Sunday afternoon we made it to Rogers Pass, ten days after being dropped off in the middle of nowhere, by the Bugaboo Spires. Eight of us made the 85+ mile traverse, climbing some 32,000 vertical feet along the way. (more…)
Sean starts down the massive couloir by Opaban Pass, above Lake O’Hara. Mount Biddle stands tall behind. With an unexpected day free before we embark on our Bugaboos to Rogers Pass traverse, I thought I’d post a few pics from the first leg of the Canada trip, from a couple of days in the Lake Louise area and the Icefields of the Rockies. It was still winter up there and...
The approach, justified. Well actually, skiing 13,300 foot Mount Daly is almost always a great day, as it was for us last Saturday. In fact, I think it would probably be a hugely popular Aspen objective, much like Mount Hayden, were it not for the drawn out approach. So I say “grind” half-seriously, because the climbing and skiing is usually really fun and worthwhile once up in the basin, it’s...
Christy leaves her mark on, among other places, page 12. Off season’s here, and now that Aspen has effectively shut down, anyone with free time enough to get away has been packing up and leaving town. This spring, that ever-present drive to hit the road has us heading to Canada to keep the ski season rolling for a little while longer. I’ll head up to Calgary on Monday to meet...
An awesome early spring ski descent of the East Face of Castle Peak.
The view from the top. Spring is here. At least according to the calendar. And though it isn’t a tradition to try to get out on the first day of the new season, with Christy and I both free this past Sunday, we set our sights on an objective we’ve had for some time- Buckskin Benchmark’s Southeast Face. The 13,370 foot summit just north of Buckskin Pass sits between the...
(Christy here) This weekend I had the honor of attending the 37th Annual Sportswomen of Colorado Awards Celebration. Prior to receiving a letter a few weeks back notifying me that I was the recipient of an award for Superior Performance in Ski Mountaineering, I was not familiar with the organization. Honored to be included, I headed to Denver, and along with my parents, attended the gala event. As it turned...
Lo Semple, rocking the fanny pack, on the second climb up to Burnt Mtn. after skiing the Hanging Valley Wall in the background. Click any image to enlarge. That was fun. At least in a sort of “now-that-it’s-done” kind of way. Seriously though, despite the sore feet and added challenge of having to finish on a broken ski, Christy and I both felt that it was one of the coolest...
So it’s all set. The new Power of Four race is officially “sold out” with 75 teams of two registered to start in the morning. I was out yesterday with Dirk and Pete Swenson, helping with the course marking between Snowmass and Buttermilk. About 11,000 feet of vertical gain with ski descents of the Hanging Valley Wall, Highland Bowl and Silver Queen, all under forecasted sunny skies have it shaping...
Christy cuts through the powder on the Congo Trail section on her skinny little race skis. (Christy here) The new Power of Four Ski Mountaineering Race is right around the corner, so in an attempt to scout out the complex course and get some time in our new Dynafit ski mountaineering race setups, Anda Smalls and I went out this weekend for a little familiarization. (more…)