Spring is here. The busy work season is winding down, the backcountry snowpack is deeper and more stable– this is often the time we get to pursue our personal skiing goals. I have to say we’re really looking forward to this next objective. Christy, Chris Davenport, and I are setting out to ski the Centennials. Put simply, the 100 tallest mountains in Colorado are called the Centennial Peaks. Fifty-three of...
Skiing Pacific and Atlantic peaks together in one day from the east.
Christy climbing Gold Hill. The 2013 Elk Mountains Grand Traverse was this past weekend. As our last race of the season, we were thrilled to finish well– Christy was the first female to cross the line and we nabbed the top spot in the Coed Division. And after twelve finishes here (six as a team), our time of 9:55 was the fastest we’ve done together, and PR for Christy. (more…)
The route was modified a bit due to the weather, but the basic layout is here on the map. The climbs are in light green and the ski descents red, and the new section up and down Peak 6 isn’t even on the map (off to the right). Click to enlarge. Against our better judgement, Christy and I headed to Breckenridge to compete in the Five Peaks race. Earlier in...
The third and final climb of the day, out of Lenado to Four Corners and home. In seasons like this, when the steeper backcountry skiing isn’t all that safe, we keep ourselves busy with races. And part of the fun in that is in the training days. Many of the seasons races are already behind us. The Power of Four, the Vail COSMIC (for Christy), and the Highlands Skimo Series...
Independence Pass Or don’t even go. Here are two photos of recent natural avalanches that sum up conditions in the backcountry around Aspen. (more…)
Chris approaches the top of the Burnt Mountain climb on Snowmass. The 3rd Annual Aspen Snowmass Power of Four Ski Mountaineering Race was this past weekend. It’s great to see this race so popular and run so smooth. Very often new events can be disorganized and struggle to find support. Fifty-eight teams of two took on the full course (14 more did the “Power of Two” half course) in perfect...
It took a little while, but I finally managed to get the trip reports from our 14er ski descents back online.
It’s just different up on Chair. For whatever reason, its location– between McClure, Kebler, and Schofield passes– seems to draw several times more snow than nearby mountains. I probed around high in the basin and measured 300cm , almost three times what we have in Aspen. Christy, Joey, and I joined Al and Ruthie up at their cabin recently and we had our first full touring weekend of the winter....
For the superstitious skier, it’s usually a bad idea to talk about a snow storm before it arrives. But this ski season so far has been lacking in terms of snow, so whatever steps we’ve taken to keep from jinxing the snowfall hasn’t been effective, and there’s a storm on the way. So I’m going to take the opposite approach and share some powder pics from earlier in the season...
We met in Aspen in 2000 and have been happily stuck in the rockies ever since, getting out in the mountains every day we can, in every season and by all means possible. Read More
