We skied Castle Peak’s North Couloir last weekend, an early-season favorite of mine. Fourteener ski descents are usually reserved for the spring months, but there are exceptions. Wet weather in Aspen during the autumn months falls as snow in Castle’s Montezuma Basin, and reasonably good skiing can be had up there as early as late September. The North Couloir is a bit more finicky in the early season but I’ve found that the line is in most years I go up there.

Basically, if the ski season is off to a good start—Aspen Mountain is opening this Saturday, two weeks early—then you can usually count on the North Couloir to be skiable.

Christy, Joey, and I drove up the road a short way past the creek crossing and skinned from there, which made for a pretty big day. It was Christy’s first ski of the season; she was just fine jumping right where we left off last spring. I skied a little bit last weekend, and not surprisingly, Joey’s been out a bunch already and skied this very line back in October.

Apart from some early season boot discomfort and thin snow cover, it was pretty straightforward Colorado ski mountaineering— skin the road, climb through the basin, boot the couloir, and you’re pretty much on top.

Early-season skiing always gets me fired up for the winter ahead, even when the snow leaves much to be desired. Pulling the gear out of the closet after summer is always fun, but it’s also partly due to the excitement that comes with the change in seasons here, something we love about Colorado.

Just when you’re getting a little burned out on the summer activities you’ve been focused on (running!), you jump back into the different activities that the next season brings. Back in June, Christy and I welcomed the idea of hanging the skis up for the summer. This past Saturday, we came full circle. Summer’s gone, winter’s here, and we couldn’t be happier.