Yesterday, I returned from paradise.

Last Friday, ten of my Brothers, a friend of one of my Brothers, and I went to Steamboat Springs, Colorado. We flew from Indianapolis to Chicago to Denver to Hayden, from which we took a taxi to our condominium in Steamboat. Along the way, I had the pleasure of traveling in an Airbus A320 and a Boeing 777. Both were nice airplanes, but most of us liked the “triple-seven” better. On the 777, even we cheapskates in Coach had nice seats and personal television monitors, on which we could watch programs ranging from VH1 to a map of the plane’s progress. It was quite a shock when we switched from the 777 to a 737 for the short flight into Hayden, but it was bearable.

Hayden is about 20 miles away from Steamboat, and the only way to get from the Hayden airport to Steamboat at 10:00 p.m. on a Friday night is with a company called Alpine Taxi. We were all a bit taken aback when we found out that Alpine Taxi charges $44 per person for round-trip transportation. The price seems a bit steep at first glance, second glance, and maybe even third glance. However, when one considers the distance involved and Alpine’s monopoly on taxi service in the area, the fares begin to make sense though they appear no less outrageous.

Alpine Taxi brought our group of 12 to our door at Sunrise Condominiums. When we got in, we were all impressed by how nice the condo was. I tried taking some photos of our place, but the pictures simply don’t do it justice. With three levels and full-size living spaces, the condo sported ample room for our group. That first night, we lit a fire and went out in search of provisions. In Steamboat Springs, the way to get around town is on the Steamboat Springs Transit Free Bus. The free bus routes cover all important parts of town and, as the name implies, rides are free. The free bus was really neat — it was public transit done right. We hopped aboard, destination Walmart. After discovering that the Steamboat Walmart closes at 9:00 p.m., we cut our losses by getting sandwiches at a nearby Subway. Waiting outside for the return bus was enjoyable. We couldn’t stop talking about how much fun it would be to hit the mountain. The outside temperature was in the low 20’s with no wind, so the wait was also relatively warm. After the bus picked us up and dropped us off at the condo, we all went to sleep.

The following day, Saturday, arrived with sunny skies. When I got up in the morning, I was taken aback by the view from our deck. I spliced together a panoramic photo (larger version) of what we could see. We spent the remainder of the day bumming around Steamboat Springs. We continually forgot things, so we made no less than three trips to Walmart and the grocery store.

Eventually, Sunday showed its face.

Early Sunday morning, we all woke up, put on our ski/snowboard gear, and caught the free bus to the ski area. We waited in the line at the gondola before taking it up the mountain. As we rode to mid-mountain, electric excitement was in the air. We got off the gondola and started a run down a trail. The group I was with paused a few times on the way down, and for good reason: the runs were much longer than anything we had previously tackled. Conditions were excellent, with overcast skies and packed powder. After many runs, in early afternoon, we decided to go back to the condo. Everybody went to sleep early that night.

Monday arrived, fresh and rosy-fingered. It was sunny out, giving spectacular views from the trails. I spent most of the day on the left side of the mountain, near the Storm Peak Express lift. After a long day of snowboarding, I went in and relaxed with my Brothers at the condo. Somebody had a computer set up with an internet connection, so I checked my grades for winter quarter. I was satisfied to see that I got a 3.80 for the quarter. Even better, I received some promising email regarding my summer employment. Though I soon realized that I had received a sunburn on my face during the day, I went to bed happy and contented.

Overnight, Steamboat received several inches of fresh powder. It was still snowing when we hit the slopes Tuesday morning, making for fun runs. Going through the trees in Morningside Park with a bunch of fresh powder was a great experience. Tuesday was, of course, Fat Tuesday, so after an exhilarating day of skiing and snowboarding, we rode around Steamboat Springs on the free bus looking for a Mardi Gras party. After searching for the better part of an hour, we determined that the night life in Steamboat Springs is more or less non-existent, so we rented some cheesy movie and hung out at the condo.

Our last day on the slopes, Wednesday, turned out to be the best of the trip: it had snowed all night. By 5:00 a.m., Steamboat had received 14 inches of fresh powder at mid-mountain and 21 inches at the summit, with more still coming down. It seemed like the entire town was out that morning, enjoying all of the freshies. One of the locals said that it was the best day of the season. Several others said that they were playing hooky from work because the conditions were so good. Though the snow and wind caused visibility to be no more than 50 feet, those first few runs were transcendent experiences. I had never before been in so much powder! Once again, Morningside was fantastic. The state of the slopes was pure bliss. Later in the day, when it cleared up a bit, I enjoyed a view from Mt. Werner. I could see for what looked like hundreds of miles. Sadly, the day eventually came to a close.

On Thursday, we got up early and flew back to Indiana, where snow is but a memory. We started talking about what to do next year. It sounds like a trip to Canada, perhaps to Whistler Blackcomb, is in the works. Until then, I will have the memories of Steamboat.

Truly, it was a consummate experience.

(You might be interested in looking at a separate page containing all of the photos mentioned in this post)