Category: Random Thoughts

More from Silverton

Posted by Frank – May 15, 2012

We had so many great photos from Silverton that we decided another post was in order.

The miners of the late 1800′s must have been both crazy and a whole lot tougher than we are today. There are roads and mining camps everywhere in the Silverton area, which makes for some great ski possibilities thanks to the access, not to mention an ATV/jeep paradise in the summer (or now, since the county has plowed a large number of dirt roads). Check out these buildings for an example of the lengths the miners went to in their hunt for wealth:

Don’t see them? It’s a game of Where’s Waldo? Maybe this will help…

[For those of you not seeing them, they're in the dead center of the face] It was hard not to look at these buildings and imagine them in Europe, where they would certainly be filled with skiers, climbers, and hikers relaxing in chalets after a long day in the mountains.

Read more

Turning Around: Thoughts

Posted by Frank – April 20, 2012

After turning around on Grand Teton last week, I’ve alternated between patting myself on the back for making a good call and kicking myself in the butt for bailing. In retrospect, we probably could have summited. But does that mean we should have?

It’s a fine line between “giving it your best shot” or “pushing your limits” or whatever other cliche you can think of and, well, disaster. The other side of the coin is another cliche- “The mountain will still be there” (Unless one tried to ski Mt St Helens in early May of 1980, and was hoping to give it another go in June, of course). Let’s go back to the Grand for a moment. Bill Briggs’ first descent was completed with a solo, thigh-deep slush ascent of the upper East face. Anyone with a passing knowledge of wet slides could argue that thigh-deep slush is a no-go. Of course Briggs did go, so we have a hero with a landmark first descent. But what if the slope had gone, would we just look at Bill Briggs as a cautionary tale in the history of ski mountaineering?

I’m not trying to “Monday morning quarterback” Briggs’ decision. I simply want to make the point that the line between success and failure gets very sharp as one gets to the upper end of things. People don’t push themselves, or the sport, or even simply knock off classic lines without some amount of risk entering the equation. Doubt will always creep into your mind, so when is the reason for turning around just an excuse that placates your fears?

Sometimes you’ve simply got to be bold if you’ve got big dreams. This is of course true not just in ski mountaineering, but in life as well. But as Kenny Rogers’ famously said, “You got to know when to hold ‘em, know when to fold ‘em, Know when to walk away and know when to run.” Well said, Kenny. How do you know? Experience and gut instinct, I guess. Which can still lead to giving up too early, or pushing it too far. Both lead to an unpleasant feeling in the pit of one’s stomach. Tough game to play, given the consequences. Palliative care workers say the terminally ill regret the things they didn’t do more than the things they did do. I’m not sure if that totally applies here, but I’ll throw it out there as food for thought anyway.

I would LOVE to hear from our readers on this one. One thing I hope to see more of here at 14erskiers is the great dialogue among our readership that other websites get. So please, if you have any thoughts on this, let’s hear them.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

State of the Snowpack 1-19-12

Posted by Frank – January 20, 2012

Things are bad in Colorado, Utah, and many other areas of the Western US right now. Everyone knows it. The snowpack right now comes right from an evil mad scientist’s worst dreams- almost exclusively rotten facets and dense windslabs. So it goes without saying that we’re toning it down here at 14erskiers, and hopefully everyone else will do likewise. The snowpack hasn’t looked like this in about 10 years- 2001/02 was a rough one, but I was luckily spending that winter in Whistler/Pemberton, enjoying a banner year there. We’ve enjoyed a string of relatively excellent years in Crested Butte, and we’ve been able to enjoy some fairly aggressive skiing in the backcountry as a result. In all likelihood, the backcountry this season has no chance of a full recovery- it will be dicey, possibly even in the spring.

