Category Archives: Fourteeners

Spring Skiing Roundup

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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…

Longs Peak Winter Cables Route

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Longs Peak is a special mountain. That’s obvious to say, but every time I go up there, I’m reminded of why this one is the big poppa in Colorado. It’s only two hours from Denver. It’s the peak biggest in the Park, by far. It has over a hundred routes to the summit; many of those are Colorado classics. It has enough variations to keep climbers, skiers, hikers, and mountaineers busy for years. Its legacy is about as rich as any mountain in the US. And of course, The Diamond is a world class wall that is worth every penny (or at least, so I’m told). Keep Reading….

Maroon Peak East Face Ski

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On Memorial Day Rick and I managed to pull off a near-perfect climb and ski of Maroon Peak outside of Aspen. This one had eluded both of us for awhile and it felt good to finally get it done. The Maroon Bells are classic peaks and the ski options available off both of them are as interesting as they come in Colorado. While the north face of North Maroon may take the cake in terms of historic Aspen test pieces, its southern neighbor offers up just as much vertical and challenge. Read more…

Pyramid Peak Ski Attempt

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At 12:30am, my alarm buzzed, pulling me from what could be described as “sleep” in only the most generous of terms. I had been drifting halfway between consciousness and unconsciousness, a mixture of exhaustion, anticipation, excitement, nervousness, and discomfort preventing either one from fully taking hold. As I blearily struggled to align and insert my contacts, a white light appeared from around the corner, accompanied by voices. Keep reading…