Flip Flop Season
It’s not literally flip-flop season. Rather, it’s the season where the weather changes on a dime. You could be golfing at Haymaker in short sleeves one day and skiing on Rabbit Ears Pass the next. It’s fun when every warm day is a nice surprise and an opportunity for another hike or bike ride. Conversely, every storm brings the hope of a powder-filled ski season.
The difference between my hike on Tuesday morning and Sunday afternoon is like comparing a few layers of down and snow boots to running shoes and a t-shirt and shorts, or apples to oranges if you will. I’ll take them both. The variety of this last stretch between fall and ski season is a daily reminder of the importance of a little flexibility.
It’s one of the reasons I like running and hiking. You can do these year-round if you have the right shoes and gear. There was always something I loved about the adventure of being able to put on your shoes and go. Across golf courses in the Bahamas, far flung beaches, in Golden Gate Park, Central Park and, more preferably, the trails in Steamboat Springs.
Today is supposed to be the best of the week if you can get outside. Our next chance for the frosty white stuff is Thursday into Friday. (Which is, of course, because I will be driving our mighty Rabbit Ears Pass on Friday morning.) More exciting than that, weather experts are predicting a La Nina pattern again for our winter season. In a nutshell, this means more than average precipitation. Last year, La Nina brought us plenty of early-season powder and then many near misses, while our northern neighbor Jackson Hole got the holy grail of snow. All we need is for the jet stream to dip slightly lower this season and we are in the white. Here’s hoping!
There’s plenty to do while you wait for the snow gods to deliver. Spring Creek was pretty dry with some muddy patches higher up, and I think Mad Creek may be worth a trip today. Any trail that gets plenty of sunshine will be good to go if you have time to venture out. Winter will be back in a couple of days, so you might as well take advantage.
Have a great week and for goodness sake get your legs in shape to make some turns next week! Ten days until ski season. The countdown is on.
Enjoy!
Follow #SteamboatResort: Facebook, Twitter and Instagram