The rime (or was it rain?) layer in the Anthracites yesterday:
Photobucket

Skiing 7th bowl through the rime crust was interesting- Zach’s skis made the most fascinating sound skiing through it, and at first I thought it was his carbon DPS skis. But no, it was just a weird snowpack.
Photobucket

So, we’ll be spending more time than usual at the resort. Heck, I’ve been spending most of my time on my tele gear. The bummer in this case is that the resort needs a ton more snow to get the steep stuff open, and once we do get snow all the steep terrain will likely slide right back down to the ground. There hasn’t even been enough snow this season for the bootpackers to stomp the sugar down in much terrain other than the Headwall and Teocalli bowl. So we’ll need some really big and prolonged storm systems to get much of the steeps open, and even then it’s doubtful that all of our terrain will open this season (i.e. 3rd bowl and the frontside and possibly even Phoenix/Spellbound).

Yes, I realize I’m being pessimistic, but the reality is that it is late January and Crested Butte Mountain Resort has recorded 40-some inches for the whole year. So we’re finalizing plans to get the heck out of here. Girdwood Alaska looks like our first stop in late February. I hope to find myself in BC at some point in March. April will hopefully find us in the Tetons and/or the Wind Rivers, and if all goes well, we’ll finish out the season on Rainier and other peaks in the Cascades. Suddenly, I’m looking forward to this winter again.

What we’ve got

Posted by Brittany – January 8, 2012

We’ve been waiting for this. We’ve been waiting for far too long. On Saturday morning, we were awakened by the sound of a snow plow. The building shook as the mighty machine scraped the two inches of snow off the parking lot pavement and dumped it on top of our tiny snow banks. It’s been a bad snow year so far. There’s no debate about it. And while last year two inches of fresh felt like dust on crust, this year’s dry spell has made two inches feel more like two feet. It was declared a powder day.

We grabbed our skis and headed to the ski area. Yelps and smiles and shouts of elation were everywhere. Two inches became three inches and three inches became five as snow continued to fall throughout the day. I felt my edges carving through the newly fallen snow as if they were razor sharp, something I rarely feel on the man-made frozen congealed slop.

We made our way to the East River lift. “Scrape, scrape, brush, brush,” was the sound our skis made as we glazed over rock after rock and blasted through the small trees and bushes. The coverage was thin, but it was natural snow- natural snow with fresh snow on top of it. And that made it fantastic.

Last year we were spoiled. We would have either laughed or cried at the desperation we find ourselves in today, where skiing a black diamond bump run laden with rocks and bushes has been the highlight of our lift-served experience, where two inches of fresh is declared a pow-day. But, no skier on the mountain yesterday could deny that it wasn’t a good day. Because it WAS a good day!

Sometimes the best days are the ones that remind you what you’ve got :)

Thoughts On Early Season

Posted by Frank – November 17, 2011

I hate early season. There, I said it. Sure, I’m sometimes accused of being a hater in general, but hear me out.

Take today, which consisted of an aborted attempt to go skiing. As is often the case during early season, we were making our way up a sketchy snow covered road trying to get close enough to the deeper snowpack area to make it worthwhile. My “past their prime” tires failed me and next thing I know, we’ve got a junkshow of the first order trying to turn around the truck and the trailer on a hill. I didn’t even get any GNAR points by getting stuck over a cliff or sliding uncontrollably backwards, two things which I’ve done in the past. At least my back hurts from muscling trailers around.

Another fun game to play during early season is “thrash your snowmobile”. Nothing like breaking an A arm hitting a rock under a few inches of snow. Or driving on prolonged stretches of dirt until your sled overheats, as a friend of mine recently did. Good times.

Then there’s the early season hazards. Another friend of mine had an entirely too close for comfort run-in with a buried log down at Wolf Creek a couple of weeks ago. Twenty-something stitches later and a brand new pair of Flylow pants cut off by the medics, and he’s still waiting for his next chance to ski.

Finally, let’s talk about avalanches. Take a little bit of snow in October, let it rot out, then add some storms in November and you’ve got some of the worst conditions you’re likely to see all year long. And for the most part, the places you can actually ski are the ones with the biggest consequences. Known trigger points like rocks and shrubs are barely covered up, meaning a skier can trigger them quite easily- much more so than later in the year when they’re under a few feet of snow. If you do get caught by a slide, you’re going to get dragged through rocks and stumps since there simply isn’t much snow covering up those hazards.

