Month: November 2007

Respect the Snow

Posted by Brittany – November 29, 2007

Previously posted on my Thrillhead Blog

Sometimes you find yourself in situations that you wonder later on, “What was I thinking?” That pretty much sums up Sunday for me.

Colorado’s snowpack has suddenly taken a turn for the worst. Cold temperatures from last week seemed to have quickly caused the formation of those lovely depth hoar crystals. Yikes! Frank and I discovered this in a harsh way during our adventure this weekend.

In search of better snow than Jones Pass had to provide, we tried heading up to Torrey’s. Higher up = better snow, right? It was sad that we were able to drive all the way up to the summer trailhead when it is nearly December.

Here is a picture of Frank at the trailhead, showing lovely lines on Kelso behind.

Despite these tempting lines, we decided to head up the trail and check out Torrey’s. We knew we could easily access the ridge to Kelso if we decided Torrey’s was not good. But when we rounded the corner we saw this:

The Dead Dog couloir was in, along with some other couloirs that didn’t go from the summit. So, onward we went.

A guy stopped me on the way up and asked, “So, um, where are you going to ski?” I laughed and pointed ahead. “That!” He replied, “It doesn’t look like much snow!” “Yeah, there’s not much snow anywhere right now!

We climbed higher and higher, and found ourselves at the top of Torrey’s. Another fourteener climb in lovely November!

Frank had visions of us skiing the Dead Dog. But we talked about it. I was a bit sketched by encountering really variable and unfriendly snow conditions in a pretty serious line, so we backed out of it. We decided to go for a couloir to the lookers left of the summit, as you can see in the picture above.

We walked down to the couloir from the summit because there was not enough snow to ski down to it. Now, there is a reason why I have no ski pictures below.

Originally we were a bit worried about the entrance to the couloir being wind-loaded. That was a concern, but we figured once we got past it, we’d be fine. Frank dropped in and tried to trigger the wind-loaded area, with a bit of success. He sent a piece that was about 5′x5′x1′. But as he continued down, he realized the snow was rotten. All rotten. Depth hoar to the max.

He spent nearly an hour trying to work his way back up and out of the couloir. We walked the rest of the way down the mountain, too scared of any existing snow.

It was a long day for 100 feet of skiing. It was a humbling reminder that even a “common” fourteener can catch you off guard. I found myself once again reminded about the majesty of these mountains and to always respect the snow.

Can’t help but think….

Posted by Brittany – November 22, 2007

Previously posted on my Thrillhead Blog

It is November 22 and I have never seen such a lack of snow here in Colorado. We skied at Winter Park yesterday and they had 2 runs open on the lower part of the mountain. What was even more scary was that they had very little potential of opening any other terrain soon unless significant snow hits. Meteorologists blame it on the fact that this is a “La Nina” year. But, no one can deny the fact that our winters are starting later and ending earlier. Sometimes, in the middle of winter, it doesn’t even seem like winter.

Personally, I think there is a whole lot that we don’t understand about global warming. But, at the same time, I think our increasing CO2 levels in our atmosphere on a gigantic level is cause for concern. There is no doubt in my mind that we humans are huge players in impacting our global climate.

More and more skiers are taking notice of this phenomenon that we call global warming and are trying to do their part in contributing for a change in our lifestyle. Alison Gannet is one of the most prominent skiers out there who is deeply involved in global warming issues. I had a discussion with her about it this summer while on a bike ride and she mentioned that she had a bunch of videos out on YouTube. I finally got around to checking them out. Here’s what I found!

Weather We Change Ski Video

Greenfit TV episode

Save our Snow Road Trip

Global Cooling Ski Tour- Squaw Valley

More Global Cooling Ski Tour

Rest of her Global Cooling Ski Tour
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5uN42tifZ-E
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6RV0n_TVdk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yGrcKpdn_o

Memories from a Year Ago Today

Posted by Brittany – November 20, 2007

Previously posted on my Thrillhead Blog

Today marks the anniversary of one of my very best ski days ever. Unfortunately, I was too busy to actually post a memorable TR. Later in the season, when life was less hectic, I was able to sit down and recount my favorite ski day. But, I shared this story with very few people. Since today is the anniversary, I have been reminiscing about this experience last year. It’s time to share it now. I’ve included the story below, along with pictures beneath it.

Wow, do I wish we had snow like we did last year!

