Yesterday we set out to ski two mountains in one day. We started the morning going over Swan Lake Road from Breckenridge to Keystone. When we arrived a little after 10 we were able to park in the third row of the free lot at River Run and walk right up to the lift at the base (we avoid the gondola).
We actually hadn’t been to Keystone in a while and found that they’ve been making a lot of snow which is nice. We also forgot how much easier it is to get a lot of vertical feet at Keystone compared to other resorts (confirmed via EpicMix). Overall the conditions were really good given no new snow in over a week. We made our way all the way to the Outback and had no real complaints. Sure there are some rocks and trees in the moguls but overall the skiing was great.
Around 1 PM we headed down and stopped for lunch at Empire Burger in Breck. It’s a great off-mountain option if you can swing it. We parked in the Tonopah Lot off ridge street and had no problem finding a seat. We nabbed the “Locals Special” which is worth looking in to if you ever happen in on a week day.
We slid into the Gondola lot at Breckenridge a little after 2 and parked in the front row again. We were on Peak 7 within a few minutes and off to do some practicing. Rachel has been working on her skiing skills. She did her first two mogul runs at Keystone and she and I practiced sliding, skiing on icy patches, and quick stops at Breckenridge and made a nice afternoon of it.
By the way, if you ski at Breckenridge and Keystone in the same day you earn the “Breckstone” pin (worth 200 points) on EpicMix. You also receive the “Two Timer” pin (also worth 200 points). You know, in case you’re into that sort of thing (I am!).