Category: Crested Butte

Farris Creek TR and CO conditions update

Posted by Frank – May 17, 2012

For the second time this week, I found myself back on two wheels rather than two skis. I tend to struggle mightily with my biking motivation in the springtime, and this year has been no exception, especially since the spring ski season has been so uniformly good to great this year. On Monday, I rode the Buffalo Creek section (segment 3) of the Colorado Trail with Adam and his father, Jeff- which means I’m at 4/27 rideable sections of the CT. The last time I rode this area, my riding partner was having trouble with his Onza clipless pedals, which a small percentage of you might actually place as about 1994 or so. Conditions there were nearly perfect after some recent snow and rain, since the gravelly soil there is best right after rainfall. Buffalo Creek is a great day trip from Denver or as a quick stop between Crested Butte and Denver (located off 285 between Bailey and Conifer). Gunnison riders will feel right at home, as it is somewhat similar to Hartman’s Rocks but with trees). Check it out if you get the chance.

Today’s ride was upper-402-fourohFred-Farris-Canal-upper, and it was likewise in terrific condition.

Good as it was, I was struck by some things. Primarily, of course, is that it is dry. Even the marshy areas were bone dry- not surprising when the snowpack in the area is at 5% of average, but still eye opening. A fire ban will soon take effect here in Gunnison county, and water restrictions might not be far behind. Riding right now feels much more like fall than spring- the trails are open so early that many of the aspen trees haven’t even budded yet. In any case, here’s some photos of Pete Sowar on Farris:

Quite a few trails are already open- check out the CBMBA page as well as the 14erskiers guide. For those of you looking for some ideas which aren’t on the CBMBA page, here’s a few suggestions: lower 401, 401 as an out and back, Roaring Judy from Jack’s Cabin, or even Texas ridge as an out and back. The sage grouse closures at Hartman’s are done for the year, and Doctor’s Park will be open in a few days as well (closed for sheep currently).

All that said, we’d rather be skiing. Those of you who hung them up long ago might have trouble believing this, but this spring has been excellent- and surprisingly better than last spring in some ways. CO seems to be getting a storm once a week or so, and these small storms have been keeping the snow consistently smooth unlike last season when we kept getting hammered with big storms that would slide out as soon as the sun came out. The best bets right now are high northerly aspects, which doesn’t leave a lot of choices here in Crested Butte other than perhaps Copper Creek. Better choices include San Juan classics like Yankee Boy basin, American Basin, and Cinnamon/Engineer passes, all of which are plowed and open. Independence Pass is open now as well, although the terrain there leaves a bit to be desired. This spring’s MVC (most valuable couloir) might be Mt Hope’s Hopeful Couloir, which has been cranking out great reports all spring. The venerable Dead Dog couloir on Torrey’s has been excellent as well, including last weekend when Brittany skied it with several inches of fresh snow (TR coming soon).

Mark dropping into Dead Dog:
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The final conditions report for this area is Cottonwood Pass- yes it’s open but the construction between Jack’s Cabin Cutoff and Taylor Reservoir is pretty substantial- Monarch is a better choice currently.

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Owen’s Jenga Chute 4.29.12

Posted by Frank – May 4, 2012

After taking it pretty mellow on the Headwall the previous day, due in part to concerns about windslabs forming at the tail end of Friday’s storm, we were ready to head up in the alpine on Sunday. We were leaning towards skiing the S-couloir on Purple, but then we heard that a couple of different groups had already skied it, as well as parts of Owen. We turned our attention to other zones, but after contemplating the access issues we’re currently facing this accelerated spring, we decided that picking up the scraps in the Owen zone was still our best bet.

We set off from the “Y” on snowmobiles and quickly realized that this would be the last time the snowmobiles come out to play, given all the stretches of dirt we were riding. Last year, we used our snowmobiles into June. Once we got to Owen, it looked like our best choice was the Jenga chute, and we started booting up.

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More Ski Area Shenanigans

Posted by Brittany – May 3, 2012

Some people think I’m crazy. Actually, I think most people think I’m crazy. Even here, in a town full of ski-crazed inhabitants, nearly everyone shake’s their head in wonder and disbelief when they find out I’m still skiing. Thankfully, I have a husband who likes it just as much as me.

