So what is a Skibbatical?
A Skibbatical as defined by Urban Dictionary is an extended break or hiatus from work, school or whoever bothers you, to go rip some turns by means of skis or a snowboard. Derivative of Sabbatical, but without getting paid. My friend actually started a site called Skibbatical.com. I don’t exactly fit all of those criteria though since I’m a self-employed web designer that can work from anywhere, but I did take an extended break from home to go rip some turns by means of a snowboard while getting paid. Personally I’d say this is an even better version of a skibbatical because who does’t want to make money while doing what they love?
When I was 16 I began traveling out west to snowboard starting with Colorado. Each year since then I’ve planned a trip with friends staying for a week to eighteen days at the most visiting different mountains. I’m currently up to 44 (6 new on this trip) and counting. One thing I had never done though is live out west for a season or at the very least have full control of my experience. So this trip was meant to change all that.
For the past three years I have bought an Epic Local Pass which provides unlimited, unrestricted skiing or riding at Breckenridge, Keystone, Afton Alps, Mt. Brighton and Arapahoe Basin with limited restrictions at Canyons, Heavenly, Northstar & Kirkwood. It also includes a total of 10 days at Vail and Beaver Creek with holiday restrictions. This only costs $529 which is incredibly cheap considering the average daily cost of the Colorado resorts is $119. I also bought the Mountain Collective Pass which provides 12 days at 9 amazing mountains for $379. Crazy good deal the more places you can visit, but you do of course have to consider travel costs to get to those places.
In order to have total flexibility I decided the best way to do my skibbatical was to drive. While this definitely cost more in gas money than a round trip plane ticket to Denver it provided me with 100% freedom. I used Facebook to see where I had friends and told them about my plans. For me I would much rather stay on a friends couch or guest bedroom than a hotel. Of course this saves a tremendous amount of money, but what’s more important is the conversations and experiences that are shared. Staying in a nice hotel has its perks, but staying with a friend (old or new), going to dinner and coming back to their place to end the night with a drink and some conversation is much more enjoyable in my opinion.
Below is a list of states, cities/towns, resorts, breweries, friends, restaurants and tourist/scenic destinations that I visited.
You can also jump to my day to day if you have any interest.
Days: 43
States Visited:
- West Virginia
- Kentucky
- Indiana
- Illinois
- Missouri
- Kansas
- Colorado
- Utah
- Wyoming
- Idaho
- Nebraska
- Iowa
- Ohio
- Pennsylvania
- Maryland
Cities/Towns Visited:
- Louisville, KY
- St. Louis, MO
- Kansas City, MO
- Kansas City, KS
- Denver, CO
- Arvada, CO
- Thornton, CO
- Salt Lake City, UT
- Wilson, WY
- Jackson Hole, WY
- Keystone, CO
- Silverthorn, CO
- Vail, CO
- Breckenridge, CO
- Avon, CO
- Morrison, CO
- Dillon, CO
- Eagle, CO
- Snowmass, CO
- Aspen, CO
- Edwards, CO
- Telluride, CO
- Montrose, CO
- Gunnison, CO
- Crested Butte, CO
- Monarch, CO
- Golden, CO
- Boulder, CO
- Lincoln, NE
- Omaha, NE
- Des Moines, IA
- Chicago, IL
- Washington, D.C.
