For the 2026 ski season, I planned a trip to Colorado to visit a few Epic Pass resorts over Super Bowl weekend. Alex joined the trip to visit Madeline and, hopefully, get some skiing in as well.
Unfortunately, this season's snowfall had been pretty abysmal. With the forecast calling for highs around 60°F, we decided to bring climbing gear so we could possibly squeeze in both climbing and skiing over the same weekend.
Travel day went smoothly—we carpooled, arrived at the airport at a reasonable time, and made all of our flights without issue. After an uneventful Friday, we opted for a relaxed schedule: climbing on Saturday and skiing on Super Bowl Sunday. This plan kept things mellow and spared us from alpine starts on both days.
On Saturday, we headed to Clear Creek Canyon, specifically an area called The Catslab, where Madeline had a route she wanted to try. The drive and approach were straightforward, and we reached the crag in no time. I ended up rope-gunning for the day and led three routes—Jellicle Cats, Crystal Cats, and Mr. Mistoffeles—ranging from 5.9 to 5.10a/b. All three were excellent climbs with engaging slab movement, a style I've grown to love more and more over the years.
On the third route, Madeline unfortunately took a hard whipper and hurt her back. We were concerned she might have aggravated a previous injury, but she was able to rally and finish the climb. She later showed some impressive bruising on her hip, which took the brunt of the impact.
After climbing, we headed home to clean up and then went out to a wine and tapas restaurant that Madeline loves. The food was fantastic—highlights included the patatas bravas and oyster mushrooms—and I capped off the evening by attempting a porron pour, which added a bit of extra entertainment.
On Super Bowl Sunday, we finally made it up to Keystone for a mellow ski day. None of us were quite firing on all cylinders—both Alex and Madeline managed to fall in the parking lot—but it was still an enjoyable day on snow. I logged my biggest vertical day in the past two seasons, and Alex achieved his goal of completing 15 runs.
After skiing, we found a sushi restaurant and enjoyed a great meal while feeling very underdressed—and noticeably stinky—compared to the rest of the patrons.
On Monday morning, Alex and I headed out early to check out a ski shop, though we didn't end up buying anything. We then made our way to the airport ahead of schedule so Alex could introduce me to the joy of airport lounges. After two hours of unlimited food and drinks, we flew home full and content after a relaxed, adventure-filled long weekend.