Route: Cristo Couloir Team: Ted, Jared Ettlinger Late April— snow is everywhere but the lifts are closed. It doesn't always make sense to me, for example, why Aspen Highlands' maximum base depth is often reached on or near the mountains closing day. There's still so much skiing to be had when everyone starts thinking summer. Jared agreed, so we went to Quandary Peak. In ten days or so I was...
Route: East Couloir Team: Ted, Chris Carmichael After a full down day in camp due to weather, the next morning was just perfect. Since our day on Sunlight and Windom, about six inches of snow had fallen. Chris and I headed up towards South Eolus, Dave would sit this one out. It was easy skinning to the base of the East Couloir, the type of snow skins just love. We...
Route: Widowmaker (NW) Couloir Team: ted, Chris Carmichael, Dave Rhodes If you just came off Sunlight, then Windom naturally follows. Less than 1000 vertical feet and about a half mile away, to get one and not try for the other after getting this far away from home is crazy. For skiers it's even more sensible, Sunlight's ski line faces south and Windom's northwest so it's a perfect one-two from high...
Route: South Face (Red Couloir) Team: Ted, Chris Carmichael, Dave Rhodes After a great day on Sneffels, it was time to ratchet up the preparation for next months climb/ski attempt on Denali. We decided to head in to Chicago Basin for five days. We drove to Durango on Cinco De Mayo and proceeded to start off the trip with a full on pub crawl. The next morning we crawled onto...
Route: South Face to Lavendar Col Team: Ted, Jann Stoeckl In June, Jann Stoeckl and I were headed to Denali with Aspen friends Sean Shean and Brad Smith. The four of us had the month of May to prep for what would be my biggest trip to date. This seemed to fit as preparation. We drove to Ouray and then up the Camp Bird Mine Road until snow stopped us,...
Route: East Ridge Team: Ted, Christy Christy and I had just started hanging out and I figured why ease into it? Let's cut to the chase. Let's see how she handles this stuff. Closing day on Aspen Mountain brought a big spring storm. We had already made plans for Quandary Peak the morning after, some new snow made it sound more interesting. Still in the early "getting to know each...
Route: West Ridge Team: Ted (solo) Some of the hardest days were the ones I expected to be the easiest. I thought Evans from Guanella Pass would be a gimme. It had snowed a few inches the night before, which made the approach/ski line, when viewed from the car, to look good and snowy. I skinned from the truck up the gradual slope west of Evans and Mt. Spaldings summit....
Route: West Side via American Basin Team: Ted (solo) Handies was more fun that Redcloud and Sunshine the day before. This would be the last 14er I skied this spring, bringing his grand total to eight peaks. American Basin is pretty high, even with a lowered snow closure. The route up is mostly easy skinning, with a few steep switchbacks. Adding five inches or so of new snow from yesterdays...
Route: West Face Team: Ted (solo) I drove solo to Lake City and car camped along the road en route to the Silver Creek trailhead. The next morning I was walking in the early darkness, alpine ski boots racked on my pack with my skis. I hit snow at the junction of Silver Creek and its south fork and switched from hiking boots to ski boots and from carrying skis...
Route: Northwest Face Team: Ted (solo) Having just skied Redcloud Peak, and with the clouds keeping the conditions cool, I put the skins back on and headed for the saddle between the two summits. With some booting required, I gained the ridge and from there it's easy work to Sunshine's summit- just a foot over the 14K mark. The Northwest Face has a great line on it, in a simple...
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
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