Yep, I’d like to be on a beach every year in November. And I hate beaches. ‘Cause I’m a hater…

Nostalgic Day at Berthoud Pass and Genesee 9.10.11

Posted by Frank – September 16, 2011

Last weekend, we headed down to Denver to spend some time in the areas of my youth. The occasion was to spread my dad’s ashes, who passed away last December, with my family. While sad on some levels, it was also a good opportunity to reflect on all the things that my dad did while I was growing up that helped shape me into the person I am today. The first stop was Berthoud Pass, a pass that my dad must have driven me over a few hundred times, as we headed up to ski racing practice nearly every day of the winter that I wasn’t in school.
Photobucket

I decided to head up to the summit of Colorado Mines Peak (the one with all the buildings on it on the East side of the pass), since that seemed like it would have some good views of the area. It did, particularly of snowy Greys and Torreys.
Photobucket

The next stop was Genesee, the foothills community that I moved to halfway through elementary school. Before that, we lived in a typical Denver suburb. Without a doubt, that move is the reason why I live in the mountains and spend all my time playing in the outdoors. There was no 7-11 down the street to cruise over to and play video games and drink slurpees. There was a forest that needed to be explored, and singletrack that needed to be ridden, and hillsides that needed to be sledded (and every once in a while, skied). So that’s what we did. And I loved it, so I still do it to this day.

This is the tiny cliff that my buddy Mark and I first started rappelling off of. Can I even call it a cliff? But hey, it was a 10 minute walk from my house.
Photobucket

We weren’t really allowed to ride the trails in Genesee, but considering that we weren’t old enough to drive elsewhere, and the trails were this good, we went anyway:
Photobucket

Same trail, circa ’92?:
Photobucket

Didn’t need no stinking helmet back then. Here’s a couple more, even older photos, maybe about 1986. Probably Rollins Pass or Summit County. We liked water back in the day.
Photobucket

Photobucket

Anyway, it was a good day and a good way to honor my dad. Thanks for reading.

2012 Ski Showcase In Stock Now at Backcountry.com

Rafting Down Rivers and Jumping Out Of Planes: A Bachelor Party TR

Posted by Frank – May 23, 2011

Ahh, yes, the Bachelor party. Often involving a trip to Vegas or the local “Gentleman’s Club”, this was one pre-wedding ritual I was definitely looking forward to. Since I have no interest in the things that go on in Vegas, I just wanted to get the guys together to do something fun. Skiing was obviously my first choice, but I wasn’t sure if everyone else would be that stoked on it. So I started brainstorming and skydiving instantly came to mind. While I don’t actually have a “bucket list”, jumping out of a perfectly good plane is something I knew I wanted to do someday. Check that one off the list.

Some research led me to Canon City of all places- cheaper than other skydiving hotspots like Moab, and with a quality river run in the Royal Gorge as well. Day one was the Royal Gorge. It isn’t easy to get lots of photos on a raft trip, but since we had some kayakers in our group, we at least got a couple. Thanks Chris! The guy in the pink tutu up front? Yeah that would be me.

Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket

I’ve done a bit of rafting in my day (Yampa/Green, Brown’s canyon, Taylor, and the Gunny gorge) and I’d put the Royal Gorge near the top. I’d do the multi-day Yampa over the Royal Gorge, but I liked the Royal Gorge a lot more than say, Brown’s canyon. In any case, we headed back to our camp at Shelf Road, which is an awesome spot to camp. We had hopes of getting a little climbing in, but never quite made it happen. Shelf Road:
Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket

Then it was time for the main event. 10 of us jumped. Pete and Tom heading out on plane # 1 (They take 2 at a time):
Photobucket

Pete comes in for his landing:
Photobucket

Tom. Most everyone came out looking like this. Skydiving is fun. DO IT!
Photobucket

Danny’s take on the skydiver’s hair and goggle look:
Photobucket

Then it was my turn. I strapped in to the instructor, got in the plane, and we were off. The word was clearly out that I was the bachelor, so I got to hear a lot of this: {my guy to the other instructor} “Hey, do you know what this thing does?” {to me} “Hope you aren’t superstitious, this is only my 13th jump.”. As we continued our climb into the sky, he even busted out the fake “shaking hands” trick. I wasn’t buying it, but I’d also be lying if I said I wasn’t starting to get clammy hands as we got closer to the jump elevation. I tried to keep my mind occupied by checking out the great views of the Royal Gorge, Pike’s Peak, and the Sangres.

