Christy and Lissa on the ridge, seen here form the summit of North Traverse Peak. The route heads to the highpoint out to the left, Grand Traverse Peak. Christy, Lissa and I did the Gore Grand Traverse the other day. Not to be confused with the popular ski race, the Elk Mountain Grand Traverse, often discussed here on the blog and which was a grand disappointment this year, the Gore...
Runners somewhere around mile 8, on the ridge between Alpine Gulch and Williams. At the end of this ridge are the 14ers Redcloud and Sunshine. Astronomically speaking, Monday the 21st was the longest day of the year, but for about 200 runners, Saturday’s annual San Juan Solstice 50 Miler in Lake City marked the real beginning of summer. Blue skies, dry trails and resulting dry feet contributed to a record...
Well it’s hard to say, but after getting my hands on a pair of these and hitting the trails, this latest European concept might actually have some legs, or at least help preserve mine. The Hoka 1.1, a super-cushioned running shoe, is the antithesis of the current minimalist trend in running, and is being introduced as the new barefoot craze seems to be hitting full stride. The compelling case for...
So far, so good. Joey and Sean descend into the White Canyon near Hite crossing, Utah, upstream of the swimming slots known as “The Black Hole.” The Black Hole. It sounds scary, right? Well, if claustrophobia, freezing cold water and flash floods get you nervous then this slot canyon run probably isn’t best for you. But if you’ve got a good wetsuit, booties and a perfect weather forecast then a...
A moderate pace up the moderate slope, as an avalanche instructor/forecaster, Josh knows better than to assume the moderate rating is as safe as it sounds. If you haven’t checked the CAIC website as of late, the current avalanche danger rating for the Aspen zone is moderate on all aspects and elevations. With five ratings on the avalanche danger scale– low, moderate, considerable, high and extreme– moderate is just a...
Another awesome night at “Airport.” Glow in the dark discs, and a satellite or two light it up. Click to enlarge. The hump of the ski season upon us and spring is coming. Punxsutawny Phil thinks otherwise, after seeing his shadow he declared there to be six more weeks of winter– but apparently Staten Island Chuck (who? read here) says Phil’s got it all wrong. After Christy and I opted...
Shhh. Maybe this time if we’re really quiet they won’t notice us…. Nope. We recently skied Clinton Peak, 13,857 feet, which was Christy’s 99th summit of the Colorado Centennials. Now all that remains is Gladstone Peak. Because we regularly discuss similar sounding adventures and lists concerning 14ers, it may help to explain the Centennial Peaks list in greater depth. Simply put, if you compiled a list of the tallest peaks...
We made a trip to the Maze District of Canyonlands National Park for a little backpacking.
South Maroon- just the five of us– (l to r)Kent, Lissa, Christy, myself and “Pat” the goat. I couldn’t discern it’s sex so, like the SNL skit, I named it “Pat” (photo courtesy of Lissa’s camera shot by some solo guy from Gorky, Russia). Click all pics to enlarge. Christy, Lissa, Kent Harvey and I did the Maroon Bells Traverse on Saturday, twice. And I came home with a lot...
Five of us hit the river last weekend. Jann “take me to the deepest snow” Stoeckl collects some prewinter face shots. Even though the Gunny Gorge is in close proximity to Aspen and that when put together, our group has logged some considerable miles on the waters of Colorado, Utah and beyond, only one in the group, Tim, had completed this run before. So armed with five inflatable kayaks and...
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