On Saturday we set our initial sites on Axtell. Being the day after a storm that came in with a lot of wind, we decided to try to stay below treeline. As we drove out the Kebler Pass road, we quickly realized that the snow-bridge that had given skiers easy access to Axtell the week before was now melted. This doesn’t mean Axtell is impossible to ski. But, it certainly makes it harder to access- more difficult than we wanted to deal with for something like Axtell. So, we decided on a back-up plan– to “backcountry ski” at ski area we would go.

A fox was there to greet us.
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Frank wished the T-bar was still running.
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The scenery was beatified with a touch of the new snow.
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Crested Butte Ski and Bike conditions update 5.2.12

Posted by Frank – May 2, 2012

Well, it’s that time of year again. Bikers and hikers are eagerly asking, “Is X open yet? Is Y open yet?” Skiers, meanwhile, are lamenting the lack of snow asking “How much of a pain in the butt is it to get to Z now?” Generally speaking, this season is 4-6 weeks ahead of schedule for snowmelt- which is of course great for the MTB crowd and horrible for skiers. In any case, I thought I’d pass on what I know- additional comments are always welcome.

Ski: The Crested Butte zone lacks good high trailheads and high peaks (most peaks in this area fall just short of 13,000′), making things difficult in late spring. The Irwin zone is currently a good choice, with the road through the townsite plowed and decent access (skins on at the car) to peaks like Owen. Snowmobiles are no longer warranted, unless we get a big dump. Kebler is closed but plowed at the “Y”- some work is being done on it and it won’t be open for a couple more weeks. Slate is open to Pittsburg and beyond, though you’ll be walking at first. The snowpack still looks good up at Paradise divide (despite the low snowpack, the remaining snow is actually quite good- not too runneled or dusty yet). Gothic road is now open to the bridge just before Rustler’s Gulch. Again, you’ll be walking. Those are currently the best access points around here. That said, we may take advantage of higher traiheads in the San Juans next weekend.

Bike: Hartman’s Rocks in Gunnison has been open for a while, with conditions reportedly “very dry and dusty”. The bigger rides South of the powerline, like Aberdeen, will be closed for another 2 weeks for Sage Grouse habitat. Open rides in Crested Butte include Upper, Upper Upper, Whetstone Vista, Lupine, and the Caves loop in CB south. 409 has seen tire tracks as well. Reports from Strand are of a muddy trail that isn’t quite ready. Snodgrass hopefully won’t be long. Trail conditions can also be found HERE.

That’s about it- if anyone has more info, please leave a comment.

TR: Headwall Hoopla

Posted by Brittany – April 26, 2012

After returning from my spring break, it was back to work. As I slaved away impressing the important concepts of math on to developing minds, Mother Nature decided to grace us with a good dousing of spring snow. Some people thought it was a cruel joke. I just thought it was great. I took time to enjoy the freshly fallen snow throughout the week, skinning up the resort both before and after work. But, on Friday, Frank joined me on an after work outing on the Headwall.

On the road we saw evidence that the bears were awake, and likely starving after a long winter of torpor and little food to eat in the area.
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The Headwall was looking pretty good!
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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…

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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An Absurd Mission for an Absurd Season

Posted by Frank – April 11, 2012

I like doing weird things, especially things that make me laugh. So on my most recent ski tour, I couldn’t help but notice that there was a sizeable stretch of dry singletrack at 12,000′ on Scarp’s Ridge. Last year, this area was buried under roughly 900″ of snow by the start of June. This season, we’re about 675″ shy of that. So, rather than lament how much dirt is already showing at the start of April, why not take advantage of these weird conditions and ride a bike?

Not surprisingly, I found no willing partners. This was probably a better solo mission anyway. I took both wheels off and strapped them onto my snowmobile, and strapped the frame onto my backpack. Bike shorts were worn under my ski pants (maybe this should be a new style for me- it was comfy!), and bike shoes and helmet were both packed away in my backpack. The only bummer was the wind- it was really cranking up there so I had to call it a day after just one lap. Good times! Enjoy the video:

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14erskiers’ shoe of choice for biking adventures, check them out:

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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