Category: Random Thoughts

Thoughts On Early Season

Posted by Frank – November 17, 2011

I hate early season. There, I said it. Sure, I’m sometimes accused of being a hater in general, but hear me out.

Take today, which consisted of an aborted attempt to go skiing. As is often the case during early season, we were making our way up a sketchy snow covered road trying to get close enough to the deeper snowpack area to make it worthwhile. My “past their prime” tires failed me and next thing I know, we’ve got a junkshow of the first order trying to turn around the truck and the trailer on a hill. I didn’t even get any GNAR points by getting stuck over a cliff or sliding uncontrollably backwards, two things which I’ve done in the past. At least my back hurts from muscling trailers around.

Another fun game to play during early season is “thrash your snowmobile”. Nothing like breaking an A arm hitting a rock under a few inches of snow. Or driving on prolonged stretches of dirt until your sled overheats, as a friend of mine recently did. Good times.

Then there’s the early season hazards. Another friend of mine had an entirely too close for comfort run-in with a buried log down at Wolf Creek a couple of weeks ago. Twenty-something stitches later and a brand new pair of Flylow pants cut off by the medics, and he’s still waiting for his next chance to ski.

Finally, let’s talk about avalanches. Take a little bit of snow in October, let it rot out, then add some storms in November and you’ve got some of the worst conditions you’re likely to see all year long. And for the most part, the places you can actually ski are the ones with the biggest consequences. Known trigger points like rocks and shrubs are barely covered up, meaning a skier can trigger them quite easily- much more so than later in the year when they’re under a few feet of snow. If you do get caught by a slide, you’re going to get dragged through rocks and stumps since there simply isn’t much snow covering up those hazards.

Yep, I’d like to be on a beach every year in November. And I hate beaches. ‘Cause I’m a hater…

Nostalgic Day at Berthoud Pass and Genesee 9.10.11

Posted by Frank – September 16, 2011

Last weekend, we headed down to Denver to spend some time in the areas of my youth. The occasion was to spread my dad’s ashes, who passed away last December, with my family. While sad on some levels, it was also a good opportunity to reflect on all the things that my dad did while I was growing up that helped shape me into the person I am today. The first stop was Berthoud Pass, a pass that my dad must have driven me over a few hundred times, as we headed up to ski racing practice nearly every day of the winter that I wasn’t in school.
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I decided to head up to the summit of Colorado Mines Peak (the one with all the buildings on it on the East side of the pass), since that seemed like it would have some good views of the area. It did, particularly of snowy Greys and Torreys.
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The next stop was Genesee, the foothills community that I moved to halfway through elementary school. Before that, we lived in a typical Denver suburb. Without a doubt, that move is the reason why I live in the mountains and spend all my time playing in the outdoors. There was no 7-11 down the street to cruise over to and play video games and drink slurpees. There was a forest that needed to be explored, and singletrack that needed to be ridden, and hillsides that needed to be sledded (and every once in a while, skied). So that’s what we did. And I loved it, so I still do it to this day.

This is the tiny cliff that my buddy Mark and I first started rappelling off of. Can I even call it a cliff? But hey, it was a 10 minute walk from my house.
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We weren’t really allowed to ride the trails in Genesee, but considering that we weren’t old enough to drive elsewhere, and the trails were this good, we went anyway:
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Same trail, circa ’92?:
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Didn’t need no stinking helmet back then. Here’s a couple more, even older photos, maybe about 1986. Probably Rollins Pass or Summit County. We liked water back in the day.
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Anyway, it was a good day and a good way to honor my dad. Thanks for reading.