All that I could hear was the “tink-tink” of my crampons on the ice and the sound of my heavy breath, both muffled by the ear covers on my helmet. Before me was blue ice and behind me the mountains were glowing pristine white. It was me in pink, against the blue and white, with my skis on my back, as I rappelled down the ice fall.

The slope crested and I could finally see the end of the rope below me. The purple and the orange of the rope came short compared to the blue of the ice. Then it dawned on me: the rope was not long enough for the ice fall. And I wondered, where is Pete? Pete had gone down before me and had called above when he wanted me to start the rappel. But I could clearly see he was not at the bottom of the ice fall. The rope was not even at the bottom of the ice fall.

I shouted, “Pete, where are you?” I could hear the sound of his voice in the crisp air, but what he said I could not comprehend. But that didn’t matter. I knew Pete was below me somewhere and I just had to find him.

I looked below me for any sight of Pete in his orange puffy jacket. But there was no orange, only blue and white. I looked back toward the ice to continue my rappel and as my head turned I suddenly felt myself drop four feet. My stomach churned and my hands clung tight to the rope. But, I stopped. The anchor was stable. The rope had simply put too much tension on the side of a tiny pine tree and had jumped to the other side of the tree. I remembered watching the tree suffer as Pete began his rappel, and wondered if the rope would ever give it reprieve from bending sideways and rubbing away its bark. I guess this time the rope decided to give the tree some relief.

I continued my rappel. The blue and the white blurred together in my eyes. Then I heard a voice beside me. It was Pete, perched on a ledge. He was not at the bottom of the ice fall, but rather beside it on a cliff. I released the rope from my harness. It was Frank’s turn now. We shouted for him to begin his rappel. I clung to the snow on the cliff’s ledge as tight as an Eagle holds it’s prey, wondering how we were going to get down to the bottom of the ice fall.

“So, what’s the plan?” I asked Pete. He pointed up and to our left at a tree. “Once Frank gets down, I’ll climb up there and set up another anchor for us to rappel the rest of the way.”

My mind wandered as we waited for Frank to arrive. The night before, Frank and I were at a birthday party when Pete called. When the conversation ended Frank said, “Remember that ice-fall chute I was pointing out today when we skied Purple Palace? We’re going to ski that.”

That’s how we ended up on the snow-covered Slate River Road in the morning, sledding up to the basin beside Cascade Mountain. The skin up the backside of the mountain was easy, but the rappel was adventurous: two 60 meter rappels, one having a very severe double fall line. What we do to seek out good ski lines.

Two hours after beginning our first rappel we were finally ready to ski. And what a ski it was! The snow was grippy Styrofoam, perfect for setting an edge and making aggressive turns. I turned to Frank with a big smile on my face, “I am totally digging this right now! Happy Birthday!”
“I couldn’t ask for a better way to spend my birthday!” Frank said. Some people have a party on their birthday, some people eat cake. Frank skis a line which requires two full-rope length rappels to access. This was his birthday present wrapped in a perfect package.

We rendezvoused at the bottom of the couloir. Pete, Frank, and I looked back at the line in awe, all with blissful smiles on our faces. The blue and the white glistened like diamonds. Cascade couloir was our jewel. It was the perfect day and the perfect line– the delight that all backcountry skiers are searching for. As we turned toward the valley I soaked in the sparkle of the blue and the white one last time. I couldn’t ask for a better November day in Crested Butte.

Me downclimbing

Pete beginning the first rappel

Pete setting up second rappel

Me climbing up to the second rappel.

2nd rappel

Frank

Me

Pete

Looking back at the ice fall and couloir

Videos (courtesy of Pete Sowar)
Me skiing
Frank skiing

What is happening to Colorado’s Forests???

Posted by Brittany – November 17, 2007

Previously posted on my Thrillhead Blog

If you drive up to the mountains and take a look around, you’ll see what’s happening- Colorado’s forests are dying. Beautiful forested landscapes once full of life now look browned and dead- almost as bad as a forest fire that has swept nearly the whole northern part of the state

The first reports I heard of it were about 5 years ago. The pine beetle was attacking trees near Grand Lake. It didn’t take long for this to become an epidemic, with reports of pine beetle attacks in Steamboat and Summit County.

I started really pondering the pine beetle kill just this fall, when I was driving by the devastated forest in Summit County. The beautiful blue Dillon Lake is surrounded by a forest of dead trees. What few trees are alive there will probably be dead by next summer. It really hit me then -The devastation of the pine beetle was really impacting this state, and the pine beetle wasn’t going to stop. I started noticing new dead patches of trees showing up in mountains everywhere.

