Saturday morning I met Brian at Vail Pass after nearly 2 feet of snow had fallen in as many days. With the entire pass being more or less untouched, we decided to make our way to the east side and lap low-hanging fruit runs for several hours. After 3,600 feet of turns we skied back to the car and grilled out as temps dropped and even more snow rolled in. Keep reading…
A few weekends back Rick, Brian and I decided to finally check out “Outpost Peak” (12,362′) on the west side of the Gores. Outpost is a bit of a local’s favorite, with access straight out of town and several ski routes including a generally winter-friendly option in the south ridge. The peak itself is the high point of a north-south ridge line that separates Pitkin and Booth Creek drainages. Keep reading…
Time in the mountains has been difficult to come by for me so far this year. Between selling and buying a pair of homes, preparing for Anna-Lisa and I’s move out of Denver, and training for a series of trail races in June/July, it’s been a thin year for ski descents. I haven’t been particularly broken up about it though, because it’s also been a thin year for the Colorado snowpack. Conditions have seemed rough up high for the better part of a month now, not helped by the fact that our base was disappointing to begin with. Keep Reading…
A few months back Rick and I got an invite from our buddy Brandon to join he and his crew on their annual “Hardman” Hut Trip in March. I’m not sure how many years in a row they’ve kept up the tradition, but the general concept of the trip is a 10 to 15 person group, big traverses between multiple backcountry huts, and lively evenings with lots of cooking, drinking, and other shenanigans along the way. This year’s trip was no different and it wound up being a really good time. Keep Reading….