# United States & Canada Vacations Forums > Ski Country Forum >  >  Stuck on Mountain Overnight

## rivertrash

200 people were stranded overnight at a Keystone area restaurant called Outpost.  Winds shut down the gondola.

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## MIke R

the Outpost is not a bad place to be stuck at all if they kept the bar opened all night.....nice place

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## Dennis

IIRC, The Outpost sits atop a lighted run. 

Couldn't they skis down?

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## MIke R

they go up after the mountain closes  just to dine.... they arent skiers....not dressed for it

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## rivertrash

Article I read said they couldn't go up and take them down in snowcats because of poor visibility on the mountain.

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## MIke R

I dont doubt that for one minute...above 10 thousand feet all bets are off as to how bad it can get.....I have more than once had to hunker down on a trail in zero vis and wait for the snow squall to pass...and living at 11 thousand I have seen some weather outside where you wouldn't even think about leaving your house

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## BBT

Mike, curious as to where you were living above 11K ?

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## MIke R

Wildernest.....between Frisco and Silverthorne....

allllllllll the way up Wildernest Rd at the very top and end of the  road...11,200 feet....another 2 thousand and you re at the top of Buffalo Mt

they tell me it is the highest elevation you can live, in the lower 48

Lena had to come home with an O2 tank from the hospital when she was born....


living room view..those are 10 thousand plus mountains along the  divide...Keystone to the right

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## andynap

I didn't need O2 when I came up.

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## MIke R

you never came up to the house....you and I ate  down in the valley in Silverthorne....8500-9000 feet...

only new borns need O2

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## andynap

Gee only 9000 feet. Gasp. I did Pike's Peak driving- scary going up with all the switchbacks and no guardrail- 11000 feet.

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## MIke R

yeah hardly any  guardrails anywhere...the road from Keystone to Loveland over the top of the divide is that way too

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## MIke R

my gymnasium was at 9860'....gave new meaning to the words "home court advantage"....LOL

we couldnt wait for the 4th quarter

I put the elevation on both free throw lines and I put up a big sign over the bleachers which said "BREATH DEEP -9860"

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## Petri

> they tell me it is the highest elevation you can live, in the lower 48



La Paz, the administrative capital of Bolivia, is at almost 12.000ft with it's 2.4 million people.
There's also La Rinconada in Peru with it's 30.000 people at 16.700ft.

But I'll take the O2 :)

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## MIke R

what I used to love about living in elevation is when I came down to sea level at the Cape for the summer, my stamina was off the charts...couldn't  get tired....Doc explained to me that over time at elevation your lungs develop and grow new bundles of alveoli to convert as much 02 as possible in a low 02 environment, so at sea level your cardio/pulmonary system is super efficient.....

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## MIke R

Sunday, November 27, 2011

200 people stranded by winds at Keystone restaurant

Patrons stuck overnight Friday at The Outpost on top of North Peak

By Janice Kurbjun
Summit Daily News


Roughly 200 people spent a night at a Keystone Resort mountain restaurant Friday after wind gusts prevented the gondolas from operating and poor visibility prevented vehicles like snowcats and snowmobiles from being sent up to bring the patrons down.

According to a Vail Resorts press release, winds were higher than predicted, with gusts up to 70 miles per hour.

The group was stuck overnight Friday at The Outpost on top of North Peak, which includes Alpenglow Stube and the Fondue Castle, said Keystone spokeswoman Justine Spence. Patrons told KUSA-TV some people tried sleeping on chairs and on the floors with blankets handed out by the resort.

Stranded patron Carolina Vega-Neff says her children passed some of the time playing board games and talking to people.

In line with our protocol and safety policies, we made the right decision to cease all gondola and chairlift operations and provided more than 150 guests and staff with a safe and warm place to wait out the storm with blankets, food and water, the press release stated. Keystone issued an apology and note of thanks to patrons for their patience during the storm.

Winds gusted strongest at around 8 Friday night, National Weather Service meteorologist Bernie Meier said. Copper Mountain's weather station is the weather service's nearest record of wind observations, he added.

From about 7:30 p.m. to midnight, gusts remained more than 50 mph, the strongest gust being 63 mph. Sustained winds were at 35-40 mph during that time.

They slowly tapered off after midnight, Meier said, when sustained winds dropped to roughly 30 mph with gusts up to 40 mph. There was some snow, but not much accumulation by morning. Winds died down about 6 a.m. Saturday, allowing the resort to operate the gondolas.

Vail Resorts spokeswoman Amy Kemp couldn't provide any history of if, when and how guests have been delayed at the restaurants due to storms passing through.

We do prepare guests for the possibility of weather delays and conditions when they book their reservation for either of our restaurants at The Outpost, Kemp said.

The Associated Press contributed to this article

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## BBT

That had to be an amazing place to live.

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## JEK

Cooking has to be a real challenge.

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## MIke R

yes...forget about baked beans....lentil and pea soup needed all day....Wendi took quite some time to get her baking right....

the good news is water came to a  boil fast

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## MIke R

> That had to be an amazing place to live.



I'd go back in a minute....
my bags would be packed in less than a day...LOL

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## george

> my gymnasium was at 9860'....gave new meaning to the words "home court advantage"....LOL



imagine running 100 mile ultramarathon at that elevation  :) 
http://www.leadvilleraceseries.com/p...-trail-100-run

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## MIke R

when I first started working out and doing my jogs, it was so painful....but in time, like everything else, your body adjusts

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## Petri

> what I used to love about living in elevation is when I came down to sea level at the Cape for the summer, my stamina was off the charts...couldn't  get tired....Doc explained to me that over time at elevation your lungs develop and grow new bundles of alveoli to convert as much 02 as possible in a low 02 environment, so at sea level your cardio/pulmonary system is super efficient.....



Yep!  Here all the professional athletes are sent to high-altitude camps.

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