Category Archives: Backcountry Skiing

A Spring Preview on Homestake Peak

      6 Comments on A Spring Preview on Homestake Peak

The weekend before last I had the pleasure of joining a great group on Homestake Peak in the northern-Sawatch Range. After a few trip reports were thrown up on 14ers.com indicating good coverage and ski conditions high on the peak, it became an obvious option for a late-January tour. Rick, David, Brian, Dillon and I met Brandon Chalk, his wife Kristine, and two friends of theirs, Jay and Mike at the Crane Park Trailhead the morning of the 26th at 8am. Read more…

Antero & White – A Sawatch Winter

      18 Comments on Antero & White – A Sawatch Winter

Coming off of a spectacular fall climb of Isolation Peak, Ben, Brian, Dillon, and I decided to commit to a date around the holidays to get up something early in the winter season. As usual, trying to pick a group of peaks in the winter can be a hilariously complicated ordeal. It is our own fault, really. With snow levels low, the avy danger moderate, and our weather window appearing to be just about perfect Continue reading…

Kelso Mountain Ski: An After Work Outing

      No Comments on Kelso Mountain Ski: An After Work Outing

What: Kelso North Couloir. When: June 5, 2013. Who: Ben and Rick. How: Parked at the base of the couloir where the run out hits the road. Wearing trail runners with boots and skis on our backs, we set off at 5:40pm, crossed the creek (Ben more “gracefully” than I) and headed up the lookers right ridge. Keep reading…

A Centennial and a Highway 82 Road Shot

      No Comments on A Centennial and a Highway 82 Road Shot

As soon as I started researching Centennials it became apparent there are several that just beg to be skied. Rising dramatically from the northern side of Highway 82 and offering up numerous prominent 3,000+ foot road shots off its flanks, “Lackawanna” is undoubtedly one of them. A few trip reports on the interwebs single out a specific gully that drops southwest off the summit ridge of this humble peak. Several parties have used this gully for a late-winter/spring snow ascent, though as of last week no one had logged a ski TR. Continue reading…