the    sides

Dad and I were running up to Arapahoe Basin for one last day of skiing. For him that would be his 5th day (not bad for a guy who lives in Alabama). It would be my 29th day of the season. To get 29 days in is incredible but not all of them were full days of skiing. One was a one run day, another was a 2-run day - way too cold.

We got a late start out of town which was fine. Gave time for the roads to clear up since we got a few inches of snow the night before.

We got just outside of Georgetown and the roads starting getting a bit icy. I was slowing down - mainly because I saw a SUV catching up with me and I didn’t like the speed he was going. As he passed me - I got a windshield full of slush, snow, and ice and at that exact moment we hit a patch of ice.

We were going 50-55 mph when the back end of my car starting pushing the front end and we were sliding towards the guardrail, spinning. The driver side front bumper slammed into the railing spinning us around so that we got a great look at the oncoming traffic. Suddenly the back end of the car hit the rail which zipped us back around facing the right direction. Since we were both wearing our seatbelts, it wasn’t a huge shock of a crash. I could feel the car wanting to go around one more time but somehow I managed to get control of it and headed for the median. The engine was dead. A quick look up revealed that traffic was coming. The SUV that flew by me was nowhere to be found.

And the airbags never went off.

Sometime in the middle of the spin, Dad and I actually had a conversation.

I said - “I’m okay. I’m not banged up or anything.”

Dad said - “I am too but we’re not out of this yet.”

As we rested in the median and evaluated the damage - we had to admit we were pretty fortunate. There were no other vehicles involved. There were no leaks from the engine, oil pan, or radiator. The engine cranked right up and we headed to the next exit for a closer inspection and to relax.

After some time at a gas station and filing a police report, we decided we might as well get a half day of skiing in. (As an aside, A-Basin was a decent place to ski. Lots of advanced and expert terrain. Montezuma Bowl is a great addition to the place. It’s not a ‘family-friendly’ place in terms of the terrain. With only a couple of green runs - you’d be better off taking your newbies to Copper or Winter Park. But if you are a bowl addict and love steep terrain - this is your place.)

On one hand I have every reason to be thankful. And I am. Dad and I walked away unscathed. The car took the most damage and cars can be replaced. There were so many things that could have gone wrong and didn’t. I thank God for all the details I can see and especially those that I can’t.

On the other hand, I’m just ticked as all get out. I saw the SUV coming up behind me and was slowing down to avoid exactly what happened. I wasn’t speeding, I was driving slower than the flow of traffic, and I was trying to be cautious. It just wasn’t enough. The 10 seconds of total lack of control was the most humbling, terrifying 10 seconds of my life.

Today I got the damage report on the Hyundai - $7700. Mainly because the frame of the car is bent. I’d rather deal with my insurance company on this than hospital bills.