While high winds and I-70 traffic woes stymied skiers throughout central Colorado, 30 inches of fresh, champagne powder kept our family happy in the backcountry of Steamboat Springs.

Having booked 2 cats http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ski_touring (intermediate and advanced) for our friends and family months in advance, we cheered the arrival of heavy snow that began to fall the night before.

Not being the sharpest ski tool in the box, I was quietly worried about whether I could handle a big powder day. My husband and sons are expert skiers and could plow through the deepest of snow: snorkels optional.

But Steamboat Powdercats http://steamboatpowdercats.com/ made it possible for even an intermediate skier to experience the joys of light and fluffy snow only to return later in the afternoon with stories and pictures that would demonstrate the best ski day of the year (or maybe ever!).

Having an avalanche beacon and whistle helped. There was so much snow that members of our intermediate cat group (12 in all, plus 3 guides) got stuck all over: tree wells, drifts, just coming to a halt on terrain that wasn't steep enough.

Joanne Doumany from Australia got 'digger of the day' on our second run. After tumbling into a monumental drift, nothing was left of her to be seen by her buddy (me) other than a red ski glove. It took two guides and ten minutes to extricate her from what the Germans call mounds of 'pulverschnee'.

Between episodes of getting stuck or buried, the skiing was phenomenal. Calling it 'a ripper of a day', Jo summed up the experience for all of us as we had prayed for snow and got more than we bargained for!