Blizzard of '10 - Dillon/Silverthorne CO

So I headed up to Keystone on Tuesday on a whim, hoping I'd be able to get my pass and figure out some details of my employee housing. I had enough foresight to grab my board and some clothes/gear, but didn't really intend on using/needing them. BOY WAS I WRONG!

After taking care of some business and renewing my pass, I decided to hit the slopes for a few laps. It was overcast and there were a few inches of new snow, but nothing major and there was little wind. I left the hill around 3pm, and by 3:15 at my car I was standing in a major whiteout. A blizzard came booming into the Dillon valley and we were bombarded with at least 6" of snow and 60+mph winds, making visibility essentially zero.

I knew the pass would be closed, so I headed towards I-70. It took me 45 mins to make it the easy 6 miles into town, and on the way I heard about the severity of the storm on the radio. Assuming I'd be stuck for a while, I decided Ruby Tuesday was the best stop to bed down, and I hit up the bar where you can still get happy hour in a storm! I was the first of MANY stranded travelers to arrive, and we all just sat and told our stories while the weather died down outside.

After a few hours, around 6pm, the weather had lifted considerably, but I-70 was closed from Vail to Idaho Springs, and getting back to Denver was out of the question. I was fortunate enough to make a friend at the bar, Steve, who was kind enough to offer me a bed and his Jeep. "$$ck it, lets go party!" I said. We bounced around a few bars in Dillon looking for a crowd, but eventually settled on heading back to Breck, closer to people and his condo. The Dillon dam road eventually opened again, and we pulled into Breck just before 10pm. We settled in at Jake's Dive Bar on the strip, and proceeded to commiserate with the locals over the course of SEVERAL drinks.

Steve's place turned out to be more than it was cracked up to be, and I was put up in first class accommodations in my own room, king size bed, full kitchen and hot tub. And the best part - IT WAS FREE!!! Steve also turned out to be a great host and he's restored my faith that you CAN trust a stranger, especially in a pinch.

Anyway, it was quite a night and it worked out extremely well given the circumstances. Kinda makes me want to get stuck more often . . .