But when it really hit me was when I drove over Berthoud Pass to Winter Park in early November. I had not made that drive since last April. In April, there were patches of dead trees in the forest, but the forest was still beautiful. I was devastated when this fall I saw that the forest was more brown than green. Thousands of trees had been attacked by beetles over the summer. Even worse, the beetle kill had spread from the west side of the pass over to the east side, spreading quickly down to lower elevations.


(Beetle kill seen on east side of Berthoud Pass)


(Looking down at the east side of Berthoud Pass from Jones Pass)

I started wondering more about the pine beetle. Why are we having such an epidemic? Will it ever stop? What can we expect? What’s going to happen to our forests? Will everything just burn?

With that in mind, I decided to do some research on my own. Here’s what I found out overall:

The pine beetle has always been around. The pine beetle attacks primarily lodgepole and ponderosa pines in Colorado. The beetle “attacks” the tree by laying eggs in the bark. When the larvae hatch out of the egg, they kill the tree. The beetles must attack each tree in huge swarms or else the tree will defend itself with the natural resin. But, when swarmed, the tree is helpless. There have been outbreaks in the past, but this is one of Colorado’s worst epidemics in the high country. My coworker who has lived in Boulder most of his long life remembers that there was an epidemic in lower ponderosa pines on the Front Range, which led to most of those pines dying. Eventually, so many of the ponderosas died that it stopped being such an outbreak.

Why is the high country having such an outbreak now? Part of the outbreak is a bit of a natural cycle. Pine beetles seem to attack older trees. Colorado’s forests are full of older trees due to years and years of natural fire suppression. In some respects, this is nature’s way of getting back at us for trying to control the forests. The pine trees are also weakened by drought, and Colorado has had drought conditions more years than not since I’ve lived here. The culprit that I didn’t expect to hear much about was global warming. It seems global warming is making it easier for the beetle to live as well. “The cold temperatures made it impossible for them to complete their life cycle in one year, forcing them to confront a second winter at a vulnerable point in their development. The adult beetles also couldn’t synchronize their emergence and flight from their birthplaces. With so few beetles attacking new trees at any one time, healthy trees could defend themselves by drowning the tiny beetles in resin. Under these conditions, beetles could only kill diseased and otherwise weakened trees.” (http://www.hcn.org/servlets/hcn.Article?article_id=14853) But, rising global temperatures have made it easier for the beetles to complete their life cycle in one year, as well as making it possible for them to survive at higher elevations. Warmer temperatures have also allowed the beetle to synchronize “their emergence, allowing them to join forces and overwhelm tree defenses.”


(Courtesy of Denver Post)

So, what is needed to kill the beetles? “For freezing temperatures to affect a large number of larvae during the middle of winter, temperatures of at least 30 degrees below zero (Fahrenheit) must be sustained for at least five days” (http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/insect/05528.html). Winter Park seemed to have a lot of cold temperatures last winter, but none were apparently cold enough for long enough. Temperatures are unlikely to be this cold, especially since we are in a trend of rising temperatures.

What does this mean for our forest? I don’t know. It seems like the pines in our forests will mostly die from this beetle kill epidemic. There is worry about massive forest fires. But, I found this fact interesting: “Lodgepole trees do increase in fire danger significantly during the short span when the trees are full of dead, red needles. However, once the needles fall off leaving the gray snags, fire danger actually goes down below that of a live green tree. Fire danger then increases as the tree falls and becomes part of the understory” (http://news.snowhome.com/public/item/153430). It does seem that our forests will be hugely impacted by this tiny little beetle. The optimist in me hopes that the dying pine trees will be replaced by another tree that is more resistant to pine beetles. There is no doubt in my mind that the ecosystems in our forests will have to undergo a great change.

Can beetle kill be stopped? As far as I can tell, no. Some people try spraying trees, but can you really spray hundreds of thousands of acres of forest effectively? No. The Canadians say that logging and clear-cutting are not good solutions either (http://www.davidsuzuki.org/Forests/Canada/BC/Beetle/
). It seems that this is an issue Mother Nature will have to take care of herself, once she’s done taking care of all the other problems out there.

No one knows what future lies ahead for Colorado’s forests. But, I can tell you we are not alone. Beetle kill epidemics are widespread across the entire western portions of the United States and Canada, with Idaho, Alaska, and British Columbia having seen the worst devastation.

Hopefully Mother Nature will help us out soon!

