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…)
The 12 Hours of Sunlight was yesterday and I’m sure everyone who was there would agree– it’s nice to have that done. The 12 hour race requires skiers or boarders to ascend, on foot or skins, 1,500+ vertical feet up Sunlight Ski Area and then ski down and repeat, for half a day. It can be done as a solo, duo relay, or a four person “firedrill” team. Christy and...
Joey, cold smoke. We’re halfway through the season, and despite the fact that every major storm thus far has skirted us to the north or south, the first half of winter, and January in particular, proved to be pretty good for backcountry skiing. With any luck, the second half of winter will be even better. (more…)
Saturday’s bad weather made for classic storm day conditions up in Highland Bowl. The wind and low visibility kept the fair weather crowds away, and the snow only piled up deeper as the day progressed. Here’s a little video from Christy’s Bowl day. If it isn’t obvious, she’s a proud member of the camp that believes that you should never ride the snowcat up the ridge, no matter how short...
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
