Jet-Lag slumber

After the seriously long travel time to get here to Aspen i then spent nearly 2 days asleep! So the cousin I am staying with: Erika Decides i need some exercise! Well hiking is not easy when you are over 1 mile above sea level. We hiked a trail called Arbony and it gives a pretty good view of the valley. 

The Flight: London - New York

Well to start. I have never been one to sleep on a plane. and as this flight was during the day i decided to watch a constant stream of movies for 8 solid hours! In fact a specifically chose Virgin Atlantic so that i could do so. Upon arriving in New York i had 4 hours to kill until my flight over to Denver so i got myself a nice healthy snack... American Style...

By the time i left NYC the sun was setting and made for some amazing pictures, even if i couldnt portray that with my phone.

A Day Before I Leave.

Well the big day is just around the corner! tomorrow i set of on a nice 27ish hour journey to Aspen Colorado. And with such a long distance to travel. It only makes sense to take a worth companion.
Sony XB700 headphones. noise cancelling and covered in memory foam!  

Purchased.

Today I paid for my nice new Rockport snow boots, an absolute steal at only £70. And seen as they were from Peterlee, there is a moderately high probability that they are stolen! But anyway at £150 RRP I don't really care. They are very warm, very comfortable and perfect for trekking around Aspen in.

I also just purchased my ski jacket for the Winter season. I managed to find the Burton Arctic Jacket that I wanted on a website in the US, which saves me money as I am just getting them shipped to the address I will be staying at when I'm out there! Also saves space in my suitcase.

Ski Jackets, Again.

I have started a new search for the perfect ski jacket now. Although I do like my previous find. The Grenade Astro Jacket, my contacts in Aspen recommend a better quality jacket that will last the whole season. I've turned my attention to the Burton Snowboard Brand. My first love on this website was the Heritage Ranger Snowboard jacket. The colour combination and style attracted my eye, the £250 price tag however provided the contrasting view. As did the difficulty of finding "brick" coloured snow pants!

Next was the Burton Restricted 3L Sentry Jacket, A much less conventional Ski jacket but a very unique look that I can bet nobody else on the slope will have! What I like about the jacket is that it could be used for everyday things both in Aspen and when back home. The "Technical Faux" Leather is apparently very waterproof.

Finally, what is probably going to be the most likely candidate, the Burton Arctic Jacket, although very similar to the Heritage jacket, the price tag is a little closer to home, especially on last seasons jackets which are closer to the £100 mark than the £300. However after finding the perfect jacket on Ebay USA, they didn't have my size!! Leaving me to have to select the same jacket from this seasons line! which has switched the colour scheme from mainly red to mainly beige, annoying as beige pants are much easier to red than red.

Flights.

Well last night I officially started the process of buying everything I'm going to need for my winter season, starting with flights. After hours sat with STA travel, who are very helpful by the way, I decided to look directly through Virgin Atlantic's website where I found it was hugely cheaper! I decided on Virgin for their amazing policy on sporting equipment which they carry for free! Unlike American Airways which used an external company to transfer excess baggage at a huge cost!

However before I get excited to by skiing up in Aspen, I must remind myself of the hell i must go through in order to get there:
3.5 hour train journey from Durham to London Kings Cross
1 hour tube ride to Heathrow
8 hour flight to New York JFK Airport
4 hour wait in JFK
5 hour flight from New York to Denver International
3.5 hour drive from Denver to Basalt where I will be staying!

So in total a nice 25 hour trip. WOOO.

Confirmation.

Well today I received my passport back, and with it my lovely B1 Visa!! My proposal for the Royal Geographical Society has also been read over and apart from a few minor details to be changed, it looks like I may by buying flights, insurance and other critical things very soon!!!