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Jumping Pics

Posted by Frank – May 26, 2011

I got a DVD yesterday from Skydive Colorado, the outfit we jumped with out of Canon City at my Bachelor Party. I thought it was pretty nice of them to send the DVD, and there are some great shots from the GoPros. Not much else to say, so here they are…

Scott McDaniel getting some good face flappage:
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Tom Runcie:
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Danny Spencer times three:
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Ben Furimsky and I in the plane:
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Ben looking like his legs are about to give out:
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And digging it:
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Rafting Down Rivers and Jumping Out Of Planes: A Bachelor Party TR

Posted by Frank – May 23, 2011

Ahh, yes, the Bachelor party. Often involving a trip to Vegas or the local “Gentleman’s Club”, this was one pre-wedding ritual I was definitely looking forward to. Since I have no interest in the things that go on in Vegas, I just wanted to get the guys together to do something fun. Skiing was obviously my first choice, but I wasn’t sure if everyone else would be that stoked on it. So I started brainstorming and skydiving instantly came to mind. While I don’t actually have a “bucket list”, jumping out of a perfectly good plane is something I knew I wanted to do someday. Check that one off the list.

Some research led me to Canon City of all places- cheaper than other skydiving hotspots like Moab, and with a quality river run in the Royal Gorge as well. Day one was the Royal Gorge. It isn’t easy to get lots of photos on a raft trip, but since we had some kayakers in our group, we at least got a couple. Thanks Chris! The guy in the pink tutu up front? Yeah that would be me.

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I’ve done a bit of rafting in my day (Yampa/Green, Brown’s canyon, Taylor, and the Gunny gorge) and I’d put the Royal Gorge near the top. I’d do the multi-day Yampa over the Royal Gorge, but I liked the Royal Gorge a lot more than say, Brown’s canyon. In any case, we headed back to our camp at Shelf Road, which is an awesome spot to camp. We had hopes of getting a little climbing in, but never quite made it happen. Shelf Road:
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Then it was time for the main event. 10 of us jumped. Pete and Tom heading out on plane # 1 (They take 2 at a time):
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Pete comes in for his landing:
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Tom. Most everyone came out looking like this. Skydiving is fun. DO IT!
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Danny’s take on the skydiver’s hair and goggle look:
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Then it was my turn. I strapped in to the instructor, got in the plane, and we were off. The word was clearly out that I was the bachelor, so I got to hear a lot of this: {my guy to the other instructor} “Hey, do you know what this thing does?” {to me} “Hope you aren’t superstitious, this is only my 13th jump.”. As we continued our climb into the sky, he even busted out the fake “shaking hands” trick. I wasn’t buying it, but I’d also be lying if I said I wasn’t starting to get clammy hands as we got closer to the jump elevation. I tried to keep my mind occupied by checking out the great views of the Royal Gorge, Pike’s Peak, and the Sangres.

Then it was “go time”. The straps were tightened, and the relative quiet of the inside of the plane is suddenly pierced by the deafening roar of air rushing by at 80 miles an hour as the door is opened. There’s barely any time to think as the instructor quickly gets his foot out on the step. Moments later, I have both of my feet outside the plane as well. I get a tap on the shoulder, I grab the shoulder straps, and then WOAAAA!, I’m doing a front flip 8,000′ above the ground. Hey look, there’s the bottom of the plane. they should wash it, it’s dirty. There’s the ground. Another tap on the shoulder and I take my hands off the harness. We’re flying now, banking a little from right to left. Another tap and I grab the harness again and the chute gets thrown- slowing us down a little at first and then BAM!, the main chute inflates. This is me:
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Then the instructor starts spinning us around. This is probably the part when some people puke, but I’m loving every minute of it. Ben is above me in this shot:
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The landing was surprisingly gentle, and definitely over too quick. Since the instructor is doing all the work, I kind of described this experience as being a lot like an amusement park ride- just by far the best one I’ve been on.

Then it was back to camp for most of us, with nothing to do but a little auto body work. I mean, what good bachelor party doesn’t involve a good crash or two? (For the record, somebody else crashed into Dan’s car a few miles from camp).
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In short, GOOD TIMES!
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Crested Butte Ski Mountaineering Camps With CBMG

Posted by Frank – March 31, 2011

Sometimes people ask “How did you learn how to do this stuff?” In my case, I learned to ski at a young age, and started picking up some climbing skills in high school. I wouldn’t say that I ever got very good at climbing, but at least I learned the basics. Skiing at the resorts eventually led to a desire to ski in the backcountry, so I started to learn how to skin, and navigate the mountains, and of course I took an avalanche course. That worked for me, although I certainly haven’t stopped learning.

