Brittany's Blog

Last Blog

Brittany — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 03:51:07 +0000

This will be my last posting on Brittany’s Blog. However, I will be continuing to post about our adventures on our blog. Frank and I were married in June, and it makes sense to now marry our blogs. We’ve also decided to merge our blogs to help our readers as having entries in multiple places can dilute our presence and hinder conversations that appear as post responses. We feel that posting our blog entries in one place will help 14erskiers become more self-sufficient and will help create an even stronger presence for us on the Internet.

I’d like to thank my readers for their ongoing support. Please continue to follow me at our blog!

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

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

Good-bye 2011!

Brittany — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 14:31:18 +0000

Happy New Year to everyone! While we welcome 2012, but at the same time, I’m sad to say good-bye to 2011. The past year has been full of some of the greatest and most memorable adventures. From a fantastic winter to finishing my 14er project, a spring full of fantastic skiing, our wonderful wedding followed by the perfect honeymoon, a fall full of fun riding and a few early-season pow-days. 2011 was simply a fantastic year for us. In tribute to the past year, I’ve put together a slideshow video showcasing the year’s highlights. Enjoy it

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

Belated Azores Slideshow Video

Brittany — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 12:40:34 +0000

In continuation from our previous entry where we posted a slideshow video from the first part of our honeymoon in Spain, here is Part II of our honeymoon. We spent the second half of our honeymoon in the Azores, which are a group of volcanic islands in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. These islands belong to Portugal. Enjoy the video!

Belated Spain Slideshow Video

Brittany — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 12:30:14 +0000

With some free time during the holidays, we’ve taken some time to reflect on the fantastic times we’ve enjoyed throughout the last year. As part of it, we’ve put together this long-overdue slideshow video which captures the first half of our honeymoon, which we spent in Spain in June. I know it’s winter and this is a flashback to summer, but we hope you enjoy it anyway!

Happy Holidays!

Brittany — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 05:55:23 +0000

It’s that time of year again where we mingle with friend and family that we just don’t see often enough. Enjoy the smiles, the togetherness…. and the snow Happy Holidays everyone!

Don’t just recycle, TerraCycle!

Brittany — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 12:28:02 +0000

As outdoor enthusiasts, most of us realize the importance of trying to do our part in living sustainably in effort to minimize the resources we use and protect the outdoor environment that we love and enjoy. Many of us put forth the effort to recycle, separating containers into piles for the recycling companies to pick up on “garbage day”. We at 14erskiers.com typically recycle more than we throw away, and we make the extra effort to haul recyclable materials that are not collected by our local recycling company (such as office pack and newspaper) down to the recycling center in Gunnison.

Still, there is more that each of us can do. For example, check out TerraCycle. This program allows outdoor enthusiast such as ourselves to upcycle things that we’d typically throw away, like our wrappers from granola bars, gels, and energy blocks. So, now, the things that we “pack out” to keep the slopes clean can be diverted from landfills and upcycled. Better yet, this process can earn money for charity. Check out the press release below and the TerraCycle website for more information.

Instead of throwing out their garbage, hikers, park-goers and outdoor enthusiasts have another option for their non-recyclable trash after they pack it out: sending it free of charge to pioneering company TerraCycle® to be recycled. TerraCycle collects people’s trash and recycles the non-recyclable into eco-friendly, affordable, and practical products.

The “leave no trace” policy, which has evolved into the “pack it in, pack it out” policy of taking all your trash out of the park with you, is furthered by TerraCycle’s Brigade® program, through which people can send in difficult-to-recycle food wrappers for recycling and upcycling and earn cash for charity. Usually, wrappers from products including Kashi, Bear Naked, CLIF BAR, and Revolution Foods, among others, are non-recyclable.

TerraCycle upcycles some wrappers into tote bags, coolers, notebooks, laptop cases and mini-speakers. Wrappers that aren’t upcycled are melted down and turned into plastics such as trash cans, flower pots, and clipboards. The snacks that hikers use while enjoying the outdoors can become eco-friendly, long-life products that support the environment that hikers are enjoying. Instead of just leaving no trace on the parks, hikers and outdoorsmen can also leave no trace on the Earth.

Anyone can sign up for TerraCycle’s Brigade programs and send in their wrappers for free. For every wrapper TerraCycle receives, two points are awarded that can be put toward buying a specific charity gift, or converted to money and donated to a charity of the participant’s choice. Most importantly, the Brigade will be keeping these wrappers out of the local landfills and off the ground.

So far, TerraCycle has kept over two billion pieces of trash from leaving their mark on the Earth, and with its partners, dispersed over $2 million to charity through the Brigade program.

For more information on how to sign up, send in trash and earn extra cash for your favorite school or charity, visit www.terracycle.net.

Photo courtesy of TerraCycle

So, please, and an outdoor enthusiast, do your part to keep our outdoors a beautiful playground. If you don’t recycle, consider making a recycling plan for yourself as part of a New Year’s resolution. If you recycle already, begin TerraCycling! We all make a difference in the world in which we live! Live it and treat it well

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!