Crested Butte Trip February 2010:

An interesting occurrence took place during the Onondaga Ski Club’s skiing adventure at Mt. Crested Butte, Colorado this past February. I was getting ready to apply a pre-shaving cream, and as I popped the top on the plastic bottle, the cream came out with a whoosh without any provocation/squeezing on my part. Why this happened put some grey cells to work, and then it became apparent. The Syracuse area is around 400 feet above sea level, and the Plaza Condominiums at the base of the mountain is around 9400 feet above sea level. What this means that any air tight container closed in the Syracuse area had an excess of air pressure at the higher altitude, hence the whoosh when it was opened. Technically, the air pressure in the Syracuse area is about 14.5 lbf (pound force/sq.in). Sea level is 14.7. At the base of the mountain, about 9.2.

What this really means is there’s a lot less oxygen in the air at 9400 feet, so each breath we took provided our bodies with less oxygen in the blood stream. Now, this had a really big influence on our ability to carry out any heavy physical activities for an extended time… at least at the onset. Talking with a local, he said it took about six weeks to get fully acclimated to this altitude. His advice; lots and lots of water, little alcohol and caffeine, and good nights of sleep.

So, did this deter the 32 members of the club from having a good time? No way!

Arriving late on a Saturday afternoon at the airport in Gunnison south of Mt. Crested Butte (MCB), we gathered our gear, boarded a provided bus, and headed to the grocery store in town to load up on food for our condos. Most stopped next store for some wine as well. Then it was a medium ride length to the Plaza at MCB. We checked in, and then most went out to a local eatery right in MCB to enjoy the first dinner of our ski trip. A few of us were a little shaky from the lack of sleep and the altitude, so headed to bed way before ten…which was midnight in NY. Keep in mind we met at Hancock between four and five AM to catch our 6:15 flight out.

Up until the week before we were to go to MCB, they did not get a lot of new snow. That Friday and continuing into Sunday, snow did fall. Those that opted to hit the slopes on Sunday were met by overcast conditions, low visibility, but POW (powder). From what I heard, it made tough going for some as we’re not used to having snow up to our knees (or higher!) to ski in. That and the lack of visibility created the Braille-ski method…you didn’t know what you were skiing on until you were skiing on it. But those who relished the deep stuff soldiered on, braving any and all conditions the mountain could throw at ’em. Even the “groomed” trails were a challenge as the snow covered these after they had been smoothed out the night before. Lots of tired bodies that evening, but we still did the wine and cheese thing. The w&c parties took place every evening before the dinner time, at one condo or another. We were able to view the day’s pictures and some videos on the TV’s in the condos which made for an enjoyable time.

Monday through Friday was different. High in the sky throughout all five days was this bright shining object. Yes, once In a while a cloud would float by, and we even had a quick snow-shower too. These past quickly by, and the sun would bless us again. Sun block became an important item to have on these days. The groomed trails were wide and long, some reaching way up the mountain. They keep the one called International groomed so anyone that can control their speed can say they did a steep black diamond in the land of double blacks…and beyond.

This is the ski area that hosts the extreme skiing challenge each year, you know, where the adrenalin junkies can take a leap off a cliff, hopefully land and cut their own path down through the rocks and trees all the while looking good. Right. These people are at an entirely different level than me for sure, and I think most of us. I do have to take my hat off to a few members that went up into the highlands area and skied the double black chutes and all. The moguls up there were very visible to those of us down below, and they looked BIG even at that distance. You know, we even had one guy do it without ski poles. That’s pretty good.

Interestingly enough we all seemed to meet at the Paradise Lodge up on the mountain around noon for lunch each day. Although unplanned, it did give all a chance to reconnect with the group and swap morning ski adventures. Then it was off to put some more miles under the skis before heading down for the w&c party…or the hot tub…or heading into Crested Butte proper, the town a ten minute free bus ride from MCB. Here in town were many restaurants and little shops. It’s an old original mining town, and they want to keep that distinction. You won’t find any fast food joints, big box stores, anything that would diminish the vintage aspect of the town. I love it. I could move there without a hic-cup. I even said that twenty years ago when I went there the first time…but it became ”the road not taken. And that has made all the difference”. The buildings may have been upgraded inside, but from the outside, it’s the 1880’s. The people that live here 24/7 are a friendly bunch, outdoorsy to the max. The local mode of transportation…mountain bikes with big gnarly treads or spikes. The town is small, so a vehicle is not needed to get around, and these people even ride (or drive) the buses up to the mountain area.

As one travels away from the town though, the abodes differ a bit. As you can imagine, up around MCB there are some pretty awesome homes. Someone counted seven fireplaces on one. Where you could get into a place in the town for a medium six figure price, up in the mountain area, seven figures seemed the norm. Talking with the locals, it seems most of these places are only used a few times a year…caretakers make sure nothing happens to them when they’re owners are out of town. Seems a shame to me (wonder if we could become live-in caretakers…hmmm).

Anyway, DA, Helen, Ken, Greg, Norm, Diane, Dee, Christa, Scott, Peggy, Tom, Kathy, David, Dottie, Jack, Marilyn, Oisin, Franz, Sunny, Velda, Robert, Kurt, Marsha, Anne, John S, Sue, John T, Linda, Kelly, Mark, Christine, and this writer sure had a great time on this Onondaga Ski Club trip hosted by Christa and John T at Mt. Crested Butte this year. Thanks, guys, and wonder where to next year?????

Oh yeah, remember how I described the differential air pressure between Syracuse and MCB in the beginning? When we landed back home, all the plastic fluid containers were crushed in a bit. But, no acclimating needed here.

Michael McCabe