Then it was “go time”. The straps were tightened, and the relative quiet of the inside of the plane is suddenly pierced by the deafening roar of air rushing by at 80 miles an hour as the door is opened. There’s barely any time to think as the instructor quickly gets his foot out on the step. Moments later, I have both of my feet outside the plane as well. I get a tap on the shoulder, I grab the shoulder straps, and then WOAAAA!, I’m doing a front flip 8,000′ above the ground. Hey look, there’s the bottom of the plane. they should wash it, it’s dirty. There’s the ground. Another tap on the shoulder and I take my hands off the harness. We’re flying now, banking a little from right to left. Another tap and I grab the harness again and the chute gets thrown- slowing us down a little at first and then BAM!, the main chute inflates. This is me:
Photobucket

Then the instructor starts spinning us around. This is probably the part when some people puke, but I’m loving every minute of it. Ben is above me in this shot:
Photobucket

The landing was surprisingly gentle, and definitely over too quick. Since the instructor is doing all the work, I kind of described this experience as being a lot like an amusement park ride- just by far the best one I’ve been on.

Then it was back to camp for most of us, with nothing to do but a little auto body work. I mean, what good bachelor party doesn’t involve a good crash or two? (For the record, somebody else crashed into Dan’s car a few miles from camp).
Photobucket

Photobucket

In short, GOOD TIMES!

Crested Butte Ski Mountaineering Camps With CBMG

Posted by Frank – March 31, 2011

Sometimes people ask “How did you learn how to do this stuff?” In my case, I learned to ski at a young age, and started picking up some climbing skills in high school. I wouldn’t say that I ever got very good at climbing, but at least I learned the basics. Skiing at the resorts eventually led to a desire to ski in the backcountry, so I started to learn how to skin, and navigate the mountains, and of course I took an avalanche course. That worked for me, although I certainly haven’t stopped learning.

If I wanted to get into ski mountaineering today, starting from scratch, I think I would want to get a solid foundation via a course. Our friends at Crested Butte Mountain Guides are offering two such courses, on April 7-10 as well as April 22-25. There are still a few spaces available.

The camps are designed to cover basic ski mountaineering skills: crampon, ice axe, basic rope work, navigation, and pertinent avy conditions. Last year’s camps they skied:
1) Redwell – via a technical rappel entrance off Scarp cliffs. (to teach rope/anchor skills)

2) Gothic Spoon

3) Carbon Spoon

4) Wolverine/Coon/Climax Chutes link up

Other options include White and Whiterock:

…Or Axtell. Or some of the peaks in the Ruby Range. Generally, this includes many of the peaks shown here on 14erskiers. Speaking of 14ers, CBMG also has permits to guide the following 14ers: Crestone Area 14ers; Sawatch/Collegiate Range, Gray’s & Torrey’s; Evans; Pike’s Peak.

Cost for the Crested Butte Ski Mountaineering Camps is $525/person for 4 days including all technical gear (crampons, harness, axe, rope), and good lodging deals at Elk Mtn & Purple Mtn Lodges ($70/night or so). I think that’s a pretty good deal, all things considered, and the guides at CBMG are top notch. Check it out, and if you do call CBMG, please let them know you heard about their camps for 14erskiers.com.

Looking forward to spring ski mountaineering season myself…

Pemberton Down Days and Thoughts On Snowmobile Skiing

Posted by Frank – March 24, 2011

By the end of February, ski conditions in Pemberton, BC had taken a bit of a turn for the worse and I briefly contemplated pulling the plug and heading back to Colorado. Sustained winds, cold temperatures, and no new snow had conspired to create poor conditions, especially in the alpine which is where I really wanted to be. Still, if there is one thing I know about the Coast Mountains of British Columbia, it’s that they can go from “zero to hero” faster than just about anywhere else I know. So I stuck it out.

