Category: Recent Events / News

Fundraiser for CB’s best boarders!

Posted by Brittany – January 12, 2011

So, I’ll admit it. I’m not a huge fan of snowboarders- in general. But, there are some that have excelled and pushed the sport of snowboarding to a new level. For these people I have nothing but ultimate respect. Many of you know our cohort, Jarrett Luttrell. But, Crested Butte is home to two top female boarders as well- Susan Mol and Mary Boddington. There is a fundraiser to support these two ripping riders happening this Thursday at the Brick. Details below. For Mary, this fundraiser will help her pay for her North Face Masters tour. And for Susan, this event will give her a financial boost in order to pay her medical bills after breaking her femur early this season.

So, CB locals, come enjoy some beer, some pizza, and a great raffle. And, support some local ripping chicks too!

Davenport book signing and movie showing in Crested Butte

Posted by Brittany – January 6, 2011

Chris Davenport is making his way to Crested Butte this weekend for a book signing of his new book which came out this fall, 50 Classic Ski Descents of North America. Dav’s latest movie, Australis will be showing as well.

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Though I haven’t had my hands on Dav’s book as of yet (I’ll be buying one this weekend!), it’s destined to be a classic, as the title portrays.

Video by Art Burrows

A great review of Dav’s book is provided by Lou Dawson, who says it’s “not a book, it is an icon”.

Davenport has also been promoting his movie, Australis: An Arctic Ski Odyssey. I have this very movie sitting on my shelf right by my television. But, I’ve refused to watch it until I have seen it on the big screen. I’ve been anticipating this movie now for over a year, ever since I saw the first trailer. Here’s a peek.

Australis: An Antarctic Ski Odyssey from Granite Films Jim Surette on Vimeo.

A detailed review of Australis is done by Steve Romeo on Teton AT.

Australis is showing at the Mountaineer Square ballrooms at 7 pm on Friday. Wendy Fisher will give a brief intro. Davenport will also be available for a book signing at 4pm on Saturday at Thin Air, also located in Mountaineer Square. Both events are FREE!

I’ll be there. You should be there too :)

Aspen Avalanche Awareness Workshop

Posted by Brittany – January 3, 2011

Many skiers are finding themselves venturing more and more into the backcountry. Sometimes, these newbies find it difficult to find the money to spend on an expensive avalanche course. Well, here’s a great alternative! Aspen Mountain Rescue is offering an avalanche awareness workshop for the budget price of $30. So, backcountry newbies- go do it! Yeah, yeah, you don’t live in Aspen and you say hotels are expensive in Aspen… So, stay in Carbondale or Glenwood. Gather your newbie backcountry friends to tag along with you and share a room. Or sleep in your car! We’ve done it :) But, either way, your life is important and you and your buddies deserve avalanche training. Take advantage of this offer!



Click here to download a Flyer

Watching, waiting….

Posted by Brittany – October 23, 2010

Fall seems to be going by so slowly. I’ve been riding my bike religiously since mid-June. That’s four months on two wheels with only a couple of days of skiing in mid-June and July. I’ll be honest- I used to love the bike more than I do now. I don’t love it like I once did. Four months on two wheels is plenty and it’s time to move on. It’s time to ski!

We woke this morning up to our first real accumulation of snow on the ground here in Crested Butte. While it won’t stick around here in town, it will be contributing to our base up higher. I was happy to see the snow, but sad to see it melting away as I type this very blog.

I’ll go ahead and say it. I’m antsy. Full of anticipation. I’m tired of the bike. I did my 100-mile bike race and rode to Aspen and back- my two big goals for the summer. I even spent two weekends riding in Fruita, Grand Junction, and Moab. Now I’m ready to move on to bigger and better things. I’m ready for snow. If I can’t be downhill skiing I at least want to be cross-country skiing. I want to be doing something other than riding my bike.

I’m excited to say that skiing can and will happen soon. Loveland ski area will be opening tomorrow, two day’s after Maine’s Sunday River. (Wow, is the East Coast set up for another big winter?) While I won’t be at the Luv tomorrow, I’ll surely be there next weekend. And I’ll be all the happier to be on two planks instead of two wheels. Pray for snow!

Some shots from the Loveland web cam:
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Mother Nature’s Wrath

Posted by Brittany – August 16, 2010

Mother Nature is undoubtedly beautiful. She inspires many, and gives solace to other. Still, every now and then I am in awe of the destructive forces Mother Nature can also exhibit.

In the last few weeks, Colorado has experienced a lot of rain, resulting in numerous washouts and landslides. We saw one on our own local 401 trail earlier this week.
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The Durango-Silverton Railway experienced this, causing the passenger train to come to an abrupt halt:

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In Loving Memory of Lacy Meadows

Posted by Brittany – July 30, 2010

This blog has been silent now for over a week. Last week, I attended a Wilderness First Aid course (more on that later). But, this week, we are mourning the loss of our beloved friend Lacy Meadows.

