.. title: Powabunga!
.. slug: dec-9-2021-powabunga
.. date: 2021-12-09 17:37:56 UTC
.. tags: festival, music, skiing
.. category: 
.. link: 
.. description: 
.. type: text


Well this trip was a doozie. The original plan was to go to Vail for skiing and music. The `Powabunga music festival <https://powabungafestival.com/>`_ featured RÜFÜS DU SOL, among Matt's favourite bands and took place in the small resort town of Vail, CO. 

.. image:: /images/powabunga-emily.jpg 
   :width: 100%

We arrived a day early for the festival to explore the resort and find places to camp. Matt was excited to test the heater out in "real" winter weather.  And so we found drinks at some Austrian bar and settled on the Safeway parking lot and settled down for the night.

To our delighted surprise the morning began with reports of 11" of fresh powder! We promptly dusted off the skis our season's first runs.

.. image:: /images/powder.jpg
   :width: 100%

Less exciting was the crowding. It seemed some significant portion of Denver had arrived with us on the slopes and this being early season and the mountain lacking a strong base, there were only a few lifts open. It was quite crowded, the first lift line was about 20 minutes, and mid-mountain lift lines were closer to 30 minutes. It was also colder than we expected; 7F or thereabouts. Thus, we only got in a few runs before getting cold and tired and settling back down in the village for early après-ski.

There might have been a nap in there somewhere but we wound up at a dive bar and as dive bars do, we made some friends. A couple living in Minnesota told of their adventures learning to raise and profit from Yacks. Meanwhile we discussed the obnoxiously inflated real estate market with and a group from Denver. 

As we were headed to the first night's festivities we ran into someone who worked for Powabunga's media crew. As it happens, the surprise snow caused a delay. It was decided we should go to the van for an evening nap. Eventually the show began and we made the trek to the venue. It turned out to be helpful that we'd gone back and forth to the venue already because we now knew the most efficient method of travel. It turned out parking the van at the closest lot and walking was quicker and easier than walking to the bus station, waiting for a bus, and taking it to the stop near the venue then walking the rest of the way in. 

{{% gphoto src=https://drive.google.com/file/d/1HwtT51BsprkIEzD-sqNTI_aepD7YJgaJ/preview %}}

The show was unlike anything we'd ever experienced. It was entirely outside, at night, after fresh powder. The crowds were dancing on snow. Most of the performers, while they were most shelter, commented on the radical conditions. 

{{% gphoto src=https://drive.google.com/file/d/1hDYGjot5JQnqmxLDKq2g2-C3uWUIo-jf/preview %}}

Headlining the first night was Bob Moses. Lights, music, and remixes, their performance was incredible. Unfortunately that night we might have partied too hard because we both came down with colds. 

We decided it was best to cut the trip short without seeing the second night with Rufus, a decision I will remember for quite some time. 

.. image:: /images/leaving-vail.jpg
   :width: 100%

The trip back was kind of beautiful. I didn't get a picture but we were able to find some enormous burritos in Leadville.