Category Archives: Hikes & Scrambles

Spring Skiing Roundup

      No Comments on Spring Skiing Roundup

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

      14 Comments on Longs Peak Winter Cables Route

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….

Hagar Mountain Ski

      No Comments on Hagar Mountain Ski

Earlier this month Rick, J, and I headed into Dry Gulch looking to get up high and make some turns down something resembling a ski line. With either Snoopy’s Collar on The Citadel or else Hagar Mountain in mind, we chose to go for the latter after seeing the snow coverage in the area firsthand. The southeast face of Hagar was a line I skied in May a few years back that I always figured would make for a good repeat. Tough to find a line more reliable and close-to-home than this one. Keep Reading…

Golden Bear the Interesting Way

      3 Comments on Golden Bear the Interesting Way

Suddenly the holidays arrived, and I realized I’d not been in the mountains since mid-October. It would feel like a sin with this crazy warm weather, except that’s just it: when each weekend has brought 60s and sunshine down in Denver, the bike’s siren call cancels out that of a thirteener with upper 30s and wind chill. Keep Reading…