Lo Semple, rocking the fanny pack, on the second climb up to Burnt Mtn. after skiing the Hanging Valley Wall in the background. Click any image to enlarge. That was fun. At least in a sort of “now-that-it’s-done” kind of way. Seriously though, despite the sore feet and added challenge of having to finish on a broken ski, Christy and I both felt that it was one of the coolest...
So it’s all set. The new Power of Four race is officially “sold out” with 75 teams of two registered to start in the morning. I was out yesterday with Dirk and Pete Swenson, helping with the course marking between Snowmass and Buttermilk. About 11,000 feet of vertical gain with ski descents of the Hanging Valley Wall, Highland Bowl and Silver Queen, all under forecasted sunny skies have it shaping...
The 12 Hours of Sunlight was yesterday and I’m sure everyone who was there would agree– it’s nice to have that done. The 12 hour race requires skiers or boarders to ascend, on foot or skins, 1,500+ vertical feet up Sunlight Ski Area and then ski down and repeat, for half a day. It can be done as a solo, duo relay, or a four person “firedrill” team. Christy and...
Joey, cold smoke. We’re halfway through the season, and despite the fact that every major storm thus far has skirted us to the north or south, the first half of winter, and January in particular, proved to be pretty good for backcountry skiing. With any luck, the second half of winter will be even better. (more…)
Saturday’s bad weather made for classic storm day conditions up in Highland Bowl. The wind and low visibility kept the fair weather crowds away, and the snow only piled up deeper as the day progressed. Here’s a little video from Christy’s Bowl day. If it isn’t obvious, she’s a proud member of the camp that believes that you should never ride the snowcat up the ridge, no matter how short...
Looks in to us. A climber ascends the ice near the Upper Bridge. “The park is 100% open!” reads the sign at the Upper Bridge of the Ouray Ice Park. It was an interesting announcement because by January I figured it’s always completely open, but just a couple of weeks earlier things weren’t so certain. (more…)
Sean takes it first here. Consider it good advice when up in his neighborhood to at least offer him the first drop. We’ve had a couple of outstanding backcountry ski days around Ashcroft this week, with long powder runs and total solitude. That is unless you consider repeated bighorn sheep encounters as feeling crowded. Some pics: (more…)
Christy prances through the snow. The holiday season is upon us, and if you live and work in a resort town such as Aspen, it’s not quite the vacation you might think. Everything and everyone is maxed out– the mountain is busy, you work everyday, town is packed, you can’t park anywhere or walk into a restaurant without a reservation. Of course the business/ busy-ness is welcome, but by the...
The North Face of North Maroon Peak, 14,014 feet, from the new book, Fifty Classic Ski Descents in North America. If you ask Christy and me, 2010 was a pretty good year. The skiing was great, the races went well, the summer was memorable, we had quite a few fun adventures away from Aspen and of course Christy finished skiing the 14ers. As I was trying to organize things on...
Christy, Lisa Fichman, Larry Siu and me before the race. The oldest ultra run in the country, the JFK 50 miler, took place last Saturday. Its start dates back to 1963, eleven years before Gordy Ansleigh first ran alongside the horses at the 1974 Tevis Cup, which later evolved into the Western States 100, a race which many people incorrectly believe to be the country’s first ultra. For comparisons sake,...
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
