The first turns of 2015
Starting the new year off right. If snowfall is any measure, it was an outstanding holiday season here in Aspen. Nearly four feet of snow fell over the two week period, and the skiing was incredible. (more…)
Christmas at Tagert Hut
We escaped the holiday season craziness in Aspen and headed up to Tagert Hut for Christmas Eve, up in Pearl Basin above Ashcroft.
Conundrum Couloir
Breaking trail to the high point in the upper basin. Castle Peak’s 14,000 foot summit is up above. Conundrum Peak doesn’t make the cut as an official 14er according to the Colorado Mountain Club and the 300′ rule. But the Conundrum Couloir that splits its east face is such a classic climb and ski that it deserves a spot on every Colorado ski mountaineers checklist. A friend told me that...
North to South to North
Looking over to South Maroon Peak, 14,156 ft., from the summit of the North Maroon. The ridge goes from the lower right towards the center of the photo. The less technical ledge system is on the right side and below the ridge. The 50th anniversary of the Wilderness Act was this past weekend. The local papers have been covering the “news” that more people than ever have been cramming into...
Cooper Peak
A grand entrance to a beautiful basin. Well, we’re not sure if Cooper Peak is an official name, but we were told the summit is marked as such on certain old maps of Ashcroft. Cooper Peak, or Unnamed 13,220 ft. as I read it on some maps, is technically part of nearby Star Peak. But unofficial status aside, it was worth every kicked step up to its airy summit. It’s...
Thunder Pyramid – 13,932 ft.
Skiing the West Face of Thunder Pyramid was every bit as exciting as I expected it to be. Wow.
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...
Hayden
Hayden beckons. A real backcountry ski day was long overdue. That’s not to say that training days and races on the rando gear don’t count. It’s just that we really missed being out on a regular backcountry ski day, with the heavy packs, a normal lunch instead of race food, and a real ski objective. (more…)
Castle Peak – 11.9.13
A nice early season ski of Castle Peak’s North Couloir.
Snowmass to Conundrum (and then some)
Christy and I are both registered to run the Bear 100 in a few weeks, we thought it would be a good idea to do a long trail linkup from our Bear training playbook two years ago– Snowmass to Conundrum.
About Christy & Ted
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
