Besides our Berthoud Pass tour, we did a bit more frolicking during our time in the Front Range over the holidays. One day we headed up Herman Gulch for a little tour.
Our intended line, but strong winds kept us from venturing above treeline.
Category: Backcountry Skiing
Front Range Frolicking (Dec 2011)
Posted by – January 4, 2012
TR: Berthoud Pass Flashbacks (28 Dec 2011)
Posted by – December 29, 2011
There is no doubt that the skiing conditions are uninspiring due to the season’s general lack of snow. But Frank and I are in the Front Range area visiting family for the holidays, and we decided to head to our old stomping ground – Berthoud Pass.
As we made a quick stop in Downieville, wind blasted ice and gravel in our faces. I won’t deny that I nearly gave up just then. “Maybe we should just turn around and go back now.” But, we were almost there. Why not just stick it out and at least check out the actual conditions on Berthoud Pass? We were pleasantly surprised when we stepped out of the car on top of the pass- the hurricane we’d felt down valley was a mere breeze up high.
Frank and I last skied Berthoud Pass prior to the days of the warming hut. Ah, the memories of changing in the exposed parking lot, with snow and wind blowing all around, trying to buckle icy boots with frozen hands. Today, we decided to reap the benefits of this new shelter.
So, the flashbacks of our old stomping ground continued as we began skinning.
The views were beautiful despite the clouds and lack of snow.
TR: Purple Palace (17 Dec 2011)
Posted by – December 20, 2011
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.
Belated TR: Mt. Wilson (17 April 2011)
Posted by – December 15, 2011
Let’s face it. This early-part of winter has been less than desirable as far as conditions go. The skiing has been largely sub-standard for this time of year. We simply need more snow. Though Frank and I have certainly been skiing, what we’ve been skiing hasn’t been worthy of posting TR’s on this blog- especially when I have a few unfinished TR’s from last year. So, while we wait for the snowflakes to grace us, here’s a bit of stoke from last April.
Views of Wilson Peak (right) and neighboring Sunshine (left) from the road leading to Lizard Head Pass. The Peak of Mt. Wilson is peaking out in the background, between the two closer peaks.
Toward the end of May in 2010, I skied Mt. Wilson, making it my 52nd fourteener. However, I was not able to ski this peak from the summit. Wanting to keep the standards high for my fourteener-skiing project, I knew I would revisit Mount Wilson again. In April of 2011, I was still waiting for my last two fourteeners to come into condition. Matt said he was planning on heading to the San Juans to ski some of the fourteeners there. Plans were made to meet up for Mount Wilson. I asked my friend Kim to join us as well.
As the last glimpses of light were leaving the sky, I met Matt at the Lizard Head Creek trailhead. The trailhead was a seemingly barren wasteland of snow and drifts right next to the highway. Protective trees were far away and we found ourselves talking over the wind. Kim was set to arrive later that night. But, with a 4 am start planned, Matt and I went to sleep in our respective cars, as setting up a tent was not an option. With the sound of constantly passing traffic, sleep, if any, was very light. But, I was thankful when Kim’s headlight’s shined into my back seat.
A view from the trailhead, during the day. Photo courtesy of Matt Kamper
I was awake before my alarm went off, not even really sure if I had slept or not. With freezing fingers, I put my contact lenses in my eyes and tried to down a blueberry muffin and Java Monster. But, the early-morning nausea got to me before I could even finish my breakfast.
I knocked on Kim’s Subaru window and she stirred. As she opened her door, she blurted out, “I’m not going.” “What? You’re crazy. You’re going. You came all the way here. You’re going.” Though the weather undeniably looked less than desirable, I wasn’t going to let her bail.
Matt, Kim, and I set out in the dark but it wasn’t long before the first light glowed above the horizon.
Photo courtesy of Matt Kamper
TR: Anthracites (5 Dec 2011)
Posted by – December 7, 2011
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.
