Who doesn’t love this view?

Quite the climb.

Sonya smiles.

She rides pretty good too, especially through the fields of wildflowers.

Sonya, admiring the views.

Avery

No pics of the descent, since we were enjoying it so much we didn’t stop for pictures. But it was a great ride on a great trail with a great friend

March is one of my favorite months. The days get longer, the snow stays good and often is quite stable… it’s the time for long tours and big lines.

March
March opened up with a bang with a long tour beginning at Mt. Emmons, and then skiing Scarps and Peeler.

I was able to tick a few more lines off of my wish list, like the East Face of Gothic

and Teocalli.

I checked out a couple more new lines (new to me anyway). The first set were off of Mt. Emmons- Coon Basin and Climax chutes.

Another new line for me was the S-tube

Which was followed the next day with a super fun ski on nearby Hancock.

Two days later, we learned of the tragic incident on Mt. Curie, where our friend Jack Hannan died in an avalanche.

Jack’s death had a huge impact on both Frank and I. Personally, I couldn’t stop thinking about him or his lovely wife Laura. I still think about them both on a daily basis. But, we must find the strength to move on. Still, every time I venture into the mountains, I feel Jack’s spirit is with me.

April
My first fourteener of the season (also my first since 2008) was the mighty Crestone Needle.

After skiing the Needle I was ecstatic. I was back in the 14er skiing game with only 8 left to ski. Could it be done this season? Only time would tell… The next fourteener I skied was Little Bear

followed up a couple of weeks later by nearby Ellingwood and Blanca.

But, the climax of my fourteener season was skiing the much-anticipated, gnarly Capitol.

After skiing Capitol, I felt on top of the world! Perhaps I could finish my 14ers this year! I had only 4 left- Pyramid, Pikes Peak, El Diente, and Mt. Wilson.

Shortly after, I had a failed attempt, but great skiing, on El Diente.

After coming down from the mountain, I shortly learned that Christy Mahon had just skied Capitol herself, becoming the first woman to ski all of Colorado’s 14ers. I was disappointed, but I kept on going. Pyramid was my next attempt, and poor weather shut us out.

After that, it became obvious I was not going to finish my 14ers this season. Pyramid was nearing the end of it’s season – at least, if I wanted any decent skiing on it. I tried to go back for the next week, but kept getting shut out by really high winds in the forecast. I was feeling down, and having trouble focusing on my real goals. Being turned around on my last two attempts on top of Christy finishing her 14ers combined with being frustrated with the weather forecasts put me in a funk. I needed to get out of that funk and remember why I started the project in the first place. I started it because I loved skiing, I loved ski mountaineering, and I loved being out in the mountains. I convinced Jarrett to join me on an outing to El Nacho to regain my sanity.

El Nacho turned out to be a great day and was just what I needed. I was now rejuvenated and ready to try a more difficult line. So, Frank and I tried for the Spider Face. However, this line was a lot icier than anticipated. We didn’t feel comfortable climbing it without ropes, and so we turned around.

Three days later, we headed out to ski a fun line on White Rock, where Frank proposed to me! The views were amazing, and skiing was fantastic. Couldn’t have asked for a better day!

On Memorial Day weekend we headed back to attempt El Diente once again, along with it’s neighboring Mt. Wilson. Success!

June & July
After skiing Mt. Wilson and El Diente, I had only two fourteeners remaining- Pyramid and Pikes Peak. Pyramid was “done” for the season and, although I could have skied Pikes, I am saving it for last. So, my 14er skiing season was officially done at the end of May. But, I certainly wasn’t done skiing. I took the opportunity to check another couple off my wish list, like Ice Mountain

and Grizzly.

The night before we skied Grizzly, it dumped snow.

and that snow kept the skiing good for the next few days. Not able to find anyone wanting to join me, I headed out for a solo outing on our local mountain called Baldy.

Baldy Ski 15June2010 from 14erskiers on Vimeo.

Frank and I went back the next day to another part of Baldy to lay these tracks.

Then, I hit up one of my favorite fourteeners, La Plata, for the second time.

But, that fourteener took it out of me since it required quite a bit of walking for just a bit of skiing. I decided to put the skis away until the 4th of July, where they were brought out again for a fantastic ski on Treasury.

