Last week and this weekend — winter returned to the Colorado mountains. We got out there. Hit for Marble on Saturday was Mount Justice, more to come. Weather was so cold most of the snow had not matted down to corn, but that changes fast. I’m anticipating this week as a full-force corn harvest. Meanwhile, man doesn’t live by corn alone. I’m here to tell you that Marble, Colorado finally has a real “mainstreet” restaurant that’s a perfect feed after your ski adventures.
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| We approached this culinary adventure as total mystery eaters. Woody had no idea his staff was serving a nationally syndicated pro blogger and his clan. Our meal of pulled pork and smoked sausage arrived quickly, and fit the bill as classic mountain style barbecue, meaning adequate but not excessive portions that hit the tongue with a smoky tang. The newish building is nicely remodeled for the restaurant — clean and tidy. Prices are reasonable for an “end of valley” establishment. (BTW, they do server beer and wine.) |
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| A few deuce tables on the porch would be a perfect stop for you and a friend after spring skiing up the Quarry Road. Waiter was friendly. Indeed, he was so friendly I surmised Woody’s restaurant customers were some of the first new faces he was seeing after being snowbound in a nearby cabin for the last five months of our “amazing winter.” In photo above, you could ski the Carbonate run off Marble Ridge and you’d only have an 8 minute walk down the road to the Cook Shack. Tell ’em WildSnow.com sent ya (spring hours: open weekends and a few weekdays, call at 970-963-4090, to find the Shack just continue on the upvalley main street of Marble till you smell hickory smoke. Three thumbs up from the WildSnow clan. (Oh, and yeah, those are the Dynafit Manaslu glop weapons, they work, and you don’t have to feed them.) |
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| Oh, and how about that skiing which gave us a smoker appetite? Mount Justice was not quite corn, but quite fun. Check out this view of upvalley Yule Creek, what folks are calling “Little Alaska.” |
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| Lisa tops out on Justice. That’s Marble Peak in center background. Woody’s Bar-B-Que Cook Shack is out of sight to right. |
More about Woody’s BBQ Cookshack in Marble, Colorado.
WildSnow.com publisher emeritus and founder Lou (Louis Dawson) has a 50+ years career in climbing, backcountry skiing and ski mountaineering. He was the first person in history to ski down all 54 Colorado 14,000-foot peaks, has authored numerous books about about backcountry skiing, and has skied from the summit of Denali in Alaska, North America’s highest mountain.
