Almost anyone who`s been going after 14ers on skis for awhile knows through trial and error what a “perfect” day skiing a 14er would look like. We know well what a “perfect” day out would entail because we generally don`t experience perfection, and we know precisely what we would change if we had the ability to “draw it up” ourselves. This is why when a truly perfect day comes along, it really stands out as the rare gift that it is. Continue reading…
Matt had plenty of time to scope out Princeton from BV during his mid-week Sawatch ski campaign. After he told me it looked good and was almost certainly in from the summit, I started working to convince Carl that we should ski it Sunday. Eventually Carl was in, as were two other skiers, Marc (Carl`s neighbor) and Chris (Matt`s brother). Keep reading…
I met up with Matt at Bongo Billy`s in Buena Vista early Sunday morning where we consolidated into his truck and headed for the Cottonwood Creek Road. Both of us were amped about the possibility of another 14er ski, though we certainly had a few reasons to doubt our chances. Firstly, the weather forecast was less than ideal, sitting at a 60% chance of snow, and secondly and much more importantly, the avy danger was locked in at “considerable” for the Sawatch for all aspects at and above treeline. Keep reading…
Carl and I left Golden early for a winter ski descent of Mt. Elbert, the tallest peak in the lower 48. Despite being the tallest, it’s one of the easiest 14ers to climb and ski via its trade route, the East Ridge. We were pretty set on skiing the ridge rather than going for the more adventurous Box Creek Chutes due to the avalanche danger which was likely present on steep slopes in the Central Sawatch. Keep reading…