And that is where my ski season ends, for the moment. 104 days of skiing has passed by in a heartbeat. With the summer heat being extra hot this last week, I’ve been wishing for it to be winter again. If I have it my way, I’ll be back on the two planks again soon

I have never done a season in review post before. I never really felt the need. But, this season was full of story after story – from healing from last year’s ACL surgery, hosting several women to Crested Butte to my 14er project and other goals. To top it off, this season was my first season to top 100 fantastic days of skiing. I’ve been close to 100 before, but have never actually been able to top it in a season. This year was the year

I set out this season with some huge goals, most of which I was not able to fully accomplish. I was hoping to ski 120 days this year, but my knee and work prevented that from happening (although I will be fairly close!). I was also hoping to finish my 14ers this year, but was unable to finish my 9 remaining peaks. I was unable to hit Pyramid in good conditions, and then the line melted out as I sat around waiting for a week-long round of 50mph winds to settle. This left me with 2 14ers left to ski- Pyramid and Pikes, which I am saving for last. Though I didn’t accomplish all of my goals for the season, it was still a season to remember and I am happy with what I did accomplish. So, to honor and reflect upon the stories of this season, I’ve decided to do this season in review. By no means does this account for every ski day or every ski tour, but focuses on the highlights. I hope you enjoy.

Early Season
My season started off back in October, skiing at Loveland shortly after they opened. After not having been on snow since February due to tearing my ACL, I had anguished over actually getting on skis again. But, when I strapped those planks back on, I was ecstatic, despite being terrified of other skiers on the slope.

I enjoyed some early season skiing at Wolf Creek.

My knee didn’t feel right, so I took my time to get into the backcountry. The last thing I wanted to do was to re-injure my knee on some obstacle not fully covered with the early season conditions. But, skinning felt good on my knee, as I found when I began skinning at the resort in November.

December
December marked my first backcountry trip, to Redwell Basin off of Red Lady. I felt like a whole new person.

December also marked my first real pow day.

The next day, Frank caught my snowmobile on fire.

January
In January, I enjoyed a few more days of pow on Schuykill Ridge,

skied the Spoon on Gothic

and the Spoon on Carbon.
.

I finally got in a nice long tour when we headed out to Queen Basin.

I also had one of my best days ever skiing Crested Butte ski area when they opened the steeps after several storms had left them blanketed with fresh snow.

And I finished the month by skiing my first steep backcountry line- Wolverine on Mt. Emmons.

February
February was a busy month, starting out with a trip to Silverton

where we explored some of the fantastic backcountry the area has to offer.

I hosted an all-girls skiing get-together here in CB- one day skiing the resort, and the other day skiing backcountry on the glades on Red Lady.

My best powder day of the year, and one of my best powder days of all-time was in February.

Then, Frank and I went on a road trip to Montana and Canada. Our first stop was Bridger, MT.

Second stop was Whitefish, MT.

We loved the backcountry in Fernie.

And we had a blast skiing in-bounds and out-of-bounds at Kicking Horse.

That was followed up by a tour on Roger’s Pass

and then another in-bounds day at Revelstoke.

Then, we headed over to Nelson by ferry

to experience a stellar day at Whitewater.

We ended our road trip at Rossland, skiing at Red Mountain.

We returned back to Crested Butte on the first day of March. With 59 days of skiing under my belt, and my season half done, I was ready for more. I yearned for the long tours and big lines of spring. And spring was just around the corner. Part II will focus on this remaining part of the season. More to come

I took time to enjoy my ride this week- My latest favorite loop: Go up Prospector, descend Painter Boy to service road, follow service road to top of Peachtree lift where it meets up with West Side, up West Side, descend upper Luge, take service road to top of Lower West Side, descend Lower West side. This loop takes about an hour and a half at a comfortable pace, making it perfect for when I can only get a short ride in for the day.

Anyway, this is not a great TR or anything. I just wanted to share a bit of trail stoke as I felt particularly inspired by the scenery that day. Please excuse the photos as they were “not planned”. I ended up using the camera on my cell phone. Hope you enjoy the pics anyway

Propector starts out in a field of skunk cabbage.

