How was your ski season 2012-13?

Killington is still spinning, perhaps through June - and The West just got dumped on - a foot of fresh at Arapahoe Basin. But I have switched gears to biking. Next week we launch the ski boat for some h2o skiing.

With a  hint of melancholy - here's my best and worst of this 2012-13 ski season:

The best was the SNOW, plenty of consistent snow fall East and West, and no big January thaws. So much better than the previous winter...thank you Mother Nature for quieting the global warming gurus.

The Weather Channel won respect with their crazy snow storm - very well timed for a bountiful snow year. Who will ever forget Nemo and Euclid's big dumps?! Network meteorologists resisted the urge to whisper the Weather Channel names! Brilliant branding.

There were monumental mountain birthdays - Vail hit the big 50, Loveland 70, NH's Gunstock, Cranmore and Cannon all turned 75. Dumont Cup at Sunday River reached 5 years - an event I have covered since Simon first hucked himself 75' in 2008 to break the world record. Hard to believe Sugarloaf's Reggae Fest turned 25!

My son passed his Level 2 PISA certification, while attending school full time at MSU and teaching skiing on weekends at Big Sky Resort in Montana. I am so very proud of his successful balancing act. I also admire how beautifully Ian skis - both technically and joyfully. He truly loves the sport we shared with him 19 years ago, starting at 23 months old. He has taken in to the next level - literally - PSIA Level 2! Those in the know recognize the alpine rigors of this examination process and the professionalism required.

Greg and I had amazing adventures, as usual, but I never take for granted our travels. We skied our way up the St Lawrence Seaway in Quebec over New Years. It was frigid cold, but the fantastic scenery and hospitality in Quebec City, Mont Sainte Anne and Le Massif were worth the chill.

Our ski safari to southwest Colorado unveiled new stashes, Telluride being a new favorite, Durango a close second, plus Crested Butte, Monarch and Wolf Creek. A refreshing detour from the big resorts and crowds of Summit County.

A romantic getaway to Bretton Woods and the grand Mount Washington Resort Hotel was a lovely reminder that New England has some top lodging, skiing and scenery - where you can sneak away even for a night and feel exhilarated.


Ending the ski season in the Swiss Alps, yeah that was cool too. Seriously, Switzerland is the king of skiing and we hit five of the best, from charming Adelboden and the vast Aletsch Arena, to the spectacular glaciers at Saas Fee, the steeps of Verbier, and the grand finale - Zermatt! Greg had proposed to me 27 years ago at this legendary ski resort...returning for three days of sun and perfect snow did not disappoint! A vow renewal...we love each other and skiing... still.

This ski season was slightly blemished by my tibia fracture, time stamp 1/28/13 11:30. I kept skiing - amid the 12 day assignment, stoic or silly? In my skier's silver lining playbook, I had the upside of a same season comeback, squeezing in 44 ski days. Already looking forward to next year's 47! Need to start skiing my age in days...and you?

Southwest Ski Safari

Not everyone can keep up with our LuxurySkiTrips.com and FamilySkiTrips.com pace...ok, its more like a race. Its pretty hectic when Heather & Greg, the chief editor and photographer, take a ski media trip. Picture hauling all your ski gear (planes, trains and automobiles) plus laptops, cameras, notepads. You hit the ground running, skiing on your arrival and departure days - which often requires changing into your ski boots and clothes in the rental car. Imagine staying in 6 different hotel properties in 11 nights! That's right. Just when you get the lay of the land on one ski resort trail map, its on to the next  of 7 mountains. No complaints - just no dust on us!

Oh, then there are the meetings with each marketing director or PR person at each resort, for coffee, drinks, dinner - whatever their pleasure. We make every meet and greet on time and ready for anything  - although we secretly (its out now) prefer the first tracks chairlift chat followed by a high elevation lunch with our new ski peeps. Heather can takes notes on the fly - her handy notepad is always in her ski jacket pocket, and Greg's camera is always good to go. Even better is when ski resort personnel show up in bright colors for phoot shoots - since otherwise its Heather starring in all our ski photos...so she packs severaljackets (roygbiv of ski attire).

Our latest ski safari in Southwest Colorado, we skied at Arapahoe Basin, Purgatory Durango, Telluride, Crested Butte, Monarch Mountain, Silverton Powdercats, and Wolf Creek in 11 days, bringing new snow whereever we go. We loved them all and could have stayed for a week at each, but that's not how we roll. We drove 1,000 miles through 14 mountain passes of spectacular mountain mesas, Colorado canyons, red rocks, with splendid 14,000' peak scenery - spending an entire 11 days above 7,000' in elevation - a lofty itinerary to say the least (never mind with a fractured tibia on day 4/11 - but that's another story)!

See our Southwest Ski Safari in Colorado and see if you are game for our ski beat!  But please don't send you resume.