I appreciate the beauty of winter wonderlands but don’t typically seek them out as travel destinations. Fortunately, I needed to attend a work-related, winter conference at Snowmass and took every opportunity to savor the views.

Flying in during sunset was a great way to start the trip.

The first few days were quiet in terms of snow and it seems this had been the case for several weeks. As you can see in the images below, there wasn’t a lot of snow beyond the slopes with only modest coverage on mountains.

The lack of snow would be short-lived. When the snow finally came, it hit hard. The areas in the images below were completely free of snow the day before.

The snow brought a lot of excitement and activity around the slopes (above).

I ended getting snowed in at Snowmass – not a bad place to be locked down. The BBQ restaurant in the image above was my primary source of meals over three days of flight cancellations. Being forced to eat BBQ for three days…pinch me, I must be dreaming!

I’m not really into winter sports but Snowmass was a fun place to visit. There is a charming village at the bottom of the slopes for shopping and dining. The Westin, where I stayed, has the warm feeling of ski lodge and makes for a really nice place to stay. There is also a small ski village next to the Westin. And, you are within walking distance to that amazing BBQ restaurant.