If you like wildflowers, you’ll enjoy yourself here.

The wildflowers are most certainly at their peak.

Lots of Monument flowers here too, and a fantastic Aspen forest.

West Side trail is wonderful.

And it offers inspiring views as well.

(Note: West Side Trail is definitely not one cohesive trail. The part below the service road was built years ago and is definitely better as a descending route and does not make a good ascent route unless you enjoy steep loose switchbacks. The part of West side trail above the service road, above the Peachtree Lift, was built just last year. Although it was probably intended to be an good descending trail, it lacks flow in this direction, and is much better enjoyed as an ascent route.)

Sometimes when I ride West Side I feel like I’m in the Pacific Northwest….

Other than seeing a few people at the top of Prospector getting ready to head down the Woods Trail, I didn’t see a single soul… Just another reason why I love Crested Butte.

These flowers are not seen every year. But, this summer, they are in nearly every green field that is above 8,500 feet.

Not having seen these before, I had no idea what these prominent plants were until I read an article in the Crested Butte News. As it turns out, these plants are simply amazing. Here’s a few interesting facts I learned from the article:
* most of these flowering plants are really old, with estimates being that the average flowering plant in Gothic valley is about 35-40 years old, and near Cumberland Pass it’s about 50 years old
* some plants may wait as long as 80 years to flower
* after the plant flowers, it dies
* each stalk doesn’t produce just one flower, it’s actually about 600 different tiny white flowers
* flowering seems to be triggered by some sort of environmental cue like soil moisture or summer precipitation, but since these plants flower so rarely, scientists are unsure of the exact trigger
* the environmental cue is usually widespread, often crossing over into other parts of Colorado and Utah
* since many of the plants tend to flower on the same year, this increases their chances of being pollinated and reproducing
* a stalk may drop 30,000 to 40,000 seeds, but on average only one seed survives to actually grow a new plant
* the plants “pre-form” their leaves, which means that their leaves form on the stalk underground about two or three years ahead of when they actually reach above the ground, which means that the “environmental trigger” causing them to flower likely happened two or three years before

So, if you see these magnificent monument flowers, remember that they are nature’s example of patience. Also, keep in mind that that some of these plants may be older than you and that it could be a long time before you see them again!

This year, access to upper 401 was blocked by snow and fallen trees for longer than usual. In the last few days, someone has taken the time to cut the blocked trees away using a chainsaw, allowing the snow under the trees to finally melt. Hooray! I can officially now say that 401 is clear and ready to go!

Sonya, heading up Gothic road, with Mt. Gothic behind.

Part of what makes 401 so amazing is that it takes riders above treeline, offering spectacular views.

A view of Treasury, which we skied on the 4th of July.

A view of the valley and Gothic Road below, Mt. Crested Butte, Whetstone, and Mt. Gothic in the distance.

The beautiful 401 trail.

Leading toward Avery.

Sonya, with majestic Avery in the background.

401 is no secret by any means. Still, I never tire of it.

The lupine are amazing this year. Whetstone in the distance.

Strand has a few sections that run through a beautiful Aspen forest.

Strand also has some amazing views, like this, with Teocalli behind. Can you see Kim?

In reaching the top you are rewarded with a magnificent view of Teocalli, with Castle popping out behind.

And the descent is a superb treat

Thanks for a good ride Kim!

Frank decided to join us too. Our destination was the Wine Bottle couloirs off the north face of Treasury. We drove up to Paradise Divide, parked there, and set out on foot.

We followed the road toward Yule Pass. Kim and Frank.

But we eventually ascended up to the ridge, following that ridge to the summit of Treasury. Frank and I following the ridge.

Photo by Kim Ross

Admiring views of the valley below. Can you spot Mt. Crested Butte?

Frank with Treasury behind.

A view of potential lines for our way out.

Photo by Kim Ross

Yule Pass with the Raggeds behind.

North Maroon, South Maroon, and Pyramid in the distance.

A scenic.

Photo by Kim Ross

The Wine Bottle couloirs are hidden from view, even as we approach. Frank walking over to check them out.