As I was driving back to Crested Butte from the Denver area on Sunday, I quickly checked Facebook on my phone and learned that Lacy had gone missing. On Saturday he had headed out for a solo ski trip in Rocky Mountain National Park. He was supposed to check in with our friend Kim Ross when he returned. But the check in never came. On Sunday morning, rangers at RMNP were alerted and Lacy’s car was found. So, Search and Rescue was then sent out. They found Lacy’s body below a snowfield above Cony Lake in the Hutcheson Lakes drainage near the southern boundary of the park, about 10 miles from the nearest trailhead.

News spread quickly, mostly because 9News reported it in their evening report. And all who knew Lacy were devastated.

It always seems like the mountain takes the good ones, doesn’t it? After loosing our friend Jack Hannan in an avalanche this past March, this all just seems like too much. Times like this make me contemplate what we are doing in the backcountry. Yes, I feel like Frank and I make generally safe decisions, but risk is still there. Still, there is just as much risk in driving your car to and from work every day. We can’t live our lives in some over-precautionary mode. If you do, then you’ll never really enjoy the life you have, even if it lasts a long time. Lacy lived every day of his life to the fullest, packing more in his 40 years than most do in a lifetime. His death is a painful reminder to enjoy every moment of your life, and to appreciate the time you have to spend with your friends or family- because you never know what can happen – to anyone.

In the Edge of Never, Anselme Baud talks about the death of his own son. “It’s a beautiful life. And the mountain is here. You have to take the best of the mountain and follow life.”

Lacy was an amazing person. I’ll quote what I said to a Daily Camera reporter: “Lacy was an avid and passionate skier, both inbounds and in the backcountry. He had unending energy that resonated with each and every person he met,” she said. An honest soul and a great friend, Lacy lived and loved every day of his life to the fullest.”

But, pictures capture Lacy the best:

In Loving Memory of Lacy Meadows from 14erskiers on Vimeo.

My last ski trip with Lacy was last month, with Kim, on La Plata.

Lacy was stoked.

Even now, I still hear Lacy’s voice. I hear it when I sleep, I hear it when I ride, I hear it all the time. I can hear his laugh, and picture his quirky smile. I can picture him skiing, and I know that’s what he must be doing in heaven. RIP Lacy. You will be missed.

Lacy’s memorial service will be held Sunday August 1st at Loveland Ski Area from 10am-2pm. It will be a potluck.
Link to the Evite

Also, we are selling commemorative stickers for Lacy. Check out Lauren’s website for the design options and contact me if you would like to purchase one. I particularly like the “Love like Lacy”- because Lacy loved every day of his life to the fullest, and it’s a reminder for us to do the same.

We will be doing more to help keep Lacy’s memory alive. Stay tuned.

TR: I got a white rock on White Rock (26 May 2010) – a tale of Engagement

Posted by Brittany – May 28, 2010

After our attempt on Spider face on Sunday, I was itching to get something done. Our big ski lines had brought me too many failures of late- El Diente, Pyramid, and Spider Face. I was frustrated with failures and wanted to ski something relatively easy and fun- something I would enjoy and something that would end this streak of frustration and turn it around into success. I was debating which line to ski….

White Widow?

Or White Rock?
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White Widow was obviously a more aesthetic line. But the skiing would likely be longer and better on White Rock. Both were accessed from the area that we call mini-Queen Basin.

I tried all week to find a partner, but had no luck. It seems that most people are “done skiing” for the season. Sensing my restlessness, Frank agreed to join me for a mid-week adventure, leaning toward White Rock as he had recently skied White Widow while I was off skiing Capitol.

White Rock it was.
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Inspired by a 16-yr old: Jessica Watson

Posted by Brittany – May 20, 2010

Growing up on the coast of Lake Erie, sailing on a regular basis, skippering my own boat beginning at age 6, I still find myself immersed in sailing stories like this one. This 16-yr old girl set out seven months ago to sail around the world. Thousands welcomed Jessica home last week into Sydney Harbor. Though this Aussie is too young to drive, she managed to navigate herself around the world, achieving her dream.

What strikes me most is not just her amazing accomplishment, it’s her perspective- something we can all learn from. Jessica’s record for being the youngest person to sail around the world is under hot debate. But, she shrugs it off, saying, “It’s not something that worries me because there always have been and there always will be some people who choose to not acknowledge the record, and for me it wasn’t ever actually about the record, so I’m not worried at all.”

Jessica tops it off with this: “I’m not a hero. I’m an ordinary girl who believed in her dream. You don’t have to be someone special to achieve something amazing. You’ve just gotta have a dream, believe in it, and work hard.”

Today, I was inspired by a 16 year old. Thanks, Jessica!

Read more on CNN.

