Category: Backcountry Skiing

Ohio Peak 12,271′ 4.21.12

Posted by Frank – April 25, 2012

Hands down, this was our best day of the year in Colorado this season. Granted, the bar was set pretty low this season, but honestly we skied two great lines in great conditions, so this day would compare favorably to anything we skied last season.

Strangely, we haven’t been to this summit before, even though it isn’t far from Crested Butte’s version of the sheep pen- the Anthracites. In fact, although these lines frequently get favorable comments from ski tourers when seen from the top of the Anthracites, I can’t remember ever seeing tracks there or hearing of parties making it out there (which isn’t to say it hasn’t been skied, but is rather a comment on Ohio Peak’s relative unpopularity). We skipped the snowmobiles, since Kebler Pass is currently plowed to the “Y”, intending to make our way up the established Anthracites skin track, and follow the NE ridge from there. Luck was on our side this morning, however, and we were able to catch a snowmobile ride far above Floresta thanks to a cabin caretaker.

Ohio Peak actually has two summits. This one is marked on topo maps as Ohio Peak, at 12,271′, and the couloir that drops from the summit caught our eye:

Meanwhile, the North face of the higher, but unmarked, 12,290′ summit was really calling my name:

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April delivers as always: Axtell 4.17.12

Posted by Frank – April 24, 2012

If there is one month of the year that is consistently the best in Colorado, it’s April. Whether you’re after the bigger alpine lines that finally come into play in April, or shredding stable powder after a spring dump, April’s your month. Even this season, which will go down as one of the all-time worst, is providing good turns now that it’s April. No pictures this day, just a quick video skiing the conditions most sorely lacking in 2012- powder.

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And of course, you can wear flip flops after shredding pow in April…

TR: Backcountry in Utah

Posted by Brittany – April 22, 2012

After skiing Grand Targhee, we headed to Utah in search of more pow. We got it :) We spent Friday skiing in-bounds at Snowbird. We milked the goods and knew the next day it would be best to head out for a backcountry tour. Our friends Jen and Jonathan put some ideas on the table and together we decided to head out to the “Alta backcountry”- slackcountry often accessed by the Superior lift, but this time of year the lift is closed.

We made our way up to Catherine’s Pass, enjoying the occasional views the spotty squalls allowed us to see along the way. Me with Superior in the background.
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A Thousand Feet Short: Grand Teton 4.11.12

Posted by Frank – April 19, 2012

Brittany’s spring break was last week, and with the Colorado snowpack currently pegged at 39% of average and the Gunnison Basin at 47%, it was pretty clear we should go somewhere that got a little more snow. The Tetons didn’t exactly get hammered with snow this season either, but it was still the best and closest destination for us to eke out at least a few worthwhile descents this spring. Josh Macak was in town and equally keen on a road trip, and meanwhile Jordan White and Anton Sponar headed up from Aspen as well.

The weather forecast wasn’t perfect later in the week, so we decided to jump right into things and go after the big objective- The Grand. Jordan and I had already tried the Grand back in 2009, but in the end we wandered around in thick fog and sleet in upper Garnet canyon before mistakenly summiting Middle Teton. A midnight alarm clock had us leaving the Bradley/Taggart trailhead around 1am, where there was just barely enough snow to skin right from the trailhead.

After a long drive and only a little sleep, with thoughts of a big climb weighing on our minds, we all retreated into our own heads and zombie-walked through the rolling terrain to the base of Garnet canyon. I’m sure many of you reading this know exactly what I’m talking about when it comes to these surreal dark’o'clock experiences. It looks a bit like this:

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Winter Arrived 4.16.12

Posted by Frank – April 16, 2012

Normally, when it snows in April after a long dry spell, one might say “Winter’s back!”. But this year, since it never really snowed, it felt more like winter finally arrived. Thanks to the dry winter combined with the March meltdown, access is tough and the creeks and rivers are all open, so the choices are a bit limited right now. Nevertheless, with up to a foot and a half of new snow in the Irwin zone, I had to ski something.

My friend Alex was already heading up when I talked to her, and thankfully she was willing to wait for me since it seems most everyone is working or out of town right now. There was some slide activity within the new snow, but mostly from the day before, so we kept it pretty conservative. Anyway, on to the photos…

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Scarp’s Ridge to Peeler 4.4.12

Posted by Frank – April 10, 2012

As bad as this season has been here in Colorado, we’ve been able to eke out a surprising number of new (to us) descents. Normally in late March and early April, we’re concentrating on steep powder lines like the Green Lake chutes and the S-tube. This season, I’m still leery of the snowpack- or else access is already a pain, as it is in both of the examples I mentioned. So we’ve been skiing “out of the box” and skiing some different tours than normal. Some friends of mine recently did an Irwin area tour that sounded pretty fun, so Ben Furimsky and I modified it a little and set our sights on the couloirs that drop off of Scarp’s ridge and the big North facing Peeler Peak bowls.

Afley’s SE face is still “in and thin”. Meanwhile, the foreground is a bit dry on the ridge- as is the trail that traverses this area. Dry trail…hmmn. (coming soon)

Ben drops in- a solid 15′ away from the sleds:

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TR: Baldy in “Mayrch” (31 Mar 2012)

Posted by Brittany – April 9, 2012

After finding some good turns on Baldy the weekend before, we decided to head out to the same area again the following weekend. This time, we brought our visiting friend, Jim, and checked out a new line on the east side.

We began early, snowmobiling up Washington Gulch, and skinning up this southeast-facing bowl.
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It didn’t take long for us to reach the ridge, which we followed to the true summit. Lots of cool looking frost hoar decorated the ridge along the way.
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Just past the summit, we found a dogleg couloir that emptied into the eastern basin. But due to an overhanging cornice and some funky snow conditions, the entrance was tricky. We decided to save it for another time. But, Frank kept checking it out anyway :)
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120 Days

Posted by Brittany – April 5, 2012

For a few years now, I’ve wanted it. 120 days of skiing in a season. I was on a good track to accomplishing it when I moved here in 2008-09, but a torn ACL in mid-February brought that goal, along with the goal of finishing my 9 remaining fourteeners, to an abrupt halt. 2010-11 was a great season, and I was also on a good track to accomplishing the 120-day goal. But, my plans were thwarted by two weeks of illness, and also interrupted with our June wedding- not a bad way to be interrupted of course :)

So, I began this season once again with the goal of skiing 120 days. With my part-time schedule at the school, I have had a bit more free time this year and I’ve been able to ski 5 days a week on average. A month ago it seemed like accomplishing the goal wouldn’t be a problem, but the continual lack of snow since the beginning of March has put a damper in my plans.

That being said, yesterday I skinned up the mountain after work, a regular routine for me these days, and skied for my 94th day of the season.

The sunset was beautiful.

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TR: Baldy (25 March 2012)

Posted by Brittany – April 4, 2012

After skiing a fun line with good snow the day before, Frank and I wanted more. We wanted a place with options, and narrowed it down to Baldy- a single peak with options abound.

Me, skinning up the south-east facing ridge.
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As we rounded up to the top, we realized we still had time, and decided to drop in on the west side. But, first we enjoyed a few fun turns on the ridge.
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Frank enjoying the recycled pow.
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TR: Somewhere.

Posted by Frank – March 28, 2012

Somewhere near Crested Butte is a peak with a fair bit of private property. Out of respect for the property owners (many of whom regularly grant access to ski this particular peak), I won’t be naming the peak though most skiers familiar with this area will recognize it. Conditions were excellent- despite the heat wave, we were skiing powder! Brittany on the ascent:

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