Day Trip To Ski in Vail + Sunday Brunch in Denver

A few weeks ago, Allen and I set off on a little day trip to ski in Vail. It was my first time there, and boy oh boy was it amazing! Never had I ever skied in such deep, fresh powder. So I thought I’d share our fun little adventure exploring the Vail mountains and the Lionshead Village later that evening. I’ll also talk about a little Sunday brunch getaway at our favorite Denver spot at then end too! So without further ado…

//

First things first–coffee! We stopped by Panera on our way out of town (it’s right next to my apartment). For some unknown reason I’ve developed somewhat of a roadtrip habbit where a roadtrip isn’t a roadtrip without a coffee in hand. Haha! Something about the added warmth and coziness just help me relax a bit from my traditionally fast-paced life. Also, my galaxy leggings were giving me LIFE this day. They are the same brand (Hot Chilly’s) as my most worn base layer but in the coolest print. And if you’ve visited my About Page, you know I’m all about anything in a galaxy print!

It was really warm in Boulder this day, so I was quite a funny sight walking into Panera with pigtails (my chosen hair style of choice for a helmet), somewhat obnoxious galaxy leggings, 2 base layers on top, and furry snowboots. I’m sure they were all just very jealous we were going into the mountains (at least that’s what I tell myself!).

Once we arrived in Vail (~2 hour drive from Boulder), we headed straight onto the gondola to go up the mountain. The views were stunning! Sometimes I still find myself in disbelief that I live in such a beautiful place.

We hadn’t planned it this way, but our timing could not have been more perfect. Vail had just been dumped on with snow a day or so earlier, which made for the best skiing conditions I’ve ever, EVER been in. The trees were frosted in the most beautiful snow and it was as if we were in a Dr. Suess book, lost in a type of snowy Whoville.

Allen in his happy place! Love that smile of his!…and his love of the outdoors. Sometimes it rubs off on me in the best way possible. I’m truly blessed to have someone who pushes me to explore outdoors more than I would on my own.

Since Allen had been here before (and claimed it was his favorite resort, which is a big deal coming from him as a backcountry skier), I let him lead me around to all the best spots. We ended up going down some pretty difficult terrain, but the untouched powder made it all worth it. I was super thankful that Allen pushed me to go down runs I wouldn’t have taken myself down. He knows exactly how much to push me outside my comfort zone to truly improve and advance my skills. At times, yes, it was slowgoing. But in the end challenging myself ends up feeling like the best thing ever!

I mean…how gorgeous are these views?!

A very happy Kristin in the deepest snow she’s ever been in, with not another soul in sight.

We skiied a pretty long day and then around 2:30pm, the weather took a serious turn for the cold. Even Allen, who never complains about feeling cold, was miserable on the last run down. To this day I’m still not sure how the temperatures dropped so quickly!

Alas…once we got back to Lionshead Village, we stopped into a hut to warm up our bones. I snapped this picture as we were huddling close together by a heater inside. Despite the cold, a great day of skiing can lift anyone’s spirit!

Like I mentioned before, Allen had been to Vail with one of his Colorado-local friends before. And so he was set on having BBQ for dinner at a place he had been taken to previously–Moe’s Original BBQ. It’s a hidden hole in the wall kind of place, but wow was it good food after a cold day of skiing!

I got the smoked chicken with baked beans, mac and cheese, and grilled cornbread. Unfortunately for me, I was still on my 2-week gluten free cleanse (but had forgotten when ordering…old habits die hard). So I had to trade my gluten-filled mac and cheese for Allen’s Jambalaya. Luckily he was amenable to the trade. And to be honest, I was thoroughly surprised to find that the Jambalaya was ah-mazing! I ended up eating more of that than anything else. Haha!

Ah! Love this super happy, super grainy picture of Allen. He looks so, so happy! (I guess food after a long, cold day outside will do that. 😉 )

For his meal, Allen got a pulled pork sandwich with baked beans and Jambalaya mac and cheese. …Yum!

After dinner we spent a little time walking around Lionshead Village and taking in all the pretty, twinkling lights and evergreen-adorned shops.

Have you ever seen those chairs made out of skis? I always think they are just the coolest! So I had Allen take a seat in one and snapped a pretty little picture of him. Hi, love!

And then there is me…tryin’ stay warm in the frigid temperatures haha. A beanie and gloves are musts. Several layers of ski clothes don’t hurt either! 😉 I felt a bit like the Michelin Man, but didn’t think too much about it. Function over fashion when it comes to the cold!

A pretty picture of Lionshead Village as we headed back to the car to go back to Boulder. Love how the little village seems to light up and come to life as the sun sets behind the mountains. Overall it was such an amazing day of skiing and it’s safe to say that Vail has quickly become my favorite mountain to ski on (next to Beaver Creek of course). And while I can’t speak to anything other than my one Friday trip there, the fresh snow conditions and vastness of the mountains (read: not many people around) made for the most perfect skiing conditions I’ve ever been in! Already can’t wait to go back!

//

Sunday morning I had a fresh set of blog photos taken with Noah. For the past couple of months I had been doing photos with him during the week, so a weekend shoot was a fun excuse to bring Allen along and have brunch in the city afterwards. I always let Allen pick the place since 1) he wakes up early to drive me into downtown and 2) he always picks the best places! No sense in even trying to compete.

This particular morning he chose Jelly Cafe, my personal favorite brunch spot, and I couldn’t be more excited to go! Don’t have to ask me more than once when it comes to Jelly Cafe.

They specialize in handmade donut bites and unique jelly flavors…hence the “jelly” in the name. But what I go there for is something a little different…

First things first though…a warm vanilla latte….ahh…

Allen giving me the look that he’s ready to dive into his plate of food despite the fact that I’m telling him to slow down so I can take a picture. 🙂 Thanks for being so patient with me, Allen!

Allen ended up getting the sweet potato mash with a homemade biscuit and jelly. The jelly was really unique and had an almost Thai-like quality. Weird right?! But it was right up Allen’s alley when it comes to strange flavors. We asked what the flavor was and it was something like peach ginger.

For my breakfast, I got my all time Jelly Cafe favorite–the eggs Benedict! Jelly Cafe was actually the first place I ever tried eggs Benedict and let’s just say it was love at first bite. But their version is unique in that they serve it on sourdough bread, which really takes it up a notch over any others I’ve had since. So good! Good enough that this was the only time I broke my 2-week gluten cleanse. Worth it! Totally worth it.

After breakfast, we leisurely headed back to the car, enjoying the beautifully sunny day and stopping in any shops along the way that looked interesting. We stopped in one shop that had the most spectacular arrangement of cacti. I’ve been really into cacti and succulents recently 1) because they look so interesting and 2) they have been the only plants I haven’t killed in my apartment so far. Ha!

Anyways, here’s a snap of my weekend exploring outfit. Could not believe how gorgeous the weather was for a January day! I was almost hot in my jeans and moto jacket. Imagine that! (You can find a variation of this look in this post!)

What about you? Have you ever taken a day trip to ski? Where did you go?

You might also like…The Little Things From Our Time in Vail and A Fun Red Ruffle Top.