Resorts Visited:
- Snowbird, UT
- Jackson Hole, WY
- Keystone, CO
- Vail, CO
- Copper Mountain, CO
- Loveland Ski Area, CO
- Beaver Creek, CO
- Aspen, CO
- Snowmass, CO
- Telluride, CO
- Crested Butte, CO
- Monarch, CO
Breweries Visited:
- Gordon Biersch Brewery, Kansas City, MO
- New Belgium Brewing Company, Ft. Collins, CO
- Great Divide Brewing Company, Denver, CO
- Breckenridge Brewery, Denver, CO
- Yak & Yeti Brewpub – Arvada, CO
- Crazy Mountain Brewing Company – Edwards, CO
- Gore Range Brewery – Edwards, CO
- Telluride Brewing Co – Telluride, CO
- Smuggler’s Brewpub – Telluride, CO
- Horsefly Brewing Company – Montrose, CO
- Coors Brewing Company – Golden, CO
- Avery Brewing Company – Boulder, CO
Friends Visited or Met:
- Brett Starbuck & Matt Veltman – Louisville, KY
- Kristen Polchinski – St. Louis, MO
- Molly McConnell – Denver, CO
- Rebecca Räbiger – Salt Lake City, UT
- Ryan Kearns – Snowbird, UT
- Renee Lee – Snowbird, UT
- Fil An – Snowbird, UT
- Teimour & Grace Solomon – Snowbird, UT
- Lila Crowley & a clan of others – Jackson Hole, WY
- Bobby & Annette Greene – Denver, CO
- Rachel Anderson & Michael Whipps – Keystone, CO
- Lauren Rainen – Keystone, CO
- Justin Williams – Avon, CO
- Julie Holland – Vail, CO
- Neil Clinebell – Aspen/Snowmass/Beaver Creek, CO
- Amanda Faircloth – Aspen, CO
- Craig & Valerie Stanford – Telluride, CO
- Jill Steinke & Brian Anderson – Telluride, CO
- Emily & Derek Goodyk – Des Moines, IA
- Rachael Holland – Chicago, IL
- Fallon Russel – Chicago, IL
- David & Michelle Burton & Chris Colglazier – Washington, D.C.
Restaurants/Bars/Events Visited:
- R Place Pub – Louisville, KY
- Pi Pizzeria – St. Louis, MO
- Gordon Biersch Brewery & Restaurant – Kansas City, MO
- Flying Saucer – Kansas City, MO
- Peaks Lounge Hyatt Denver – Denver, CO
- Ocean Prime – Denver, CO
- Hater’s – Denver, CO
- The Annex by Epic Brewing – Salt Lake City, UT
- Forklift Restaurant – Snowbird, UT
- Nick Wilson’s Cowboy Cafe – Jackson Hole, WY
- Corbet’s Cabin – Jackson Hole, WY
- Stagecoach Bar – Wilson, WY
- Elevated Grounds Coffee – Wilson, WY
- New Belgium Brewery – Ft. Collins, CO
- Great Divide Brewing Company – Denver, CO
- Yak & Yeti Restaurant & Brewpub – Arvada, CO
- The Arvada Tavern – Arvada, CO
- Gunther Toody’s – Arvada, CO
- Breckenridge Colorado Craft – Denver, CO
- Last Lift Bar – Keystone, CO
- Loaded Joe’s Coffee House – Vail, CO
- Mountain Standard – Vail, CO
- Shakedown Bar – Vail, CO
- Red Lion – Vail, CO
- Belle’s Camp – Vail, CO
- Garfinkel’s Bar & Grill – Vail, CO
- Pazzo’s Pizza – Avon, CO
- Giggling Grizzly – Denver, CO
- Winter Brew Fest at Mile High Station – Denver, CO
- Incline Bar & Grille – Copper Mountain, CO
- The Cala Inn – Dillon, CO
- Arapahoe Cafe – Dillon, CO
- Snake River Saloon – Keystone, CO
- Whale’s Tale – Breckenridge, CO
- Breckenridge Distillery Tasting Room – Breckenridge, CO
- Double Black Noodle Bar – Aspen, CO
- Big Wrap – Aspen, CO
- Loaded Joe’s Coffee House – Avon, CO
- Spruce Saddle Lodge – Beaver Creek, CO
- Northside Coffee & Kitchen – Avon, CO
- Moe’s Original BBQ – Vail, CO
- No Se Hagan Bolas Taqueria – Avon, CO
- Crazy Mountain Brewing Company – Edwards, CO
- Gore Range Brewery – Edwards, CO
- Tommyboy Tavern – Telluride, CO
- Oak – Telluride, CO
- There – Telluride, CO
- New Sheridan Bar – Telluride, CO
- Last Dollar Saloon – Telluride, CO
- Giuseppe’s – Telluride, CO
- Floradora Saloon – Telluride, CO
- Gorrono Saloon – Telluride, CO
- Tracks Cafe & Bar – Telluride, CO
- Brown Dog Pizza – Telluride, CO
- Horsefly Brewing Company – Montrose, CO
- Lil’s Sushi Bar & Grill – Crested Butte, CO
- Avalanche Bar & Grill – Crested Butte, CO
- Butte 66 – Crested Butte, CO
- The Secret Stash – Crested Butte, CO
- The Ice Bar at Uley’s Cabin – Crested Butte, CO
- Iron Horse Tap Bar & Grill – Crested Butte, CO
- Coors Brewing Company – Golden, CO
- Avery Brewing Company – Boulder, CO
- Namiko’s – Arvada, CO
- The Gramercy Tap – Des Moines, IA
- Fong’s Pizza – Des Moines, IA
- The Royal Miles – Des Moines, IA
- Hessen Haus – Des Moines, IA
- Johnny’s Hall of Fame – Des Moines, IA
- Big Bowl – Chicago, IL
- Charleston – Chicago, IL
- Danny’s Tavern – Chicago, IL
- The Signature Room – Chicago, IL
- Giordano’s – Chicago, IL
- Sunda – Chicago, IL
- American Junkie – Chicago, IL
- Three Dots and a Dash – Chicago, IL
- Pearl Dive Oyster Bar – Washington, D.C.
