Arriving in Denver is quite a thrill, especially if, like me, you flat-out love America. You arrive over flat flat plains and then to the west the Rockies rear up like some massive rampart. It's a bit like Calgary and if patriotic pride makes me say the Canadian rockies are more magnificent, the mountains here are more imminent: they seem to start right on the city limits.

We arrived just as the sun started to set behind the mountains and the skyscrapers of downtown Denver. The sun setting behind the Rockies.... I've always loved that imagine, there's something kind of sublime or pioneer-y about it. Maybe its the way they run North-South so uncompromisingly - they define the compass points unequivocaly. I remember standing by the trans-canada highway in Golden, British Columbia as a 19yr old watching the sun set behind the mountain and thinking that this was a great thing to watch.

Anyhow I'm now another 5000ft up in Breckenridge, Colorado. The resort is at about 10,000 ft and I was feeling very ropey when I arrived. Walking up the stairs left me knackered! But a good night's sleep seems to have done the trick. Waking up to 4" fresh snow also helped. And today was bright sunshine and blue skies all day - great skiing.