Susan and I tried to find some good snow in a heavily trafficked area that we hoped was sheltered enough. The views were nice. It’s hard to see, but there were some really rowdy and exposed spines in the alpine above Susan.
Photobucket

We found a mixed bag of conditions on our ski descent. I’ll include this photo, since it speaks volumes. Susan loves to ski, and with an infant at home, skiing is no longer an everyday event like it once was. So despite the non-perfect terrain or conditions, she was still pretty darn stoked just to be out there, making some turns. I should probably try to remember that the next time I’m out on a mediocre day.
Photobucket

In any case, I found myself at Blackcomb a lot over the next few days, since skiing hardpack is better than not skiing at all. One fine day, the winds hit nearly 150km/hr and shut down most of the mountain. Regardless, one day I met up with my friend Gavin, who had shown me around Whitewater last year. He and his new bride Veronica asked me about the snowmobile skiing I had been doing and whether they should get into it or not. I’ve thought a lot about that lately, so here are my thoughts.

Here in Crested Butte, I consider it a no-brainer. $1,000 gets you something that can get you up a groomed road and a lot more options in areas that get a lot more snow. A little more money will get you an older-style mountain sled that can access most everything else. Most of the trailheads are pretty simple, so just about any trailer and vehicle will take care of things.

Up in Pemberton, things are bigger, harder, and ultimately, better. But the costs are way bigger. First off, the trailheads are tough to get to without a big truck and a sled bed, so that’s the first cost my friend Gavin needs to consider. A cheap sled won’t cut it, so I think at least a few grand per snowmobile is a place to start. We’re already off to a big investment here, but there’s more: the time investment learning how to ride. Sure, the really popular areas like Brandywine or the Pemberton Icecap might get enough tracks to simply follow, but what’s the fun in that? I’ve been riding snowmobiles for a while, but I still felt pretty helpless at times up there without a better rider (usually Jon) with me. So add in a lot of miles dedicated to snowmobiling, not skiing, to the investment. Meanwhile, the Whistler area has a lot of good skiing available from the lifts as well as on the Duffey road. No snowmobile is required for classics like Joffre and Fissile. So in the end, my advice to Gavin is to ski everything he can without a snowmobile first, and then consider getting one down the road. What do you guys think? good advice or bad?

More Road Trip 2011 Posts:
Stevens Pass
No Sleep Spines
O Face
Pemby BC
Luna Creek
Trandem Trees
Whistler/Vancouver
Down Days and thoughts on snomo skiing
Dope Creek 1
Dope Creek 2

CBMR initiates new rope drop and beacon policy

Posted by Brittany – December 26, 2010

It seems that Crested Butte Mountain Resort has initiated a new rope drop policy that requires skiers to wear a beacon during the opening of new terrain. All of this seems to have come about suddenly- just in the last week- leaving some locals slightly aghast at the new policy.

The first we at 14erskiers.com heard about this new policy was when this email showed up in our friend’s inbox.

CRESTED BUTTE, Colo. – December 20 – Crested Butte Mountain Resort (CBMR) has been blessed with an abundance of early season powder and that means terrain is opening quickly. In preparation, the Crested Butte Ski Patrol has created new guidelines for terrain openings to maximize safety for all guests. The new protocol goes into effect immediately and has been designed to create greater awareness of the inherent risk in skiing and riding extreme terrain. The resort also wants to recognize those who take extra precautions that can be helpful in the instance of an in-bound slide.

“We are all excited about the incredible snow Mother Nature has provided already this season,” said Ken Stone, chief operating officer at CBMR. “As resort operators we are constantly focused on the safety of our guests and with this new policy we hope to encourage courtesy and preparedness. Tackling the Extremes should not be taken lightly; this terrain demands respect and focused attention.”

While snow safety and mitigation efforts reduce the risk of avalanches, slides may still occur at ski areas, both inside and outside posted boundaries. Avalanches are an inherent risk of the sport due to the nature of snow and its presence on steep mountainous terrain.