If I wanted to get into ski mountaineering today, starting from scratch, I think I would want to get a solid foundation via a course. Our friends at Crested Butte Mountain Guides are offering two such courses, on April 7-10 as well as April 22-25. There are still a few spaces available.

The camps are designed to cover basic ski mountaineering skills: crampon, ice axe, basic rope work, navigation, and pertinent avy conditions. Last year’s camps they skied:
1) Redwell – via a technical rappel entrance off Scarp cliffs. (to teach rope/anchor skills)

2) Gothic Spoon

3) Carbon Spoon

4) Wolverine/Coon/Climax Chutes link up

Other options include White and Whiterock:

…Or Axtell. Or some of the peaks in the Ruby Range. Generally, this includes many of the peaks shown here on 14erskiers. Speaking of 14ers, CBMG also has permits to guide the following 14ers: Crestone Area 14ers; Sawatch/Collegiate Range, Gray’s & Torrey’s; Evans; Pike’s Peak.

Cost for the Crested Butte Ski Mountaineering Camps is $525/person for 4 days including all technical gear (crampons, harness, axe, rope), and good lodging deals at Elk Mtn & Purple Mtn Lodges ($70/night or so). I think that’s a pretty good deal, all things considered, and the guides at CBMG are top notch. Check it out, and if you do call CBMG, please let them know you heard about their camps for 14erskiers.com.

Looking forward to spring ski mountaineering season myself…

Pemberton Down Days and Thoughts On Snowmobile Skiing

Posted by Frank – March 22, 2011

By the end of February, ski conditions in Pemberton, BC had taken a bit of a turn for the worse and I briefly contemplated pulling the plug and heading back to Colorado. Sustained winds, cold temperatures, and no new snow had conspired to create poor conditions, especially in the alpine which is where I really wanted to be. Still, if there is one thing I know about the Coast Mountains of British Columbia, it’s that they can go from “zero to hero” faster than just about anywhere else I know. So I stuck it out.

Susan and I tried to find some good snow in a heavily trafficked area that we hoped was sheltered enough. The views were nice. It’s hard to see, but there were some really rowdy and exposed spines in the alpine above Susan.
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We found a mixed bag of conditions on our ski descent. I’ll include this photo, since it speaks volumes. Susan loves to ski, and with an infant at home, skiing is no longer an everyday event like it once was. So despite the non-perfect terrain or conditions, she was still pretty darn stoked just to be out there, making some turns. I should probably try to remember that the next time I’m out on a mediocre day.
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In any case, I found myself at Blackcomb a lot over the next few days, since skiing hardpack is better than not skiing at all. One fine day, the winds hit nearly 150km/hr and shut down most of the mountain. Regardless, one day I met up with my friend Gavin, who had shown me around Whitewater last year. He and his new bride Veronica asked me about the snowmobile skiing I had been doing and whether they should get into it or not. I’ve thought a lot about that lately, so here are my thoughts.

Here in Crested Butte, I consider it a no-brainer. $1,000 gets you something that can get you up a groomed road and a lot more options in areas that get a lot more snow. A little more money will get you an older-style mountain sled that can access most everything else. Most of the trailheads are pretty simple, so just about any trailer and vehicle will take care of things.