- Cafe Saint-Ex – Washington, D.C.
- Solly’s U Street Tavern – Washington, D.C.
Scenic/Tourist Destinations
- Gateway Arch – St. Louis, MO
- Power & Light District – Kansas City, MO
- Larimer Square – Denver, CO
- Great Salt Lake – Salt Lake City, UT
- Snake River, WY/ID
- Teton Pass, WY
- 16th Street Mall – Denver, CO
- Red Rocks Park & Amphitheater – Morrison, CO
- Ridgeway State Park – Ridgeway, CO
- South Table Mountain Top – Golden, CO
- Coors Brewing Company – Golden, CO
- Pearl Street Mall – Boulder, CO
- Avery Brewing Company – Boulder, CO
- Nebraska Cornhuskers Memorial Stadium – Lincoln, NE
- Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge – Omaha, NE
- John Hancock Building/The Signature Lounge – Chicago, IL
- Wicker Park – Chicago, IL
- Navy Pier – Chicago, IL
- Lake Michigan – Chicago, IL
- Millennium Park/Cloud Gate “The Bean” – Chicago, IL
Day 1: Richmond, VA > Louisville, KY – A friend (Brett Starbuck) graciously took me in for the evening. I got to hangout with her before she headed to work and then spent the remainder of the night with her boyfriend watching them play indoor sand volleyball.
Day 2: Louisville, KY > St. Louis, MO – I had organized lunch with my friend (Kristen Polchinski) I hadn’t seen in many years. Since I hadn’t visited St. Louis before I did the tourist thing and went up in the Gateway Arch. It’s only $10 so if you’re ever there it’s worth the hour. They had just gotten 12″ of snow which made the city beautiful from above. Seeing St. Louis made me want to go back there sometime.
Day 2 Continued: St. Louis, MO > Kansas City, MO – Some friends told me to visit the Power & Light District and I’m glad I did. It’s an eight block area with bars, restaurants and shops. It’s exactly what a visitor is looking for. The vibe was great so I just wondered around, visited two different restaurant/bars, had some dinner and called it a night. I didn’t have a friend in Kansas City so I used Couchsurfing and found a guy that was willing to let me crash for the night. We hung out and talked about each of our travels for a few hours before going to sleep.
Days 3-4: Kansas City, MO > Denver, CO – I wasn’t looking forward to this leg because so many people told me how long and boring the drive was through Kansas. Now while I couldn’t agree more that is was both long and boring I actually just embraced the moment and it was really peaceful. My mind was at ease and I wasn’t thinking about anything other than my music and the open road. I did get pulled for driving in the left lane too long (doh!), but I was let go with a warning which was nice. I thought that only happened to girls so clearly I’m a charmer.
Once I reached Denver it was getting close for the snowboarding part of the trip to start. I stayed with a friend that I met in Virginia (Molly McConnell) who had just moved to Denver. I met her roommates and some of her friends from Bozeman, MT. We had a great dinner at Ocean Prime in Larimer Square and finished the night with some drinks at a local bar.
Days 5-7: Denver, CO > Salt Lake City, UT – Molly and I headed west to use our two Mountain Collective days at Snowbird and stayed with my friend (Rebecca Räbiger). 17″ fell the first day which certainly got the snowboarding portion of the trip off to a good start. I got to also catch up and ride with a few of my Tahoe friends that were also in town (Ryan Kearns & Renee Lee) and my friends from New York City (Teimour & Grace Solomon).