Congrats to Christy Mahon

Posted by Brittany – May 19, 2010

Christy Mahon, formerly known as Christy Sauer, has been tackling fourteeners for the last 10 years or so. This past Sunday, she completed skiing all of the Colorado fourteeners, becoming the first woman to do so.

Christy and I met back in 2008 when we skied Culebra together, along with Frank, Ted Mahon, and Jordan White.

At that time, Christy was well on her way to skiing most of Colorado’s fourteeners, many of which can be viewed on Ted Mahon’s blog. But, in the past year, Christy has been keeping her fourteener accomplishments non-publicized, which has caused some controversy. However, in a personal e-mail she wrote to me regarding this, Christy stated she just didn’t want the added pressure that comes from publishing her fourteeners. Still, long before all of this came to light, I started seeing her name on some of the registers this year, and I knew Christy was about to finish. So, it wasn’t a surprise when word started to spread in the last couple of weeks about Christy skiing Pyramid, leaving one last final peak- Capitol. Her accomplishments came to fruition on Sunday, and Christy became the first woman to ski all of Colorado’s fourteeners. Congratulations Christy!

Many people have asked me how I feel about all of this. Didn’t I want to be the first woman to ski all the Colorado fourteeners? Here’s my answer. Of course I am saddened by the fact that I will not be the first woman. But, I cannot let that deter me. When I initially set my fourteener goals, I wanted to get them done within 5 years. My goal was to ski them all, and ski them all safely. I knew other women were probably out there pursuing the same goal, but I didn’t know who they were at the time. I also knew that there was a high likelihood I would not be the first woman to ski them all. When I began my fourteener project, I told myself that being first would be the icing on the cake. But, finishing them all, and finishing them safely, was most important.

I am a firm believer that when setting goals, you can’t base your goals around the performance of other people. In setting a goal to be first, you are setting a goal around what other people achieve or don’t achieve. Good goal-setting focuses on what YOU can achieve. And I believed I could achieve skiing all the fourteeners in five years. This continues to be my goal.

When I started this project, I really never thought I would be the first woman to ski all the fourteeners. However, at the end of 2008, I found myself ahead of Christy and Pam Rice (a friend and fellow fourteener-skiing woman), with only 9 peaks left. Of course this boosted my confidence, but I knew I still had some of Colorado’s hardest peaks ahead, like Pyramid and Capitol. When I tore my ACL in February of 2009, I basically resigned myself to the fact that I would not likely be the first women, as I had to sit out the entire fourteener season, letting my knee recover from reconstructive surgery. Christy and Pam had the entire spring to jump ahead of me. While Pam decided to wait on the sidelines, foregoing a year of fourteener skiing, Christy took this opportunity to her advantage, jumping ahead of both Pam and I.

Some people have mentioned that I might have become the first woman to ski the fourteeners had I not torn my ACL last year. This might have been the case. But, nothing can ever be certain. Though physically weakening me, tearing my ACL also caused me to build my mental strength which I know has helped me on some peaks this year. Aside from that, I formed new friendships with people who were also undergoing the same recovery. The time I was forced to spend away from skiing, opened professional opportunities for me that would have otherwise not occurred. So, I suppose I will go ahead and say it- although tearing my ACL may have caused me to not be the first woman to ski all the fourteeers, I wouldn’t go back and change anything. I’ve had more positive things come out of tearing my ACL than negative (well, minus the $10,000 in medical bills :) ).

So, my sincerest congratulations goes out to Christy and her job well done. Keep on charging, lady!

Thanks to all participants of the Jack Hannan Memorial

Posted by Brittany – April 9, 2010

The memorial and fundraising event for Jack last night at the Eldo was a huge success. The venue was packed with people, ranging from Jack’s close friends to those who never met him, all wanting to share in a greater cause and celebrate Jack’s remarkable life. The room was as inundated with people as it was with gear, gift certificates, paraphernalia, posters, pictures, DVD’s, skis, and more, which were all raffled or auctioned off to raise money for Laura Ogden Hannan. The event was an overwhelming success thanks to both locals and friends who traveled from afar. Thanks to all the companies, restaurants, and individuals who donated gear, gift certificates, services, and more. An extra special thanks is deserve by Carrie Jo Chernoff Hicks, who donated a huge amount of her time to organize this magnificent event. Friends came together, each doing their own part to share in remembering Jack. We all sought comfort in these pins, created by Garreth. We know Jack is looking after us.

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Garreth also put together this video.

A Tribute to Jack Hannan from gareth van dyk on Vimeo.

It was great to see so many people coming together last night, all in the name of Jack. Love resonated through the room. We were all there, celebrating a life, reminded once again how we should live our lives- a life less ordinary. Thanks for the reminder, Jack.

Last night’s event was a true testament to how many people Jack positively impacted throughout his life. Jack likely never knew the impressions he left with most of these people. But, these people will never forget Jack. His memory will live in all of us. We miss you, Jack.