It was pretty busy out there, a sunny weekend day with low hazard brings out a lot of people. The weather was ideal, sunny and mild, and the avalanche danger rating had gone down to “low” on all aspects and elevations. The Power of Four ski mountaineering race was the day before, so I was looking for something to do that got me out on my skis, but that also...
We were hoping to get some miles in on a tour that didn’t feel too aggressive considering all the new snow that fell recently. So Sean, Christy, and I put together a pretty fun loop outside of Ashcroft that allowed us to get up high and catch some views, ski a bit, and all while keeping the terrain pretty mellow.
Before the season started, Christy and I sat down with our friends at Cripple Creek Backcountry down in Carbondale as guests on their backcountry skiing podcast, Totally Deep. We were surprised to learn that Totally Deep is one of the only podcasts that exist on the topic of backcountry skiing. Randy and Doug do a really good job with it. The show is very light-hearted and the conversation wanders around,...
Photos from various days skiing Twining Peak up on Independence Pass.
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...
We escaped the holiday season craziness in Aspen and headed up to Tagert Hut for Christmas Eve, up in Pearl Basin above Ashcroft.
Technincally speaking, the mountain’s official name is Unnamed 13828. Lying directly north of the 14er Mount Lindsey, and at the head of Huerfano Creek, some refer to this Sangre de Cristo summit as Huerfano Peak.
Moving east from Half Peak we went to Creede and Phoenix Peak 13,895 ft. Though it may not seem like an exciting mountain when viewed from the small town it stands over, we skied a fun, steep line on the it’s east side which impressed us all.
Half Peak is an interesting one. We were a bit curious about how this peak would be for skiing because the mountain isn’t really conventional in shape. It’s a giant, gentle sloping ramp with a big flat summit, much like like a butte.
UN13832, not the most exciting name, but a pretty cool 13er ski outside of Lake City, Colorado.
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
