Brittany's Blog » Backcountry Skiing

Front Range Frolicking (Dec 2011)

Brittany — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 22:43:18 +0000

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.

Instead we stuck to a few lower pitches. Frank at the top of one of our ski lines.

We don’t have many ski pictures due to some camera mishaps, but this shows another area we skied.

And me, at the bottom.

A few days later, we went ice skating at Evergreen Lake with the Konsella family. Despite warm temperatures which made the ice turn to mush, we still had fun.

Frank showed off his mad hockey skills.

And we enjoyed a beautiful sunset!

We enjoyed our frolicking in the Front Range. But, it’s good to be back home in Crested Butte

TR: Berthoud Pass Flashbacks (28 Dec 2011)

Brittany — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 12:28:47 +0000

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.

The changeover.

The skiing, although variable, was better than we expected.

Me.

Frank even smiled as he found a nice puff of powder to play in.

But, there’s the ever-present reminder, which became even more of a reality as we passed through the weather station- less than two feet of snow on the ground and it’s the end of December. We need snow!

Like the poster on the wall of my classroom says, “Attitude is everything.” There is no doubt that snowfall totals are hurting so far for this winter. But, bringing the right attitude with you as you head out for turns can turn an otherwise mediocre day into a day of fun. Even though we aren’t getting face-shots in epically deep powder, it’s still enjoyable to get out in the backcountry. That being said, let’s hope the New Year brings us the gift of more snow

TR: Purple Palace (17 Dec 2011)

Brittany — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 18:57:24 +0000

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.

Sydney dropping in.

Janae.

Sydney.

Janae.

Thanks to Janae and Sydney for a fantastic day out with the ladies!

Belated TR: Mt. Wilson (17 April 2011)

Brittany — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 06:07:23 +0000

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

Still squinty-eyed at dawn’s twilight.

Matt, with the Slate Creek valley behind.

As we continued, the clouds began to clear and blue sky prevailed.

Photo courtesy of Matt Kamper

A partial view of the Box Car couloir, our intended descent route.

Photo courtesy of Matt Kamper

Lizard Head in the distance.

Photo courtesy of Matt Kamper

Matt, skinning, rounding the corner to approach Mt. Wilson (peak, far left).

Kim, in the valley below. Unfortunately, as we continued our ascent, clouds began to roll in.

Matt and I reached the summit together.

Photo courtesy of Matt Kamper

We enjoyed the views, as always.

Photo courtesy of Matt Kamper

Telluride in the distance.

Though the snow on the summit block was thin, Matt and I were able to piece together a ski descent.

As we reached the bottom of the summit block, I thought I heard Kim. Still out of view, I shouted to her. She responded and said she was going to summit too. Matt and I waited at the small saddle while Kim made her final push.

The upper Slate Creek Cirque had variable snow with some decent turns here and there. Matt.

Kim.

A view of the Slate Creek Cirque from near the top of the Box Car Couloir. Our summit block descent is out of view, but our descent through the cirque began at the saddle to the lookers left of the summit.

Kim, stoked to ski the Box Car.

Me, first into the Box Car.

Photo courtesy of Matt Kamper

Photo courtesy of Matt Kamper

Matt.

Kim.

Photo courtesy of Matt Kamper

Group shot, just before we entered the maze in the trees.

The day was another successful mission with two absolutely fantastic partners. I couldn’t have asked for anything better. Wishing I could stay and play, I had to head home. Thanks to Kim and Matt for another wonderful mountain adventure!

TR: Anthracites (5 Dec 2011)

Brittany — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 05:09:47 +0000

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.

Frank.

Notice the bird Frank disturbed.

Celebrating 144 months of skiing with Kim Ross

Brittany — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 05:15:46 +0000

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.

Enjoying 4th of July in our own way. Treasury, 2010

4) What has inspired you to ski year-round? What keeps you going year after year?

I guess it’s simply my love of skiing that has inspired me to ski year-round. These days when I contemplate it, I just can’t imagine NOT being on my skis for months at a time. And skiing in the summer is sorta special. Clicking into skis on top of some broad expanse of white below just never gets old for me. It may sound silly, but it reconnects me to this supreme passion of mine. I don’t like having to live without skiing in my life through the short Colorado summer, so it seems like hardly a sacrifice to take one day out of July, August and September to go find snow. In fact, I usually ski more than one day in July because the snow is still so good in Colorado. By October, the lifts are usually spinning at Loveland, and so the next season begins.

Kim shreds everything she skis. Mt. Wilson, April 2011

5) Tell us about some of your most memorable summer skis. What made them most memorable?

Years ago I did solo summer stints in Thompson Pass, Alaska, two summers in a row, where I met another year-round skier who showed me the good routes as well as the hazards to avoid. With almost 24 hours of light there that time of year, you can ski until your legs won’t climb anymore. The first year I was trying to live out of my Subaru, which made it really difficult to sleep because there was virtually no night. I’ll never forget that!

More recently, in May of 2010 I met a skier who was as excited to ski in the summer as I am. While our mutual friends packed mountain bikes into their cars and headed for Moab, we instead packed our skis and headed to the Utah desert range called the La Sals. Neither of us had skied there before, and we had also never skied with each other; but The La Sals had a record-breaking 200% snowpack at the time, and we were psyched to explore. That weekend in mid-May we skied a bunch of lines with a rare coating of fresh snow, high above the red backdrop of the desert below. It was incredible.