Up in Pemberton, things are bigger, harder, and ultimately, better. But the costs are way bigger. First off, the trailheads are tough to get to without a big truck and a sled bed, so that’s the first cost my friend Gavin needs to consider. A cheap sled won’t cut it, so I think at least a few grand per snowmobile is a place to start. We’re already off to a big investment here, but there’s more: the time investment learning how to ride. Sure, the really popular areas like Brandywine or the Pemberton Icecap might get enough tracks to simply follow, but what’s the fun in that? I’ve been riding snowmobiles for a while, but I still felt pretty helpless at times up there without a better rider (usually Jon) with me. So add in a lot of miles dedicated to snowmobiling, not skiing, to the investment. Meanwhile, the Whistler area has a lot of good skiing available from the lifts as well as on the Duffey road. No snowmobile is required for classics like Joffre and Fissile. So in the end, my advice to Gavin is to ski everything he can without a snowmobile first, and then consider getting one down the road. What do you guys think? good advice or bad?

Other PNW/ Pemberton Reports:

Steven’s Pass
No Sleep Spines
O Face
Trandem Trees
Down Days and Thoughts on Snowmobile Skiing
Dope Creek Part 1
Pemberton Icecap
Dope Creek Part 2

Say NO! to the Hidden Gems- Tell The Gunnison County Commissioners

Posted by Frank – December 1, 2010

The Crested Butte Mountain Bike Association (CBMBA) is one of the many organizations opposed to the Hidden Gems Wilderness campaign here in Western Colorado. Personally, I have many objections to new wilderness designations, which can be found on these blog posts: link # 1 and link #2. Unfortunately, the current Gunnison County Commissioners are trying to run a letter of support through before current Commissioner and gem-supporter Jim Starr is replaced by anti-gems Commissioner-elect Phil Chamberland. The Gems proposal would eliminate mountain biking on the Carbon Creek trail, eliminate any hope mountain bikers have of returning to the Baxter Gulch trail (several entities are working on regaining access), and also end local bike-celeb Dave Wiens’ dream of connecting Gunnison and Crested Butte via trail. I’m all for protecting the land, I simply think that companion designations which allow bikes AND protect the land are the way to go.

Please visit CBMBA, read their take on the matter, then take a few minutes to inform the commissioners that outright support will only fracture what would otherwise be widespread support for land protection in the area. The deadline for comments is December 7th. The Commissioners’ email is: bocc@gunnisoncounty.org

Thanks!

Carbon Creek:

Dave Heath’s “Schuss”

Posted by Frank – November 15, 2010

I really liked this video montage of modern skiers using old gear. I hope you enjoy it too.

Schuss from dave heath on Vimeo.

Updated Links Page

Posted by Frank – November 3, 2010

Well, we’re firmly in the inbetween season transferring from the bike to the skis. For now, that means a few “housekeeping” issues for 14erskiers.com. I changed up the links bar and made a single page with some explanations, which can always be found on the right hand side of 14erskiers pages. Hopefully this has made the sidebar a little cleaner. The links page is here. There are some really good sites out there right now, so check it out if you’ve got some time to kill. Please let me know if there are any great sites that I am missing as well.

We’re hoping to do some guest TR’s this season as well. Anyone who is interested should contact me at: frank@14erskiers.com.

Spruce Beetles

Posted by Frank – August 31, 2010

On our way to the Cataract Ridge trailhead, we couldn’t help but notice the forest around the Rio Grande Reservoir was, well, dead. The devastation was nearly complete, much like the forests to the north around Summit County and Winter Park, where Pine Beetles have made the entire forest brown with dead trees.

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The problem in the southern part of the state in the Rio Grande Forest turns out to be the Spruce Beetle. This insect attacks primarily Engelmann Spruce, though it will occasionally infest Blue Spruce as well. After the beetle does its damage, we’re left with a forest which isn’t just unsightly, but also a forest fire waiting to happen, and those trees eventually start falling down.

We’ve been incredibly lucky here in the Elks, dodging both beetle outbreaks… so far. Of course, the Aspen trees around here are dying, too- due to what is known as “Sudden Aspen Decline”, or SAD.

They say these phenomena are natural, occurring every century or two or three. The drought years we’ve experienced are certainly a likely trigger, as are warming temperatures. That doesn’t make the thought of stark hillsides with nothing but dead trees and sagebrush any more cheery. I guess it’s just one more reason to hope for a big winter this season.

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