Little Bear wasn’t always like this. Through the 60’s, the standard route was on the other side of the mountain from Blanca Basin through private property, and is mentioned in Gerry Roach’s guidebook as the easiest route. Unfortunately access through this area was dependent on one the Sangre’s many HUGE ranches for access, and once they decided to close off access, the Hourglass became the route of choice for peak baggers.

Private property is just that- private- and people are certainly free to choose what to do with their land. In today’s litigious society, many landowners choose to bar access from trails, climbing areas, skiing, etc out of fear from lawsuits when people are injured on their land. So I had a crazy thought after the most recent accident on Little Bear: What if the landowners in Blanca Basin were sued not because somebody was injured on their land, but injured elsewhere avoiding the privately closed safest route. Yeah, I know- it isn’t realistic and it would open a Pandora’s box of unintended consequences. But I do think the landowners who have chosen to close access to Blanca Basin should be ashamed and should feel guilty each and every time someone is killed or injured on the dangerous Hourglass route.

SPOT’s, for those of you who don’t know, are a brand of locator beacon which can be used to let friends and family track your location in the backcountry, or more importantly as a device to send an SOS signal when something goes wrong. Unlike a cell phone, the SPOT uses satellites to relay messages to Search and Rescue (SAR) teams when the help button is pushed, making them ideal for backcountry travelers. This all sounds good in theory, but the Little Bear accident and another one in Rocky Mountain National Park make me wonder.

On Little Bear, after Mr. Hayne fell, his partner attempted to initiate a rescue using not one, but two SPOT Messengers. From Kevin’s partner on 14ers.com: “When i got to him he was breathing heavily and both him arms looked broken, both of our spot trackers malfunctioned at a terrible time. I waited 30 minutes by chance that the distress signal did go out, tried to comfort Kevin, and after no response from either Kevin or SaR.”

While there are several plausible explanations why a SPOT might not transmit a signal, and there isn’t nearly enough information to base any conclusions on, one would think a safety device like this would be a little more foolproof. It’s hard to believe 2 different SPOTs would be unable to send out a distress signal. Not long before the Little Bear accident, another accident in RMNP featured a SPOT that performed less than perfectly. From the injured skier’s father’s website: “Shortly afterwards, David, knowing that he was seriously injured, activated his Spot satellite locator beacon. A Spot technician in Texas then contacted David’s father in Golden, to report that an SOS signal had been received. Unfortunately, for unknown reasons the unit was not transmitting the associated coordinates.” At least in this case, the SPOT did relay the distress signal, it just didn’t give the exact location to SAR personnel, at least immediately. When I asked about it on a TGR post, the injured skier, now recovering from a broken back, had the following reply: “Sure- according to my dad, the people at SPOT did not start receiving the coordinates right away, only the SOS signal. I think this must have been due to the fact that we put the unit in the top lid of my pack during the descent. When we got to lake we took it out, and that’s when they did finally get them. At the time I didn’t think the thin fabric of the pack would have been enough to stifle the signal, but I guess I was wrong. This is great advice to others with a SPOT, keep the thing within direct line-of-sight of the sky. The SAR people also mentioned that the signal was lost as soon as we entered the trees…”

To their credit, at least SPOT does mention the potential shortcomings of the unit on their website: “Spot needs a clear view of the sky to obtain a GPS signal and provide the most accurate location information. It is not reliable indoors, in a cave, or in very dense woods.” It seems like people get lost in the woods all the time, and they might want a working SPOT, and one has to wonder how well the SPOT works in other locations like a deep canyon given this information, as well.

Those are the worst case scenarios for the SPOT, but there are other well-known problems as well. In one well-publicized case, SAR was called out three times when some hikers in the Grand Canyon got thirsty. SAR call-outs for non-emergency situations take other forms as well. Another case involved a clueless PLB owner who continuously turned his unit on believing it was an avalanche beacon (actually not a SPOT, but a very similar unit in this scenario). While this can clearly be chalked up to operator misuse and is no different than the way some people misuse 911 or hospital emergency rooms, it’s still a problem for SAR teams.

Meanwhile, the earlier generation SPOTs occasionally sent out distress signals when the button was accidentally pushed inside a backpack. Our friend Jordan White had this happen this spring on a descent of North Maroon, and led to this post on Wildsnow. SAR groups must get tired of all these false calls- hopefully this aspect will continue to be resolved as SPOTs and other PLBs continue to gain popularity.

