Ever fall off a chairlift?  Me either.  Until today.  I’ve been skiing for 35 years and today was my first chair lift fail.  The Painter Boy lift is extremely close to the ground and my board caught its edge before leaving the base.  I flipped over the front of the lift and grabbed the chair to keep it from cleaving off my chin.  I held on long enough for some clearance before dropping and rolling out of the way.  Ellie didn’t miss a beat though.  “I’ll wait for you at the top Dad!”

Still, I had one of my best snow boarding days ever.  The morning started off snowy with powder too deep for Ellie and me to easily navigate, but the sun came out soon enough and the conditions turned out to be spectacular by noon.

We ended up eating pizza for dinner at Secret Stash on Elk Street.  Hard to describe such an eclectic place, our booth was set against this wall of books, but I can tell you the food was awesome.  And they served an IPA by Irwin Brewing Company.  I’d tell you the name of the beer is 11, but the waiter wasn’t clear on that, it wasn’t on the menu, and Irwin Brewing is having issues with their online presence.  I can however quote the waiter with confidence in saying this is the best and only good locally crafted IPA in Crested Butte.  Look for it.