Keystone - A windy day

We had our first ski day at Keystone, Colorado today. The wind was quite strong, and caused the gondola system to be closed. We primarily skied the front face of the Dercum mountain, which was a good way to start the week and get our ski legs. Some of us were using new equipment, which needed to get broken in. The high winds had blown off most of the the last few days fresh snow, so trails without fresh snow making were somewhat crusty and firm. The ski conditions reminded me more of New England than our traditional soft powdery Colorado experiences. It's true that Keystone does not get the great snow that some of the resorts to its west do -- Vail especially -- but it still should have been a little better than what we experienced. The winds at the summit were harsh enough that it made us want to ski the lower parts, but they don't really have a natural way of doing that when the gondola is not running. We're going to hit the hot tub now, while Yuji goes looks for equipment and gets our skis sharpened. I'm hoping a fresh tuneup will help with the conditions.