Colorado Adventures Part II: Winter Park

After our brief time in Boulder, husband and I and our buddies headed over to Winter Park for a few days of skiing. The drive from Boulder to Winter Park was really quite lovely. I enjoyed watching the landscape change as the snow started to cover more of the mountains, the rocks began to fade and the trees began to grow in tall clusters.

Downhill skiing is one of my favorite things to do with K because we are well matched in our skill level {except I may be just a little bit better, ha.} so we always have a ton of fun. Winter Park was gorgeous, with plenty of good tree skiing, my favorite. I love finding skinny little trails off the sides of the runs that wind through the trees. A few times husband was behind me so I knocked some snow off the branches onto his head. Ha! Mary Jane was our favorite mountain with Edelweiss being our favorite run. It was long and winding with lots of trees and hideaways. We skied at Winter Park two days in a row and spent the entire second day skiing over at Mary Jane.

And although Winter Park was lovely and lots of fun, I didn't think it was necessarily better than the other places we have been. Wolf Creek, our honeymoon spot, was a great, smaller scale local place. And Breckenridge is probably my favorite ski destination in Colorado. We didn't eat out in Winter Park, mostly because nothing really grabbed our attention. Instead we spent our evenings in our condo, making dinner, playing cards and watching movies.

You know the night life is just not for me, 'cause all you really need are a few good friends.

xoxo

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Colorado Adventures Part I: Boulder

Last Friday husband and I packed up and headed out late to visit friends and find adventures in Colorado. We love to ski {we went skiing for our honeymoon!}, hike and basically do anything outdoorsy, so traveling out west is essential for us. Our trip last year was unfortunately cancelled, so we tried our best to fit in as much as possible this time!

We flew into Denver and drove about an hour north to Boulder, where two of our sweetest friends live. {We went to high school with this guy's brother, and honestly feel like a part of their family. K used to spend weekends at the family's cabin in North Georgia when we were in middle and high school.} It was so great to spend time with Joseph and Holly! We haven't been able to just hang out with them since I was in Athens at pharmacy school. They are such cool kids -- so laid back and fun, always up for adventure, and they share our love of delicious food. 

We spent Saturday morning wandering around Pearl Street, stopping for coffee at Ozo, hands down my favorite coffee in Boulder. The gorgeous blue sky and flatirons made a great backdrop for the cold day and hot coffee warming our hands. We bopped into the Patagonia store, where husband bought me what I call a "sleeping bag" jacket. It's just. so. warm.

We lunched at Illegal Pete's, and let me tell you, the chicken pesto burrito is where it's at. After lunch, the snow started and we packed up and headed to Winter Park with plans of skiing the next day. The evening was spent telling stories, eating homemade tacos, and playing spades and taboo. Ha! We love games, especially when we have friends to play them with.

We actually spent another 24 hours in Boulder at the end of our trip. We had dinner at a really neat new restaurant called Under the Sun. Delicious handhelds {sandwhiches} made of lemon rosemary chicken + sun-dried tomato aioli + arugula + mozzerella and pulled pork + bacon + honey mustard + arugula served with kale slaw. Um, yes please. The following morning we brunched at Snooze, which was akin to my favorite Athens spot. Breakfast burritos, egg scramblers with goat cheese, and a homemade hashbrown with each plate. 

Needless to say, I was pretty smitten with Boulder. If only we had family out there, we would move in a heartbeat... but we just can't stand being that far from our loved ones. So we will visit... often.

xoxo 

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The Fashionista's Guide to the Great Outdoors: Vol. III: Skiing

It is that time of year again when snow flurries begin to fall and ski slopes begin their seasons. It's around this time of December that I long to live in places like Breckenridge, Vail or Lake Tahoe. Not only would some snow make the season more festive, the skiing in those cities is phenomenal. Although West Virginia does have its perks for those of us living in the southeast, there's just no comparison to the mountains of the west.

Like most of you, I simply cannot peruse through ski towns or carve down the slopes looking drab and dull. Among my favorite places to find ski apparel that fits my style are Urban Outfitters and Target for base layers and hoodies and Anthropologie for great scarves, hats, and non-ski gloves. You can also find some fun things at REI, especially warm socks, toboggans, ear warmers, etc.

Every layer is important when dealing with such frigid temperatures, but those layers can also be fun to wear. As I have mentioned before, your base layer is vital, so choose something along the lines of Under Armor. As long as you have something that will absorb water without letting heat out, you'll be golden. When it comes to skiing, I would definitely add long underwear beneath your ski pants and a layer of waterproof socks. If you are cold-natured like yours truly, I would suggest a layer of tights, then long underwear, then ski pants.

If you want something more fun and colorful, choose two to three colors and play with your layers. Honestly, not many people will see your base layers, but I personally like them to be as fun as possible. Also, bright colors show up well on the slopes and can help your friends identify you, so choose scarves, hats, and gloves in colors that you like. Another important accessory is goggles or sunglasses. If it is snowing, I would go with goggles, but if the weather is clear and sunny, sunglasses will do the trick.

When it comes to actual ski clothes such as insulated pants and jackets, I would definitely check places like Moosejaw, REI, and a local ski and sport store (Peter Glenn for you Georgians). Brands to look for include Roxy, Volcom,and Burton for some of the more fun colors and patterns. As for skis and snowboards, you really need to go have the bindings fit to your shoe size and board/skis fit to your expertise level.

Happy winter to you all and happy skiing to those of you who share my love of snow!

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