Resources

http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_4287134

http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/insect/05528.html

http://www.davidsuzuki.org/Forests/Canada/BC/Beetle/

http://denver.yourhub.com/AuroraSouth/Stories/News/Politics/Story~319142.aspx

http://www.hcn.org/servlets/hcn.Article?article_id=14853

http://news.snowhome.com/public/item/153430

What is happening to Colorado’s Forests???

Posted by Brittany – November 17, 2007

If you drive up to the mountains and take a look around, you’ll see what’s happening- Colorado’s forests are dying. Beautiful forested landscapes once full of life now look browned and dead- almost as bad as a forest fire that has swept nearly the whole northern part of the state

The first reports I heard of it were about 5 years ago. The pine beetle was attacking trees near Grand Lake. It didn’t take long for this to become an epidemic, with reports of pine beetle attacks in Steamboat and Summit County.

I started really pondering the pine beetle kill just this fall, when I was driving by the devastated forest in Summit County. The beautiful blue Dillon Lake is surrounded by a forest of dead trees. What few trees are alive there will probably be dead by next summer. It really hit me then -The devastation of the pine beetle was really impacting this state, and the pine beetle wasn’t going to stop. I started noticing new dead patches of trees showing up in mountains everywhere.

But when it really hit me was when I drove over Berthoud Pass to Winter Park in early November. I had not made that drive since last April. In April, there were patches of dead trees in the forest, but the forest was still beautiful. I was devastated when this fall I saw that the forest was more brown than green. Thousands of trees had been attacked by beetles over the summer. Even worse, the beetle kill had spread from the west side of the pass over to the east side, spreading quickly down to lower elevations.


(Beetle kill seen on east side of Berthoud Pass)


(Looking down at the east side of Berthoud Pass from Jones Pass)

I started wondering more about the pine beetle. Why are we having such an epidemic? Will it ever stop? What can we expect? What’s going to happen to our forests? Will everything just burn?

With that in mind, I decided to do some research on my own. Here’s what I found out overall:

The pine beetle has always been around. The pine beetle attacks primarily lodgepole and ponderosa pines in Colorado. The beetle “attacks” the tree by laying eggs in the bark. When the larvae hatch out of the egg, they kill the tree. The beetles must attack each tree in huge swarms or else the tree will defend itself with the natural resin. But, when swarmed, the tree is helpless. There have been outbreaks in the past, but this is one of Colorado’s worst epidemics in the high country. My coworker who has lived in Boulder most of his long life remembers that there was an epidemic in lower ponderosa pines on the Front Range, which led to most of those pines dying. Eventually, so many of the ponderosas died that it stopped being such an outbreak.

Why is the high country having such an outbreak now? Part of the outbreak is a bit of a natural cycle. Pine beetles seem to attack older trees. Colorado’s forests are full of older trees due to years and years of natural fire suppression. In some respects, this is nature’s way of getting back at us for trying to control the forests. The pine trees are also weakened by drought, and Colorado has had drought conditions more years than not since I’ve lived here. The culprit that I didn’t expect to hear much about was global warming. It seems global warming is making it easier for the beetle to live as well. “The cold temperatures made it impossible for them to complete their life cycle in one year, forcing them to confront a second winter at a vulnerable point in their development. The adult beetles also couldn’t synchronize their emergence and flight from their birthplaces. With so few beetles attacking new trees at any one time, healthy trees could defend themselves by drowning the tiny beetles in resin. Under these conditions, beetles could only kill diseased and otherwise weakened trees.” (http://www.hcn.org/servlets/hcn.Article?article_id=14853) But, rising global temperatures have made it easier for the beetles to complete their life cycle in one year, as well as making it possible for them to survive at higher elevations. Warmer temperatures have also allowed the beetle to synchronize “their emergence, allowing them to join forces and overwhelm tree defenses.”


(Courtesy of Denver Post)

So, what is needed to kill the beetles? “For freezing temperatures to affect a large number of larvae during the middle of winter, temperatures of at least 30 degrees below zero (Fahrenheit) must be sustained for at least five days” (http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/insect/05528.html). Winter Park seemed to have a lot of cold temperatures last winter, but none were apparently cold enough for long enough. Temperatures are unlikely to be this cold, especially since we are in a trend of rising temperatures.

