Temperatures on the mountain have been in the single digits for the first runs of the last few days, but the frigid weather didn’t keep a few Wisconsinites from hitting the slopes.
Drew and Daniel Wielgus and Sam Falk from Madison were more focused on tracking vertical feet than worrying about the thermometer on the Silver Queen Gondola at Aspen Mountain on Monday.
Drew Wielgus attributes that to the “thick blood” of midwesterners used to this kind of cold.
“We’re from Madison, Wisconsin, so this is nice, this is great,” he said with a laugh. “It’s funny, I have local friends over the years I’ve met and they won’t even show up unless it’s at least like 30 degrees. And I’m like, ‘C’mon dudes, it’s a great day out, let’s go.’”
He’s been coming to Aspen for close to 25 years, first hooked on the slopes during a road trip about two and a half decades ago. This week, Drew’s hitting the slopes with college-aged Daniel Wielgus and Sam Falk, who didn’t seem fazed by the cold either.
“I found myself with my coat off the last couple of days even though it’s been negative temperatures, so I’ve had no issues with it,” Falk said.
For Drew’s son Daniel Wielgus, now at University of Colorado Boulder, skiing is “just addicting,” and “probably a bad habit,” he jokes.
He’s hoping to ski as many days as he can this season, “while maintaining good grades.”
Ditto from Falk, who goes to the Colorado School of Mines.
Reporter Kaya Williams spoke with the crew for our “Lift Lines” series, where we ask skiers and snowboarders why they love sliding on snow.
