After more than 20 hours stranded on Interstate 70 during Colorado's most powerful snowstorm of the season, a luxury bus full of exhausted but stalwart Denver women rolled 10 feet.
"Three plows just drove by! And a bunch of emergency vehicles!" said Kris Kerr, who was reporting from the snowy highway littered with stranded vehicles for The Denver Gazette. The sound of chattering women could be heard through the phone line.
On the last ski trip of the year, the Wednesday ladies' ski group, called Thera-ski Bus — as in "ski therapy" — hit a snag when their bus became one of hundreds of vehicles stuck on I-70, leading up to the Eisenhower Tunnel and beyond.
Behind, and before them, were cars and trucks, their headlights focused west-bound. Inside the vehicles were cold travelers afraid to keep the motors running, wondering why in the world they didn't leave the mountains earlier.
The mid-week ski club usually leaves Vail at 3:30 p.m. on the dot and arrives at a designated parking lot at around 6:30 p.m. But on Vail Pass, their bus croaked. The transmission was unable to handle the icy upward climb.
They got a tow after three hours on the pass, but had to stop once they hit Idaho Springs so that Sabrina, their brave bus driver, could change shifts because she was over her allotted hours.
There, traffic stalled out and so did the bus.
Despite the painful hours — and the fact that one of the women suffered from a likely ACL ski injury — their spirits were buoyed by card games and text messages from their families about children and animals.
Thankfully, one of the club members, who is a nurse, tended to the injured skier. The club also includes realtors, an interior designer, architects and moms.
None of them were snowplow drivers, unfortunately.
Reality sets in
The low point came on Wednesday at around midnight, when the adventure downgraded to a scene much like television show "Survivor."
"We realized that we couldn't go further than Idaho Springs. It was dark, our bus couldn't turn or move and we were tired and hungry and thirsty," said Brenda Djorup of Castle Pines.
And the toilet was filling up.
The Thera-skiers, uncomfortable in their parkas, beanies and snow pants, were then stranded on the exit for Black Hawk, where they spent the night.
Homemade Rice Krispies Treats and wine disappeared quickly.
Some time past midnight, Sabrina, their bus driver, returned with extra sustenance. Though Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) plows were MIA, she was able to make her way to the bus with panels of water, Sun Chips, Doritos and popcorn snacks.
"We called CDOT and asked for water, but they never responded," said Kerr, who spoke from her phone, looking out at the icy highway. Kerr also reached out to Gov. Jared Polis' office for help.
CDOT was busy scrambling to pull 18-wheeler tractor trucks off of I-70 at Floyd Hill, which a spokesperson said backed traffic up to where the bus-full of 50 women were stuck.
"We, along with State Patrol and other first responders, encountered multiple vehicles that spun out and lacked required chains or traction devices. Because that area [Floyd Hill] is especially steep and narrow, it took a considerable amount of time to remove the stuck 18-wheelers. This is the area that prevented us from opening I-70 for much of the day so far," said Matt Inzeo, CDOT Communications Director and Special Advisor to the executive director.
At around 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, the bus and the traffic around them moved 10 feet. As the snow subsided and the bus was clipping at the lightning speed of 30 mph toward Denver, the Today Show called to book them for a Friday slot.
At 1:53 p.m., the sleek Arrow Stage Lines bus rolled into the Morrison parking lot, the ladies' first stop toward home.
Instant celebrity comes at a cost. Let the survival stories begin.
Said Kerr: "This is a group of bad-a** women. We love to ski and we love to make things happen."
Denver Gazette breaking news reporter Sage Kelley contributed to this story.
(2) comments
Why were they on the road? Or not even prepared with extra food? Everyone and their mother knew this storm was coming.
They had been skiing. Then there were traffic issues & ultimately the bus broke down. If not for the surprise heavy traffic & mechanical failure, they would have all been home by 6:30pm. Didn't you read the story?
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