My Traveling Diaries | 2016 | Vail, Colorado, USA

I don't know what's better than spending time with family and friends while snow blankets the trees and mountains. Weeks ago, a family skiing trip to Colorado was in the works. I'm not much of a snowboarder, which is really surprising at the fact that I live in the state that has the greatest snow on earth. When it was finally time to take another road trip, Seth and I cleaned up the house, packed up our bags, unplugged appliances and we set off into the night to Vail, Colorado.

Copper Mountain was only a short drive from where we were staying and the place we skiied at the most! The mountain has thousands of acres of terrain to ski on bringing in people from all over the world come to ski. Ski towns are the coolest, because you can find housing, shopping, restaurants all in one spot! I was excited to give snowboarding another shot! The runs are honestly for intermediate to expert snowboarders, plus I was pretty physically and mentally beat after my first run, but at least I made it down the mountain!

We went back to the mountain multiple times over the weekend and I got a few more runs in down the mountain. I was definitely picking it up, but after so many falls you get pretty exhausted. But nonetheless, you can't beat spending time with family!

On Thursday night, we headed to Breckenridge, the most perfect ski town you could find that is the largest historic district in Colorado. In the 1850s it began as a mining town. There are many stories of mining accidents, robberies and ghosts that reside within the town and by the 1960s it had become far less populated. A few years later a ski lift was installed and started bringing people again to ski and snowboard. Today it is known for the colorful and historic 100 year old buildings that are filled with shops, bars, restaurants and more. This place immediately feels like home the moment you arrive. We walked around and explored the shops and had dinner at Eric's, a downstairs restaurant that has delicious burgers, pizzas and cal-zones. This place takes pizza seriously; it's not complete without lots of sauce and lots of cheese.

On Friday we explored a lot of Vail. Vail is known as the largest skiing area in the United States. After settlers came and began farming the land, gold and silver was discovered and quickly became a place for mining. John Burke and Earl Eaton began discussing the idea of creating a ski resort in th3 1960s and nearly 20 years later, Vail became one of the most popular ski areas in Colorado. We grabbed some hot chocolate from the Big Bear Bistro, walked around the shops and enjoyed a relaxing afternoon.

Before we left, we went to the Colorado Ski and Snowboard Museum that's located in Vail. It's small, but packed with famous boards, Olympic medals and suits of some of the greatest skiers that come from Colorado. I sorted through the gifts, photos and trinkets of the store and found some for family members and us. As we were checking out, the cashier noticed Seth's bronco hat. She was a long time Denver resident who had her own Italian restaurant back in the day. She used to feed the some of Denver's famous players like John Elway and Gary Kubiack. She was so bubbly and kind, it was really fun talking to her!

I wouldn't mind living in Colorado one day. Everyone was so welcoming and warm in Vail, that you really do feel like you're already at home. Plus, the mountains are incredible and is the perfect dreamland for all skiing and snowboarding fanatics. Next step, learn how to toe side carve!

Thanks For Reading

Love, Nick

CITED SOURCES

Cooper Mountain(link to article)

Breckenridge(link to article)

Vail(link to article)