Christy drops in for the third ski of the tour. They’re right in our backyard yet somehow Christy and I had never skied Taylor Peak or Star Peak. It was time. We caught a really good view of the 13,000 foot summits last week on our flight to CB for the Grand Traverse. Armed with a couple of photos and a good idea of the terrain having skied up in...
On the route between Taylor Pass and Barnard Hut at daybreak. Christy and I completed another Elk Mountains Grand Traverse, our 14th, and 8th time as a coed duo. We just can’t stay away. The annual ski race/pilgrimage From Crested Butte to Aspen started at midnight on Friday and sent 215 teams of two on the 40 mile journey. (more…)
After an unusually long stretch of high pressure, it finally snowed. And with the arrival of the storm that broke the six-week sunny pattern, we headed up to a favorite spot.
A sunny perch in a sweet spot. It was great day to be out in the mountains. We’re waiting for new snow here, it seems like the East Coast has been rather selfishly hogging it all lately. But even though the backcountry powder conditions may be less-than-fresh, there are still some sunny, scenic touring days to be had. We ventured up Sievers Mountain recently, and apart from some challenging conditions...
Cresting Mace Saddle, the high point of the loop around Mace Peak. A week of sun and warm temps crusted up the powder in the backcountry, so we thought a different type of ski tour was in order. We grabbed the light skis and made a loop around nearby Mace Peak. (more…)
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…)
We escaped the holiday season craziness in Aspen and headed up to Tagert Hut for Christmas Eve, up in Pearl Basin above Ashcroft.
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...
Camp at the first Dry Lake. Continuing with our exploration of the peaks and valleys of the Sangre de Cristo mountains, we headed up to another new area, Dry Lakes and Horn Peak, 13,450 ft. (more…)
Fall is in the air. Ted, on the route down the north side of Harvard. [Christy here again] After spending the last three weekends running through the incredible Maroon – Snowmass Wilderness, we thought we’d switch it up and explore a new area. Earlier this summer, we had done a fun loop run over Missouri and Belford Mountains. From the summit of Missouri, we had an amazing view of the...