What does this mean for our forest? I don’t know. It seems like the pines in our forests will mostly die from this beetle kill epidemic. There is worry about massive forest fires. But, I found this fact interesting: “Lodgepole trees do increase in fire danger significantly during the short span when the trees are full of dead, red needles. However, once the needles fall off leaving the gray snags, fire danger actually goes down below that of a live green tree. Fire danger then increases as the tree falls and becomes part of the understory” (http://news.snowhome.com/public/item/153430). It does seem that our forests will be hugely impacted by this tiny little beetle. The optimist in me hopes that the dying pine trees will be replaced by another tree that is more resistant to pine beetles. There is no doubt in my mind that the ecosystems in our forests will have to undergo a great change.

Can beetle kill be stopped? As far as I can tell, no. Some people try spraying trees, but can you really spray hundreds of thousands of acres of forest effectively? No. The Canadians say that logging and clear-cutting are not good solutions either (http://www.davidsuzuki.org/Forests/Canada/BC/Beetle/
). It seems that this is an issue Mother Nature will have to take care of herself, once she’s done taking care of all the other problems out there.

No one knows what future lies ahead for Colorado’s forests. But, I can tell you we are not alone. Beetle kill epidemics are widespread across the entire western portions of the United States and Canada, with Idaho, Alaska, and British Columbia having seen the worst devastation.

Hopefully Mother Nature will help us out soon!

Resources

http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_4287134

http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/insect/05528.html

http://www.davidsuzuki.org/Forests/Canada/BC/Beetle/

http://denver.yourhub.com/AuroraSouth/Stories/News/Politics/Story~319142.aspx

http://www.hcn.org/servlets/hcn.Article?article_id=14853

http://news.snowhome.com/public/item/153430

Sweet Video!

Posted by Brittany – November 6, 2007

Previously posted on my Thrillhead Blog

I was able to hit up some backcountry skiing this past Sunday on Jones’ Pass. I don’t have pics because my camera is being sent into Canon to get some things fixed on it. But, I will say it was a great time. Despite the lack of snow in the area, Jones’ Pass is holding close to its traditional nature of being one of those places that just seems to always hold snow. I hope to have my camera again soon….

Moving onto better things….

Chris Davenport finished skiing all of Colorado’s fourteeners in January of 2007 and he was the first person to do it in a calendar year (365 days or less). His efforts have proved to be an inspiration to so many people in Colorado and across the country. Davenport’s sweet success was clouded by the ongoing battle with the National Forest about his movie which documents his ski adventures. The NF will not allow Davenport to show his movie due to much debate about proper permits and filming rights in Wilderness area. Most of Colorado’s fourteeners are located in Wilderness designated areas.

All the same, you CAN view this 7+ minute video of Davenport’s fourteener project. The video is amazing and truly inspirational. Check it out:

Davenport’s Video

Giving Back

Posted by Brittany – November 2, 2007

Previously posted on my Thrillhead Blog

Most people who really enjoy something usually want to give back to it. That is a big reason why I coach Freestyle skiing. Having competed for several years in the sport, and enjoying skiing as a whole, what more could I do than open up a new generation of skiers into a new level of skiing?

Tomorrow I must go to Winter Park for a training where I will begin my 4th year of coaching freestyle skiing for the Competition Center. I’m once again excited. I have been fortunate enough to have a group of shredding little ladies (8-12 yr olds)the last two seasons, some of whom I have coached now for 3 seasons. Well, it’s time to say good-bye to these little ladies. I have done what I can for them by being a role model and molding their skiing. But, it’s time for them to move on to different coaches. It is for their own good- they will learn more this way.

Some pics of my little ladies:

These girls loved to sing, and had some very cute songs here:

I am not sure what group I will be coaching this year. But, every group I have is fun in different ways. So, I look forward to what the season will bring!

It’s All Relative

Posted by Brittany – November 1, 2007

Previously posted on my Thrillhead Blog

Some people think what I like doing is kind of crazy

Quote from my mom:
Wow what a start to your ski season! It still freaks me out but I know you l know you love it.

Quote from dad:
Your week end sounds like into the wild

Quote from mom’s friend:
YIKES you couldn’t pay me to climb this mountain or ski on those rocks – particularly above a lake that is as cold as ice…. Please don’t break your cute little neck. I missed the pink snow pants too…

From my friend Sonya:
I read every word and and look at every pic of every trip you do. You know I think you are so crazy girl!!! That’s cool – it’s what you love.

Really, folks, it’s all relative. I don’t think I’m crazy. I’m just out there having fun!

I was sent this video through email the other day. It puts things in perspective really. If I had a friend who did this, I would think he/she was absolutley nuts. But, this guy probably thinks he’s just out there having fun too!

Just watch this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCCrpVB5bFc

THAT is nuts ;)