The heart of ETR’s skiing content lies in the backcountry. We have written about it, blogged about it, talked about it, commented on it, and researched it probably more than any of us care to think about. Heck, some of us even wrote a book about it. However, as great as skiing out of bounds is, it’s easy to forget that it all starts at the resort. As someone who grew up a snowboarder and only came back to the light a few seasons ago, I have spent a ton of time in bounds the past few years trying to refine and work on my skiing. Keep reading…
On Thursday Brian, Rick, and I got a 4am start from the Camp Bird gate closure, intent on giving the Snake Couloir on Mt. Sneffels a go. Any hope of getting a reasonable amount of sleep was dashed when we tried to plow through a snow bank blocking access to Angel Creek Campground a few hours prior, resulting in a high centered vehicle and a ninety minute effort to free it. With a day like the Snake ahead of us we knew we could’t afford to push back our start time, so we did our best to suck it up and began the long zombie walk up the dry road on schedule. Read more…
The weekend before last Rick, Brian and I made the short drive up to Berthoud Pass after a series of spring storms dumped 20+ inches in the Front Range with minimal wind complications. What we found was some of the best skiing any of us had enjoyed all season – light, fluffy, non-wind affected spring pow. Keep reading…
Earlier this month Anna-Lisa, Jax, and I made our way down to Salida where I ran in the 11th annual “Run Through Time” trail marathon. This race, which features both a half and a full marathon course, is Salida’s biggest running event and has been held in early-March every year for the past decade. Because of the calendar date and elevation of of the race, runners never quite know what they’re going to get in terms of conditions on the course until a few days prior to race day – anything ranging from dry, 60 degree blue bird skies to snow covered trials and sub-freezing precipitation and winds. This winter has been an interesting one, with the majority of Colorado holding near 100% snowpack despite nearly a month of high pressure and warm temperatures in February that had many of us wondering if winter was officially a dud. Keep reading…
