Ski/cross-country/snowshoe Monarch/Salida Jan 17-21

In a repeat of a classic outing, let's head north over the Martin Luther King holiday weekend downhill/ crosscountry/ snowshoe around Monarch Pass. Signs so far are hopeful for the ski season, and snow at Monarch is generally reliable. We will head for Salida to establish a base in a comfortable house or cabin, and spend our days in winter sports in the Monarch Pass area. Any of the 3 top Pajarito season passes offer three free days at Monarch, and otherwise tickets are relatively inexpensive online. Monarch is a high Continental Divide ski area with wonderful views, and is skiing of the old fashioned kind, without the glitz and expense one finds farther north in Colorado. There are several snowshoe/XC options; a classic is the old Monarch Pass trail. Salida is an interesting town with some nice restaurants. There are even hiking options along the Arkansas River if we have a warm day.

We will drive up in the afternoon on Thursday, January 17, and stay in a rented house for four nights. We spend three full days doing winter sports, and will return on Monday the 21th, perhaps squeezing in a morning outing of some sort. Please let me know at bill@priedhorsky.net if you are interested. I would appreciate a $150 deposit per person to make the house deposit. In the past the per person cost has been in the $150-200 range for the weekend, depending on the house and how we fill it. These have been wonderful weekends in the past, and I expect another.