Trading in Skis for Mountain Bikes in the American Desert

Off season, or mud season, is an interesting part of living in a ski town. It is a part that I had not considered when I moved to Crested Butte with visions of snow-filled mountains in the winter turned to exquisite views and countless places to wander in the summer. It is the in-between time of seasons when snow melts and turns to mud; when dog poop that was strategically buried in snowed-in yards suddenly comes into the open air and into our senses. It is a quiet time of year where no tourists come to visit, and few businesses choose to stay open. It is nice to suddenly not see a stranger no matter where you go. It is also a time when people who grasp the ski-bum life by the horns take to the road or to the beach. Last year Trent and I opted for the latter and spent a few weeks back packing through Nicaragua, a nice change of weather and scenery.

This year we packed up the truck and took off toward the South-Western US. We said good-bye to what was left of Colorado snow behind in exchange for desert sand. We traded in our skis for mountain bikes, and our hearts that live for mountains shifted in awe for exquisite red rock formations.

And our journey begins…

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Melting into Mountain Bikes and Other Holidays

Today is a very special holiday. It marks the beginning of spring, the end of winter, and brings the promise of wild flowers and mountain bikes. Today is Closing Day! Crested Butte Mountain Resort officially closes its slopes, and the town parties.

Okay, that isn’t entirely true. You see, usually on this special day, we acknowledge that in fact it’s not the end of winter, far from it. Last year it was still snowing in June! Closing Day actually represents either migrating west to the desert for biking or Central America for surfing. The few that actually stick out our “off season” usually have at least another month of winter as they trade in their resort gear for their backcountry gear.

This year is different. It isn’t a secret that this season has been missing one crucial thing. Snow. Oh we got our random 10-inch days when friends became strangers in the lift line while we got our fix of fresh pow, but in the past month I have been mountain biking more than I have been skiing. Very un-ski-bumette of me, I know. But when skiing no longer has the adrenaline rush we are after (aside from dodging rocks), we mountain folk find something that does. It’s just usually not until summer.

This closing day may be more about drinking on the bar decks in the sun than skiing, but it is still a very special day here. It is officially spring, and we no longer have to feel guilty about not using our hard-earned passes.

Happy Closing Day everyone! Enjoy the beauty of winter melting into spring and skis traded in for whatever it is that brings you joy in these few warm months.