CBMR Terrain Opening Protocol:
· Ski Patrol will allow skiers and riders with transceivers (avalanche beacons) to enter first at terrain openings
· Ski Patrol will now use a gate rather than a rope lifting or dropping to allow more space between skiers and riders
· When the gate is open, skiers and riders will proceed, one at a time, through the gate
· Any ducking of ropes will result in the loss of lift passes and a delay in the opening of terrain for everyone

In addition, the Crested Butte Ski Patrol reminds all extreme terrain users to always ski or ride with a partner and keep them within sight at all times; to obey all signs and closures; and to carry avalanche equipment such as beacons, shovels, probes and Recco chips, and know how to use them.

For more information contact Erik Forsythe, Ski Patrol Director – 349-2220, Frank Coffey, Snow Safety Director – 349-4137, or Chris Corliss, Mountain Manager – 349-2341.

Now, the new policy can be seen on CBMR’s website:
http://www.skicb.com/cbmr/info/mountain/beacon-policy.aspx

A quick snapshot of some of the new rules as stated on CMBR’s site:

In an effort to encourage and reward standard practices for travel in avalanche prone terrain, the Crested Butte Ski Patrol will be allowing the users of avalanche beacons early access to said terrain on initial openings and re-openings after avalanche mitigation procedures.

Q: When and where will this apply?
A: This policy with be in effect all season. Any time we are opening or re-opening terrain initially or after new snow and/or any time the public has gathered awaiting terrain opening with potential avalanche danger, no matter how slight, we will be providing avalanche beacon users with access to that terrain ahead of those without.

Q: Will patrollers be checking skiers’ beacons as they pass through the gate/line?
A: Yes

Q: How will this work at the High Lift and North Face Lift?
A: There will be an “Avalanche Beacon Users Only” lane that will load the lift before other lanes are allowed to alternate into the mix. Only those that are in this lane when the lift opens will be given priority. As soon as the first wave loads, the “Avalanche Beacon Users Only” sign will be pulled and the lane will be open to all users and will alternate as usual.

Q: Will this happen at any other lifts like the Silver Queen or Paradise?
A: No

Q: How will this work at gate openings?
A: As the opening nears, the Ski Patroller at the gate will ask beacon users to move to the front of the group. Once the group has been organized, and the terrain is ready for opening, the gate will be opened and beacon users will proceed, one at a time, through the gate. Once the initial wave of beacon users has passed through the gate, all others will be invited to pass through the gate one at a time. Any disorderly conduct or ducking of ropes will result in the loss of lift passes for individuals and the delay of terrain opening for everyone.

My Opinion on the Matter
In some ways, we can’t be surprised the CBMR is initiated such policies. As the ski industry progresses, more skiers are finding themselves entering “extreme” terrain than before. In addition, many skiers are adding backcountry skiing to their repertoire. Recent in-bounds avalanches such as in Jackson Hole, Snowbird, and A-Basin have caused some CBMR patrollers to take a deeper look at the safety issues at hand. And, let’s face it. We do live in the most litigious country in the world. In some ways, I can’t blame CBMR for initiating this policy.

But, at the same time, I don’t really like this policy. CBMR has always been really conservative about terrain openings. They don’t open it unless it is fully safe- no questions asked. One would hope that this new beacon policy would help CBMR patrollers open terrain a tad bit earlier or perhaps provide some “slackcountry” access gates. But, I don’t think that this is the case. Crested Butte is not Whistler- where there is so much terrain patrollers are seemingly lackadaisical about control work in certain areas. Nor is it Jackson or Snowbird. Here, patrollers are, for lack of a better word- anal. They rarely leave things untracked. Terrain is often bombed to death, ruining many of our favorite lines sometimes for the whole season. And I have rarely felt any need to wear a beacon inbounds at this resort (a testament to the safe-keeping of ski patrol), whereas I have definitely felt the need elsewhere. This new “beacons at rope-drop” policy is simply a case of CYA – Cover Your Ass. And, it’s truly unfortunate for those friends of ours who do not have a beacon because they don’t venture into the backcountry. We spend $900+ on season’s passes. Now, CBMR wants skiers to pay an additional $300 or so for a beacon too, just to ski fresh tracks in bounds- and no place to rent them, unlike Bridger Bowl which requires beacons on much of its terrain. If you ask me, CBMR needs to take a better look at their new policy and provide a supporting infrastructure for it before suddenly dropping the ropes for those only with a beacon.