Monarch Mt is a true old school mountain. The mountain only had 1 regular speed quad, and the rest are only doubles. This is not your typical I-70 ski resort. Monarch is right on a the infamous monarch pass, where last year during a snowy-ice storm my 4-wheel drive decided to go out and we were force to take refuge in a old closed hotel.
The pass always sees significant snowfall, and sometimes seems to get more than Vail or Beaver Creek. The driver there was clear skys until we got to the bottom of the pass, then the snow started to fall. We picked a good day to ride there, because during the day they got about 10 fresh inches of snow.
Also the highlight of the day was went Derek, Jimmy, Eli, and I got a change to hike the un-touched Bowl.
When we got to the top of the one lift, we talked to one of the ski-patrol and found out that they were going to dropping the chain. Normally reserved for cat-skiing, this was some great terrain. It would be some steep and deep riding, one could really ask for more. I was the second one up to the top, after being pass by a grizzled local, who probably lived in a shack on the mountain. The drop off the 1st cornice was intense, about 10 feet out and 20 feet down. I landed on my feet, but having such a small board and so much snow, I rag-dolled for a bit through the soft and fluffy snow.
One of thing that happen on the trip is that Derek end up getting a concussion. After wrecking on a box, he got up and said that was the closest he had ever been to getting a concussion, and then said he was going to warm up in the lodge. Jimmy and I took one more run, and went to find Derek to leave. We find Derek randomly walking around the lodge, not having a