Days 8-10: Salt Lake City, UT > Jackson Hole, WY – We left SLC and visited one of Molly’s long time friends (Lila Crowley) who lives and works on the mountain. It worked perfectly to go there and use our pass that included 2 days at Jackson Hole. The storm that we got while in Snowbird also hit them so the first night we hiked Mt. Glory on Teton Pass during a full moon and snowboarded for hours to the bottom until 1am. It was seriously one of the coolest things I have ever done. A lifetime memory for sure. We had such an awesome time and I met a lot of great new people.
Days 11-13: Jackson Hole, WY > Denver, CO – Time to head back to Denver for a few days. I got together with a good friend (Bobby Greene) and his wife (Annette Greene) and spent some time at their new business Zo Salon Denver. We also got to see the Broncos beat the Patriots to reach the Superbowl.
Days 14-16: Denver, CO > Keystone, CO > Beaver Creek, CO – After a few days in the city I decided to head back to the mountains. I first went to Keystone and spent a solo day snowboarding. From there I went to Beaver Creek and met up with my cousin (Justin Williams) who is working for Vail this winter. We rode Vail for two days and I got to see my Australian friend (Rachel Anderson) and her boyfriend (Michael Whipps) who are working as ski patrol for the winter at Keystone. We met each other 10 years prior at Squaw Valley, CA so it was really cool to reunite. I also got see my friend (Julie Holland) that I met one year prior at Beaver Creek and we had a perfect blue bird day.
Days 17-21: Beaver Creek, CO > Denver, CO – Since there was no new snow or storms in the forecast I decided to go back to Denver again. I went to the Denver Winter Brew Festival at Mile High Station where all of Colorado’s top breweries were represented. My favorite beer was from Blue Moon Brewing Co called Tounge Thai-ed. Seriously y’all try it. Very unique flavors.
I went Snowboarding at Copper Mountain (a new resort for me) followed by Red Rocks Park & Amphitheater and finally an amazing home cooked meal of Mussels, Crab Legs, Steak and Brussel Sprouts with bacon and blue cheese. It doesn’t get much better than that.
Day 22: Denver, CO > Loveland, CO > Keystone, CO – I took another solo day and went to Loveland Ski Area (a new resort for me). They got 8+” and there was hardly anyone on the mountain. Here is a little something I threw together from that day. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxNkaG1TPpU. I then met up with my Aussie friend who live in Dillon, CO and another friend (Lauren Rainen) who I met in Chile this past summer who lives in Keystone, CO and had some drinks.
Days 23-25: Keystone, CO > Beaver Creek, CO – I went to Vail/Beaver Creek and caught a huge storm that left 36″ in 24 hours. The conditions were seriously epic. Here is a video I made on a waist deep powder day in Blue Sky Basin at Vail. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8k09wYUoRRQ.
Days 26-28: Beaver Creek, CO > Aspen/Snowmass, CO – I picked up two of my friends from Eagle Airport (Neil Clinebell & Amanda Faircloth) and went to Aspen/Snowmass. We road each of those mountains since Neil and I hadn’t been to either. Snowmass was amazing. Super long runs, tons of fresh pow, great trees and hikeable terrain. Aspen is much smaller, but the town is really cool. I would definitely go back and check out more of Aspen and hike Aspen Highlands.
Days 29-31: Aspen/Snowmass, CO > Beaver Creek, CO – I returned to Vail/Beaver Creek with Neil, my cousin, Lee Markel and a new friend (Jessica Sloat). The snow just kept coming so the conditions were just too good to not go out. I rode seven consecutive days and 9 0f 11 if that tells you anything.
Days 32-34: Beaver Creek, CO > Telluride, CO – It was time to head south to Telluride. This is another resort I haven’t been to and since I have my car and a friend (Jill Steinkie) and her boyfriend (Brian Anderson) that live there I couldn’t find any reason other than time and effort that would keep me from going there. What an awesome town and mountain. I went to a bunch of different restaurants, bars and breweries and did a few amazing hikes. My friends Craig and Valeria who live in Scottsdale, AZ also made the trip and we all got together.I would definitely go back.
Days 35-37: Telluride, CO > Crested Butte, CO – Craig, Valerie and I left Telluride and headed to Crested Butte. None of us had been there so it was another new resort check. Crested Butte is known for it’s ruggedness and hikeable peaks. They had just received 25″ of snow the day before we arrived so they mountain was in excellent condition and we really had an amazing few days riding powder. The mountain has a small village and there is also a town a few miles back down the mountain that we went out for dinner in each night. Although it’s completely off by itself I would highly recommend visiting if you haven’t and I would definitely go back.
