Last week, a little bit of snow fell to “refresh” our current backcountry conditions. With Frank out of town, I headed out to Purple Palace with friends Sydney and Janae. It was a beautiful day and we enjoyed the near-foot of new snow that had fallen a couple of days prior.
Skinning.
Enjoying the views near the top.
With a little bit of fresh snow, we decided to check out the status of the backcountry. The Anthracites are still easily reachable as it is possible to drive a car far up the Kebler Pass road. However, I suspect this will change the next storm or two. The snow was still quite thin in the Anthracites, with a punchy layer beneath the few inches of fresh, making from some interesting and inconsistent turns. Nevertheless, the pics are worth sharing:)
View of Ruby, Owen, and Purple from the top.
Frank.
Me.
From Mouse House Ridge, Zach and I spotted an aesthetic line on 12,632′ Crystal Peak, just a little to our West. We made plans to check out the area on the following day, and it turned out to be a great tour, my favorite thus far in ’11-’12. From the summit, we had some of the most impressive views of any Elk range peak I’ve been on, and I’ve been on a few.
Heading towards the saddle between Treasury and Crystal:
Climbing Crystal from the saddle was a lot of fun despite some wind and even had a nice short scrambling section:
When the pickings are slim, the slim start picking new lines. Or something like that. Typical thin early season conditions, combined with a lot of wind, have made for some rough conditions, both for skiing and avalanche stability, all over Colorado. The few sheltered areas that are easily accessible and have enough snow to ski are getting skied with regularity, further limiting the options. So, rather than follow the herd, Zach, Adrienne, Scott and I ended up picking a zone that looked safe and different from the norm. It ended up being a great tour, despite the variable conditions.
Treasury:
The gang with Capitol and Snowmass in the background:
The Mouse House, as it is sometimes called:
Zach got a great shot of me dropping in:
Arggh, another year older. Thankfully I got to ring in another year with some good friends and some good skiing. I was joined by Brittany, Mike, Adrienne, and Zach and we found conditions which weren’t quite as deep as the day before, but still pretty decent by November standards. Despite some Southwest winds which sent temps spiking and my skins glopping, we had a great time:
Frank:
Mike:
Adrienne:
Brittany:
We woke up to a light dusting of snow. But, those who live here in Crested Butte know that a “light dusting” can mean several inches of fresh for those venturing in the backcountry. Today’s storm did not disappoint, as Frank and I headed out stormchasing with Mike, Adam, and Susan. In certain zones, we found a foot of nice fresh fluffy white snow.
Digging a snowpit.
The boys, ready and eager 
Frank.
Despite my previous post, I actually do like to get out and get a little fresh air from time to time. Zach, Adrian, Mike and I headed out Slate River to check things out. This time, we managed to avoid any driving shenanigans by skipping straight to the sleds. For those of you wondering, trucks are currently coming up about a mile short of Pittsburg.
On to the photos…
Mineral Point always looks amazing from here.
Adrian dropping in…
Weekend winter storm warnings spanned all of Colorado this weekend. Though windy, there were good turns to be had below treeline. With Frank out-of-town, I headed out into the Crested Butte backcountry with friends Susan, Alex and Mike. Though having to deal with early-season snowmobiling treachery, we were rewarded with nearly 2-feet of fresh powder since the previous day. Here’s a few pics from our 3-lap day.
Susan- Killing on her second day out after breaking her femur while skiing last year.
Here in Crested Butte, we are in the true off-season. The mountain biking is done now that snow has covered the trails. Yet, there isn’t enough snow to really ski. Still, the day before Halloween, we headed to our old faithful – Halloween Bowl. Though thin, we found some good skiing there.
A look at the bowl.
Me, ready to ski.
Frank.
Mountain biking in Crested Butte is synonymous with TR 401. Many locals and tourists alike may also ride 403 on the way to 401. But, 402 is a lesser known sister of the Crested Butte 4-0 trails. While 402 doesn’t boast the scenery of 403 or 401, it’s still a good trail worth checking out. Lower in the valley, it makes for an excellent fall ride. Frank and I were joined by our friend Susan Mol and also by our once-local-friend-turned-Alaskan, Ralph.
It was a beautiful fall day. Even with the leaves gone, the land was basking in beauty. Susan and I making our way up the road.
Susan approaching the end of the road.
The gang- Frank, Ralph, Susan.
Ralph making his way through the stark forest.
