Spring -

Sean, up at Ashcroft.

Spring has arrived. The ski areas are calling it a season, the snow has been melting around town, and the backcountry conditions are shaping up at the higher elevations. Aspen had an above average year in terms of snowfall but we saw three dust events, one of which was pretty significant. How that will affect our spring ski season remains to be seen, but it won’t keep us from getting out in the meantime.

First, from Ashcroft:

Tracks from the first lap as we got ready for the second one.

Our first lap.

Sean skis one of his backyard runs.

We’re back on the Centennial Skiers Project. We started last weekend with Red Mountain, 13,908 ft. (read about it here), which went well and required us to climb up and over the 14er Culebra Peak.

So while it wasn’t a goal for the day, Christy, Dav, and I all managed to piece together another ski descent of Culebra. Like our last trip here the coverage was thin, but as I mentioned in the Centennial Skiers post, you go to these peaks when you’re granted access to them even if snow and weather conditions are less than ideal. That’s just how it’s done.

Some photos from Culebra:

On approach to Culebra and Red.

The long West Ridge of Culebra, as weather approaches.

On the summit. One word, “thin.”

Climbing back up to the cairn, in the driving storm.

After piecing together a line off the top through the rocks, we had to climb back up to the cairn in the driving storm.

“I think it’s down this way.” Christy and Dav ski back down towards Fourway.

And back to the truck. Not the day we had hoped for, but a memorable one none-the-less.

Sean Shean and I made a foray far out on Highlands Ridge and found conditions to be pretty mixed. North-ish facing slopes up high still held powder, but all other aspects were sun affected and everything down low was dust covered. Hopefully the storm this weekend will keep the dust buried on higher elevations. The snirt (snow & dirt) and the warm sunny weather this past week sure did a number on the snow.