Brittany's Blog » Crested Butte

What we’ve got

Brittany — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 22:40:10 +0000

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

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!

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.

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!

Fall ride on TR 402 (22 Oct 2011)

Brittany — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 03:07:57 +0000

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.

Me.

Frank making his way through the gnar.

I like steep trails

Frank likes a bit of air time on the bike.

Me.

Ralph.

Frank.

Frank also caught a bit of video from his chestie Go-Pro. I edited it here. Hope you enjoy!

Though biking season is winding down, I was psyched to find myself on this fantastic fall ride with fun friends! Thanks y’all

Cross-Country Ski Day

Brittany — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 03:10:49 +0000

After my Sunday ski, the snow continued to melt. But, the melting was disrupted by another cold snow spell on Tuesday. Knowing the snow was even thinner than just two days before, downhill skiing really wasn’t an option. Still, I didn’t want to let a winter-like day go to waste. So, I headed out for a solo cross-country ski.

Despite the clouds and occasional snowfall, the views were still beautiful.

Our ski line from two days prior off of Baldy.

Self-portrait.

I’m pretty sure that in my venturing I accidentally wandered onto private property. I wouldn’t mind owning this cabin.

South Maroon peaking out of the clouds.

Back at the car, I paused to take one more picture.

Though bike season might not quite be over, it 401 and other high trials are certainly done for the year. Bring it on. I’m ready for ski season

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!

Facets of Winter Showing in Crested Butte

Brittany — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 14:35:11 +0000

The movie Facets of Winter is showing tonight in Crested Butte, around 8 pm at Center for the Arts. Show up early to buy tickets or buy them earlier today at the Alpineer.

What is Facets about? AE Films designed Facets to have several story lines. One story-line involves and Iraqi veteran who is trying to make the paralympics, another involves a father/son love for skiing, and another features my goal of skiing all of Colorado’s 54 fourteeners. On top of all this, there is worthy Crested Butte segment featuring Frank along with our friends Tom Runcie and Rob Dickinson.

So, please come join us for a good movie and a good time!

If you miss this showing, there are several opportunities to see Facets again. Further showings are scheduled for Summit County, Vail, Estes Park, and Steamboat Springs. Check out www.assissinsride.com for more details. Not listed on their website, Wilderness Exchange in Denver will be showing Facets on December 1st, and the CSU Outdoor Club is hosting a showing in Fort Collins at the Ramskeller on November 16th at 8pm.