Celebrating 144 months of skiing with Kim Ross
Posted by – November 21, 2011
Kim Ross is undeniably one of Colorado’s best female skiers. Balancing her skiing with her graduate degree has been quite an act, but Kim still manages to be the envy of most of us with full-time jobs. Even more inspiring is Kim’s streak – 144 consecutive months of skiing. This summer, I marveled after my first “endless winter” in a few years. But, that pales in comparison to Kim, who has now had 12 of those, and hopefully many more to come! On November 5th, I had the opportunity of celebrating with Kim on her 12-yr skiing anniversary, riding lifts at Loveland ski area. While asking a few probing questions, I realized Kim had fantastic stories to share. So, here’s Kim’s story, in her own words.
Kim making her way up on the lift for her 144th month of skiing. All photos by 14erskiers unless otherwise noted.
1) So, you started this streak in December 12 years ago. Do you remember that first December ski day? Tell us about it.
I was living and skiing in Bozeman, Montana in 1999 when the streak started. It was the end of fall semester and I was absolutely swamped; I knew I couldn’t ski until after finals. I worked at Bridger Bowl at the time, but they rarely opened before mid-December. Back then I didn’t have the monthly thing going, and early season that year wasn’t particularly snowy. However, our neighbors to the south were spinning lifts and about to get hammered by a big storm. So, on the day of our last final, a friend and I packed the car and headed to Grand Targhee. That week I skied the deepest powder I ever had up until then in the area known as Mary’s Nipple, just outside Targhee’s boundary.
Both Kim and I hiking out after a fantastic day skiing Atlantic Peak, July 2011
2) When did you decide that you wanted to start skiing year round?
The streak actually started with an “endless winter”, as we called it. My best friend and I had schemed a plan to depart for the Southern Hemisphere in June of that first year. Our trip to New Zealand was conveniently disguised as a “study abroad” program, but skiing was the top priority. We lived on the South Island for 6 months, outside of Christchurch (where we “attended” classes) so we could be closer to the ski fields of Arthur’s Pass. After the semester ended, we traveled to the North Island to climb and ski the active volcano Mount Ruapehu. We looped up through the tropical paradise of the Bay of Plenty before returning to the South Island, where we headed for the 12,000-foot peaks around Mount Cook and the Fox Glacier. When we returned home to Montana around Thanksgiving, we had skied every month of the year and began our third winter in a row just as the Northern Hemisphere ski season began.
Kim drops in to the Wine Bottle Couloirs on Treasury, outside of Crested Butte, 4th of July 2010
3) When you first started skiing year-round, did you envision yourself still doing it 12 years later?
I certainly didn’t imagine I would keep the streak going for 12 years. After the “endless winter”, the streak stood at 18 months or so. June and July are pretty easy months to make turns in Montana, but August and September presented a problem. So, each summer my partner and I planned late summer trips to find at least 2 days of summer skiing. Sometimes it was as easy as driving to Mount Hood in Oregon, and skiing the lift-served Palmer Glacier for back-to-back days on August 31st and September 1st. Other times, it was more ambitious (and expensive), like when we traveled to Smithers, B.C., or Las Leñas and Bariloche, Argentina. When I moved here, I wasn’t sure if I’d be able continue, but it turns out I’ve been able to ski year-round in Colorado for 6 straight years now.
TR: More early season pow skiing :) (19 Nov 2011)
Posted by – November 19, 2011
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.
Early-Season Deep (13 Nov 2011)
Posted by – November 14, 2011
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.
Halloween Bowl Ski (30 Oct 2011)
Posted by – November 2, 2011
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.
TR: First turns of this ski season
Posted by – October 11, 2011
It wasn’t too long ago that I made my last turns on Skyscraper, finishing my season off with 116 ski days. Only two weeks later, I made the first turns of this ski season. What distinguishes this season from last? Skiing this season’s snow versus old snow that’s been around all summer. On Thursday a storm rolled in, dumping over a foot on Schofield Pass. But, certain areas are more susceptible to windloading and that’s where we headed. On Sunday, and I headed out with Alex and her dog Kaya.
It was great to see the mountains covered in a blanket of white once again. Purple.
Cinnamon.