The entrance to the couloirs lies slightly below and east of the summit. Since we had some time, we decided to head up to the summit of Treasury to check out the views. Kim approaching the summit which lies at 13, 462′.

The summit, of course, provided spectacular views Pyramid, Snowmass, and Hagarman.

A look over toward a subpeak of the larger Treasure Mountain, not be confused with Treasury Mountain.

The other side (east) of Yule Pass, which is easily accessed from Marble. This area is called “Little Alaska” by some. The Blob, the Nipple, and the Ant.

The summit also gives a good view of the Wine Bottle couloirs. Looks like the one on the right is in!

Photo by Kim Ross

Frank and I heading down from the summit.

Frank got on his Captain America outfit, and I sported my lei. Ready to ski!

Frank dropped in first.

Kim shredded next.

Me heading down the upper part of the Wine Bottle couloir. The snow was surprisingly smooth and nice- especially for July!

Lower part of the couloir. Kim.

The couloir dropped us into North Pole Basin. From there, we traversed right, and headed up another snow field to get into the next basin over, called Rock Creek Basin.

Photo by Kim Ross

Frank leading the way.

The snow climb lead us to a ledge where we had to traverse through annoying loose scree over to the ridge. Frank making the transition.

Kim nearing the end of the snowclimb.

The second ski of the day was low angle, so Kim and I sported our skirts!

The girls skiing.

Kim.

Me.

Frank.

Frank decided these pieces of fallen cornice were beckoning for a jib move.

The bottom got… interesting… at times

Frank had a scare when the snow caved beneath his feet as he skied, with water gushing underneath.

The end of the snow

Photo by Kim Ross

Our line, marked on a picture taken earlier in the day.

Photo by Kim Ross

From there, we traversed southeast and south. A look back up toward Treasury.

Our traverse lead upward toward a saddle.

Once we crossed over the saddle, we descended about 100 feet to the road.

Photo by Kim Ross

Photo by Kim Ross

Baldy balding of snow. Hard to believe I skied this just a couple of weeks ago.

A final look at the beautiful Purple Mountain and Yule Pass.

Photo by Kim Ross

What a fantastic way to spend a 4th of July. Good snow, great lines, wonderful people, and sweet times. Gonna remember this one for a while. Thanks Kim and Frank!

1) Rode our bikes down to Almont and back.

2) Rode up to Schofield Pass

Gothic towering ahead.

Hello friend.

The store in the town of Gothic.

Baldy.

Emerald Lake.

Why it’s called Emerald Lake.

Dad, with Emerald Lake and Baldy behind.

Some snow on the road still.

3) Went for an 11.5 mile hike on Daisy Pass.

4) Saw Frank’s picture in the Crested Butte Museum.

Yep, he’s pretty much famous.

5) Got some ideas for our upcoming wedding.
No, we haven’t set a date yet….

6) Tried to hike up to the peak of Mount Crested Butte.
Well, my folks hiked, I rode my bike. Unfortunately, we were turned around by thunderstorms. But, it was still a good hike/bike with great views.

The lupine are magnificent this year.

Teocalli, with Castle peaking out behind on the left.

Snowmass in the distance.

Looking toward Schofield Pass.

The West Elk and Ruby Range.

White Rock towering behind White Mountain.

Rain approaching.

Hiking down.

It was good to have my folks here and I enjoyed showing them my piece of paradise.

These photos were taken of our line on north Baldy, just a week after we skied it. The line is no longer skiable at the top, the middle, or the bottom (though 2 patches of snow still lie in the middle two thirds of the line).

This photo was taken of Baldy, just a week and a half after I skied both the west (to the left of the peak) and SE (to the right of the peak). There is virtually no snow left on this aspect of Baldy.

So, it’s official. I’m changing gears. The ski stuff is now put in the hard-to-reach dresser drawer, in exchange for the bike stuff. I mean, it is July after all And the riding as of late has been quite good and keeps getting better!

But, never fear- I have a few more ski turns in me still. I do plan on skiing hopefully once in July and August, until the snow hopefully begins to fall again in September. Though the ski gear is put away, it’s not impossible to reach. And I plan on using it a bit more this summer. Because when it’s summer, I’m always wishing it was winter again