DENVER — A weekly ski trip for about 50 Denver-area women turned into an overnight ordeal when their bus got stuck in a snowstorm behind blade-loading semi-trailers on the way back from Vail.
One of the women, Brenda Djorup, called it a test of perseverance and patience. But she said they got to know each other better, helped a few women with medical problems and got home safely after a 10-hour bus ride Thursday.
“It was a testament to women who have faced other crises in our lives and knew how to deal with a situation that was unexpected and uncomfortable and keep things in perspective,” said Djorup, a retired teacher.
“We ran out of food and water and were limited in our use of the bathroom,” she said. “And people were looking in their backpacks for tissues when we ran out of toilet paper. And we took care of each other.”
The women took part in the final of the 10 weekly ski tours with the Thera-ski Bus, a volunteer-run women-only ski group that has been active for about 40 years.
The women, some of whom were in their 70s, were chased off the hill near Vail on Wednesday afternoon due to a thunderstorm, but that ultimately wasn’t the worst part of their journey.
While enjoying their after-ski snacks, including banana bread and cookies, they were stopped for a few hours because of a pocket knife. When they started moving again, they had to be towed over a mountain pass because the transmission overheated and had to wait for it to cool. As night fell, they were eventually stopped again behind other disabled hikers.
“We resigned,” Bette Davis said. “We’re sleeping on the bus now. Nothing happens. We will be idling there forever.”
One of the ladies was injured when another skier bumped into her from behind on her way down the hill, and there were concerns about whether any other passengers would make it home in time for her daily insulin injection.
“We helped each other,” Djorup said. “We have snow to put on the injured girl’s knees. We shared what we had in our backpacks in terms of food with the girl who has diabetes.”
At one point they ran out of water, but the bus company was able to bring a maintenance truck to a convenience store the bus couldn’t reach and get them water and chips, Davis said.
The women used their cell phones when they were on duty to contact family and try to figure out when the road might reopen to them and everyone else would be stuck on the highway.
Mary Wagner said the group channeled their frustration over a lack of information by sending emails to Gov. Jared Polis’ office and contacting media to draw attention to the fact that the highway, which has so much visitors and their dollars to ski resorts, , was brought to a halt, Wagner said.
“It gave us a purpose instead of just sitting there and complaining,” said Wagner, who said he didn’t sleep much on the bus and spent most of the night giggling with a friend. Nevertheless, she was skiing again on Friday on a previously planned trip.
Wagner said she would like to see authorities fine truck drivers without chains more severely and deal more efficiently with stuck vehicles.
Colorado requires truck drivers traveling through the mountains on Interstate 70, the state’s main east-west highway, to carry chains from September through May and be ready to put them on their tires for better traction during storms.
An unknown number did not use chains during this week’s storm and were blamed for blocking traffic after being stuck. Other vehicles stuck behind them had to wait for special tow trucks to arrive and tow the large trucks out of the way to keep traffic flowing.
Twelve truck drivers were cited for not using chains during the storm, the Colorado State Patrol said Friday. However, it is recognized that trucks are sometimes towed to get traffic moving before a police officer can arrive to issue a ticket.
Despite being stuck on the highway in the snow, Davis said they didn’t get cold because the bus was able to keep moving and they already had their ski gear, including some who had mittens and boots with warmers inside.
Davis, 76, has been a member of the Thera-ski Bus group for about 25 years.
“When I first got on the bus, I was one of the younger members, and I was always in awe of the old ladies who were still skiing,” she said. “Now I’m one of them. We will be able to tell this story for the next thirty years, but we hope this bus can keep running forever.”
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Hanson reported from Helena, Montana.