Kim with her new found ski buddy, Lacy Meadows, loving the La Sals. Photo: Kim Ross

Kim in the La Sals with the Moab desert behind. Photo: Lacy Meadows

This year, I accomplished a long-time goal and skied Long’s Peak. I was invited by a mutual friend, Mike Bean, who had heard through the grapevine that this peak was high on my list. This would be the first time Mike and I skied together. It was early June, so although not technically summer yet, by this time of year most folks have long ago put the skis away for the season. However, the North Face “Cables Route” was in prime form for a rare descent from the summit. The weather was unbelievable, completely windless as we hiked through the night to approach the line. A shooting star graced us with its streak across the sky sometime before dawn, above treeline. The snowpack up high hadn’t transitioned completely to spring corn status, due to numerous late upslope storms that wouldn’t quit even into late May. The descent was glorious, and skied like buttery recycled pow. Another day I’ll never forget!

Long’s Peak Cables Route. Photo: Mike Bean

6) What is your favorite summer-ski spot in Colorado? Elsewhere?

Colorado is really a fantastic place for summer skiing. I have a couple favorite zones. Mount Democrat holds snow nicely, especially the Lake Emma chutes. Democrat also holds snow on the North side, and it’s tauntingly visible for miles. The peaks above Wheeler Lake, just to the north of Democrat, also hold snow late. For September skiing, I usually rely on Skyscraper “glacier”, a steep, hanging snowfield right off Rollins Pass.

Kim drops into one of her favorite summer stashes, Skyscraper glacier.

For skiing in the Southern Hemisphere, a ski area in Chile called “Termas de Chillán” is probably my favorite. I also highly recommend ski-touring the volcanoes of southern Chile, or the hut systems out of Bariloche, Argentina. “Refugio Frey” is the place to start. And of course, if you can you should also experience the Treble-Cone skiing of New Zealand’s South Island.

7) How long do you plan on keeping this streak going?

I’ll likely keep going as long as I’m living in Colorado. It’s just too easy. Summer 2011 was definitely really special. In August, for example, I skied 3 different lines in Colorado, with 3 different skiers each getting their August turns: first on Mount Democrat, then Mount Owen near Crested Butte, and then on McHenry’s Notch in Rocky Mountain National Park.

Kim happily climbing the Jenga Chute on Mt. Owen near Crested Butte, August 2011

Shredding the Jenga!

Have you had difficulty finding partners to ski with you in the summer?

At first it was difficult to find partners. I moved here from Montana in August 2005, and I remember thinking I was going to have to let the streak die. It was a pretty dry summer in the Rockies, and the demands of my graduate program would not allow a trip out to Mount Hood that summer. I was at 68 months. Then I heard a rumor of a “glacier” not too far away, so the very first weekend I was here I grabbed my skis and headed toward Alice, Colorado, to find this mysterious patch of snow. Despite the hot summer, the snow was there, and I also found two other people up there with skis! And so I met my first Colorado ski partner, Aaron Parmet, on St. Mary’s glacier. He was nice enough to take me to Skyscraper glacier the next month to get September turns. Since then I’ve almost always managed to find a partner to accompany me on these silly summer ski missions, and I’ve met a lot of other year-round skiers.

Kim checking out Skyscraper glacier in 2006. Photo: Becky Nix

9) How did it feel to celebrate 144 consecutive months on skis?

Every November my ski calendar turns over. It’s kinda like a birthday; the streak is just another year older. It’s no huge accomplishment, but it’s a nice excuse to BBQ in the ski area parking lot.

10) Any advice for others pursuing similar year-round skiing goals?

The best way to keep your streak going is to stay injury-free. Summer skiing can actually be really dangerous, so know your route, bring the right gear, wear a helmet, and always be prepared for weather. In Colorado lightning is a major threat, so that means starting early and getting off the mountain early. Also, try not to wait until the last day of the month, because if something goes wrong, you’re hosed!

Kim checking out the final push to the summit on Mt. Wilson, April 2011

11) Anything else you’d like to add?

I’m just hoping for another great ski season in Colorado, filled with deep powder. I find the “waiting” this time of year to be nearly unbearable, but I know it’s coming! I’d like to wish us all a SAFE and powdery winter, and many more to come.

Kim charges through a raging stream….

so she can ski this- White Rock, near Crested Butte, June 2011

Celebrating another August ski, 2011.

So happy to have you as fantastic, fun and flamboyant ski partner, Ms. Kim! Here’s to many more turns….

TR: More early season pow skiing :) (19 Nov 2011)

Brittany — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 00:48:32 +0000

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.

Adam.

Susan.

Mike.

Me.

The season just keeps getting better

Early-Season Deep (13 Nov 2011)

Brittany — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 04:48:01 +0000

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.

Mike, milking the snow with the tele-turn.

Alex, sporting her steeze and smile.

Conditions are shaping up and coverage is significantly improving. Still, this storm came in with a windy vengeance, leaving touchy wind-slabs at and above treeline. Currently, you’ll find the best and safest conditions below treeline. Be careful, as the snowpack still has the early-season unpredictability, and have fun

Thanks for a great deep early-season day out in the backcountry, ladies and gent!

Halloween Bowl Ski (30 Oct 2011)

Brittany — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 02:52:34 +0000

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.

Me.

Doing some “Powder-8 Farming”.

I can’t help it. I love snow Bring it on!

TR: First turns of this ski season

Brittany — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 15:30:43 +0000

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.

South Maroon.

Treasury.

Alex.

Though a touch thin, the skiing was still good- worth of the first turns of the year. Alex making her way down with Kaya in the lead.

A look back up at the line.

Me, happy to be out on fresh snow again. I love the bike and all, but it’s just not the same as skiing

So, let the 2011-12 ski season begin! Mother Nature seems to want to bring back Indian Summer, but hopefully it won’t last too long. Thanks for a great day out Alex!