Aspen Peak - Niche Media - Aspen living at its peak
Issue link: http://digital.greengale.com/i/93399
BEAUTYand theBOWL BY ERIN LENTZ I look up at the man holding my gloved hand, helping me balance in the crowded snow cat. With breath visible in the frosty Caption will go here tk xerit lore del utpatisit velisl January morning, he yells, grinning, "Don't worry, I've got you." I'm kneel- ing in the midst of 20 skiers; all seats have been claimed on this alpine hitchhike from Loge Meadow at Aspen Highlands Ski Resort. With the exception of my friend and fellow snowboarder, we don't know anyone on the cat. But as I glance around it's quickly evident that this disparate assem- bly of skiers and riders—a weathered, fit-looking local with duct-taped Marmot pants, a Bogner-clad older dad with his 12-year-old son, whose hel- met announces an affinity for Red Bull and Simon Dumont—share a common mind-set. As we bump around in the back of the cat, clutching our snowboards and skis, the anticipation in the air is tangible, and one excited tourist vocalizes it. "Top of the morning!" he exclaims to no one really. Several in the cat smile at him, some are visibly nervous, and others look simply pumped, lost in the audio landscape of their iPods, yet visibly anxious 160 ASPENPEAK-MAGAZINE.COM With a hard-won reputation that lassoes top bragging rights in Colorado steep skiing, Highland Bowl's off-piste playground has evolved into an adrenaline-fueled rite of passage.