A awesome perspective from Bald Knob. Tim phoned to say that he and some friends were heading up to McNamara Hut for the night, and that I should meet them up there. I was a bit busy with things, but since every hut trip I’ve been on has been a certifiable great time, I thought I should try to join them. (more…)
Santa leads the charge across Warren Lakes. We’ve been running a little behind here, but I wanted to share a few photos from an awesome little hut trip we made on Christmas Eve. It’s been an annual ritual to book a nearby 10th Mtn or Braun Hut the night before Christmas, and escape the Aspen holiday madness (if only for 24 hours). This year we found ourselves up at the...
Crampon Col If you stay at the Icefall Lodge, you can venture to the nearby Mons Hut or Lyell Hut for the night, or as part of a multi-day, hut-to-hut linkup. In what turned out to be the most memorable part of our week in Canada, ten of us made the trip to the Lyell Hut, and caught some really fun skiing the next day. The hut– which we were...
Christy, in the Bird Bowl. We just got back from an awesome week up at the Icefall Lodge, in the Canadian Rockies. Situated in a rugged area of mountains and glaciers west of the Selkirks, the privately owned lodge (actually two lodges) is nestled right at treeline has everything from gladed tree runs, to short backyard-style laps, pillow lines, and massive glacial tours. As an added option, there exist two...
The third and final climb of the day, out of Lenado to Four Corners and home. In seasons like this, when the steeper backcountry skiing isn’t all that safe, we keep ourselves busy with races. And part of the fun in that is in the training days. Many of the seasons races are already behind us. The Power of Four, the Vail COSMIC (for Christy), and the Highlands Skimo Series...
It’s just different up on Chair. For whatever reason, its location– between McClure, Kebler, and Schofield passes– seems to draw several times more snow than nearby mountains. I probed around high in the basin and measured 300cm , almost three times what we have in Aspen. Christy, Joey, and I joined Al and Ruthie up at their cabin recently and we had our first full touring weekend of the winter....
Sean, Friendship Col, opens the second set here. Here are a few more from the week. (more…)
Bianca, from Quebec, charges down from Friendship Col. Everyone who ever told me that Fairy Meadow was a “must-do” was right. The place rocks. Joey, Sean, Brad Buyers, Christy, and I joined a group of 12 Canadians (including Greg Franson and Jesse Berg from our Bugs to Rogers Traverse last year) for a week up at the hut in the Adamant Mountains. We finally got a bit of the skiing...
A rare break in the morning clouds above the Bow Hut afforded the rare view we sought. Canadians call it clag. Fortunately for Coloradans, a high treeline and lack of glaciers prevent whiteout conditions from being an issue much of the time. But on a recent trip to the Icefields in the Canadian Rockies, we got a good taste of what claggy weather is all about. (more…)
It’s time for some spring adventures. We’re off to Canada again. The map and route of the Wapta Traverse. Sean and I are doing the Wapta Traverse, a hut-to-hut ski tour similar in style to Europe’s Haute Route. (more…)