Day 38: Crested Butte, CO > Monarch, CO > Golden, CO > Boulder, CO > Denver, CO – I left Crested Butte and headed to Denver before heading back east for home. Along the way I filled up for gas and was provided a free lift ticket to Monarch Mountain. I was driving over the Monarch Pass through a huge snow storm and right at the top of the pass was Monarch. I had to stop and check it out so I geared up and hit the hill for two hours. It was a totally unexpected stop since my goal was to get to Denver and I also planned on stopping in Golden and Boulder.
After riding I continued to Golden, CO where I hiked South Table Mountain Top which look directly down on top of Golden and then went to the Coors Brewing Company. Golden was a really cool little town with a lot of character. From Golden and went to Boulder. It was my first time visiting Boulder and I’m glad I made the stop. It’s a really neat looking town with tons of shops, restaurants, bars, etc in a close proximity. I knew that Avery Brewing Company was there so I stopped off and sampled a few of their beers. There is even an outdoor pedestrian only mall called Pearl Street Mall. Next time I’m in Denver I will definitely make time to visit Boulder again.
Day 39: Denver, CO > Lincoln, NE > Omaha, NE > Des Moines, IA – It was time for the road trip back east and another city I had never been to was Chicago. I decided to stop in Lincoln to see the Nebraska Cornhuskers stadium and then found an awesome pedestrian bridge called the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge in Omaha, NE. I got there right as the sun was setting and took some pretty cool pictures of the city overlooking the Missouri River. I continued a few more hours to Des Moines, IA where I met my Airbnb hosts and went out on the town with them. Des Moines was a surprise to me. I hadn’t spent any time in the midwest and I had a great time seeing five different restaurant/bars. I can’t say I’m going back to Des Moines anytime soon, but it I was driving through again I would definitely call up my new friends and pay them a visit for the night.
Day 40: Des Moines, IA > Chicago, IL – This was the worst day of my entire trip. I had too much fun in Des Moines and woke up with the most epic hangover. On top of that it was snowing really hard and the roads were terrible. To put the icing on the cake I had to then drive five hour to Chicago. It ended up taking eight as I had to stop twice at rest areas and sleep for a total of two hours. I made it, but it was seriously the worst day ever. Des Moines 1, Me 0.
Once I got to Chicago I meet up with my friend (Rachael Holland) and we went to dinner. We then met up with a few of her friends and went to a couple of cool bars in the Wicker Park/Bucktown districts.
Day 41: Chicago, IL – This day was all about being a tourist. I saw frozen Lake Michigan, went to the Signature Lounge on the 96th Floor of the John Hancock Building, explored the Navy Yard, walked The Magnificent Mile which is loaded with all of the high end shops, visited Millenium Park and Cloud Gate “The Bean”, had the #1 deep dish pizza in Chicago, walked all through the city and saw the river and then met my friend (Fallon Russel) and two of her friend for dinner/drinks at Sunda a very hip restaurant in the city. From there we went to a Sunday Funday party at American Junkie and ended the night at an underground tiki lounge called Three Dots and a Dash. Really cool vibe and the drinks were amazing. Chicago is awesome and I can’t wait to go back in the summer because I hear it’s amazing.
Day 42: Chicago, IL > Washington, D.C. – This was the longest drive of the trip at 700 miles, but I got up super early and just crushed it. It wasn’t fun, but I didn’t have any plans to stop anywhere else so I just got it over with. I met up with some of my old school friends (David Burton & Chris Colglazier) and went to Pearl Dive Oyster Bar for dinner and a few other local spots afterwards. It was a great way to end the trip.
Day 43: Washington, D.C. > Richmond, VA – The end
Thank you to all that gave me a place to put my head from guest bedrooms, sleep sofas, inflatable mattresses in your room, futons, comfortable couches and uncomfortable couches. I did it all and it was totally worth it.
Thank you to all that met up with me in different places, went out with me on work nights, came snowboarding with me, went on road trips, etc.
It’s difficult to put into words how amazing it was. I might not ever get to do something like that again in my life so when you have that opportunity my advice is to go for it.
I will be able to look back on this trip for the rest of my life and remember I did something truly awesome.
Julie says
Yayyy love it! Glad I made it into your adventures.