspen Highlands, both reason for celebration. Sure, a proliferation of bunnies peppered the costume-clad crowd on the mountain and Jelly Beans, Peeps and chocolate eggs were handed out by Aspen Ski Co. staffers with a smile. But it was the Easter Sunrise Service at the base of the Highlands that touched me the most. I’d even call it transformative and isn’t that what Easter is all about? The setting, the music, the message—it all filled my soul with a hope and love that I’m inspired to inject into my thoughts and actions each day of the year.

Wow, yeah, it was that great. Not surprising either, especially when you consider all the elements that made it so special:  outside in the early morning grandeur of the Rockies, guided in song by professional musicians and lead in prayer by a chaplain that’s both inspirational and entertaining. Good news is that the service, presented by Aspen Chapel, typically begins at 8:30 a.m. And you can attend even if you’re just a passing tourist with no intention of skiing.  You must go though, especially if you love nature and great music. Look at it like an extraordinary concert that will touch your soul. Put the Easter Sunrise Service in Aspen on your calendar for next year right now. (Know that some years it takes place at the top of Aspen Mountain which means another kind of spectacular.)

I’m grateful to my sister-in-law, Geri, for encouraging me to attend even though I’m not much of a churchgoer. We wasted no time after the service shifting into last-day-on-the-mountain mode. We were after all already outfitted in our ski attire. What fun it was to find ourselves out on the hill in such uplifted moods! Everyone around us seemed incredibly upbeat, too, for it snowed lots in Aspen as well over the holiday weekend.

Pond-Skimming at Aspen Highlands

After two hours of turns we headed for the Merry Go Round restaurant at mid-mountain, grabbed a beer and a brat and began to swing and sway to good ‘ole classics played by a rock and roll band. Had the band not taken a break, it would have been hard to pull ourselves away to take in the pond-skimming up the hill, another must-see in Aspen. And if you’re a good enough skier or boarder (or have imbibed generously at the party), you can test your pond-skimming prowess without even having to sign up for the fun ahead of time. All you need is good balance, a lot of nerve and the desire to zoom down a slope and (hopefully) skim all the way across icy water to the snowy bank on the other side. Yahoo!

Hooting it Up at the Highlands

By mid-afternoon, the party moves down the mountain to the Out of Bounds restaurant at the base. Blasted by a loud, rhythmic soundtrack and more brewskies and booze, the pack really gets going here. I sipped a Club Soda and took in the scene. It was almost hard to believe that this was the same outside area where the Easter Sunrise Service was held hours before. Still, I took pause and counted my blessings. I had ended the season without injury to myself or anyone else and had had a heck of a lot of fun. People toasted this, the end of the season and the arrival of spring in all one breath. It didn’t matter that as we did this, the snowflakes danced down upon us.

Hey, it’s springtime in the Rockies. Here the daffodils and tulips bloom in May and June. And we don’t often see iris until July. But our snow invigorates us all year long. Thank goodness there’s more in the forecast for this weekend!

I encourage you to check out the Web sites of the musicians that performed at this year’s Easter Sunrise Service: Ellen Stapenhorst, Bobby Mason, JD Martin and Jan Garrett. Know that you’re likely to see some or all of them at next year’s service.

Know that although the mountains have officially closed for the season in Aspen, it’s still possible to ski and ride there to your heart’s delight. Aspen Mountain Powder Tours continue to operate indefinitely. Contact them at 970-920-0720 or powdertours@aspensnowmass.com to find out more.

Aspen Mountain Powder Tours

Thank you to Jeremy Swanson, Ian Fohrman and Aspen/Snowmass for the above images.