The SPOT device is a great idea and many people have used them successfully, but I thought it might be worthwhile to point out some potential shortcomings of the unit. It may be worth having one, or another PLB device, but I wouldn’t recommend relying on them as your only rescue plan. As an example, I would consider taking a Wilderness First Responder course before purchasing some expensive technology which may not be reliable. My only other suggestion would be to make sure you do all your research before purchasing a unit like this- from what I understand PLBs are more powerful and reliable than SPOTs, although they certainly cost quite a bit more. In an emergency situation, when you really need a unit like this, it might be money well spent.

Hopefully some of you took the time to read and watch Brittany’s recent post about Reinhold Messner. In the video, Reinhold talks about seeing a line on a mountain, and then being able to make it a reality. What only exists in his imagination will be made into reality once he climbs the route. This works in the same way for skiing, whether it’s a gnarly route with rappels from one snow patch connecting to another or a big mellow bowl. A skier can look back and admire the tracks they’ve laid- big turns, little turns, a slash on a wind lip, a slarve turn on a spine- a skier’s tracks are their personal signature, their artwork.

Compare that to mountain biking, where the goal is simply to follow the trail. To be sure, there are always slight variations between riders’ lines on singletrack, but we’re talking about a difference of inches. The only person who invents a trail in their head and then makes it a reality is the trailbuilder- every subsequent rider is simply following someone else’s dream. Not only that, but most trails aren’t the result of just one person’s vision, but are more likely the result of a few people building a trail within the confines of land managers and all the other hoops one must go through to make a trail. In fact, most trails were probably just a deer or cow trail at one time, all us bikers are just following some dumb cow’s vision.

Anyway, I’ll probably love the bike again in a couple of weeks. Thanks to The Line, though, I’ll always prefer skiing. Maybe I just need some new gear: Spring 2010 Gear Guide – The Best And Burliest New Mountain Bikes, Apparel & Accessories At HucknRoll.com. Valid While Supplies Last.

A lot of people who really loved the things they do and lived life to the fullest have left this world lately. Sometimes I feel like I went through a long stretch of dodging bullets in terms of not losing anyone I really knew to these sports, whether it’s ski mountaineering, kiteboarding, mountain biking, climbing, hang gliding, or something else. These sports can be dangerous, and it’s really no wonder I’m starting to develop a long list of friends and acquaintances that have passed away. For a long time everyone I knew was just out there having a good time, up until a few years ago, but now it seems as though at least a couple people I know pass away every year. So I’m going to take a minute and think about my friends: Tobias Lee, Scott Murray, Captain Jack Carey, Billy Poole, and especially Jack Hannan. Not a single day has gone by that I haven’t thought of Jack- miss you buddy.

Sometimes I wonder if it’s time to take a big step back and chill out, and quit doing the sports I love. But the thing is, I just wouldn’t be “me” anymore if I tried to tie myself to a desk and do nothing more dangerous than the commute to work. That doesn’t leave a lot of options- be happy and be who I am, or play it safe and live a life I might not be that happy with. I guess I’ll keep playing, and try to stay safe the best I can. And remember my buddies that aren’t with me anymore.

Long’s Peak: North Face*
Long’s Peak: Keplinger
Torrey’s: Dead Dog
Democrat: North Face
Holy Cross: Cross Couloir
Huron: East Face
Tabeguache: North Face
Missouri: North Face
La Plata: North Face
Crestone Peak: South Couloir
Crestone Needle: South Couloir
Kit Carson: Cole Couloir*
North Maroon: North Face
Maroon: Southwest Couloir
Pyramid: Landry Line
Castle: East Face
Castle: South Face
Sneffels: Snake Couloir
Handies: Northeast Face
El Diente: Luttrell Line
Wilson Peak: Northeast Face
Mount Wilson: Boxcar Couloir

That’s my list. I’d love to hear what else belongs or what doesn’t. Happy skiing!

I thought about the way standard ski lines develop on these peaks as Brittany and I ascended El Diente last weekend. I call it the Lattrell Line, because it’s got some good alliteration, but I’m sure locals have both climbed and skied the route before. Regardless, we hadn’t heard of or seen this route before Jarrett Luttrell snowboarded it earlier this month (although I had speculated that a line might exist). As we were ascending Jarrett’s descent line on El Diente, and knowing the other popular route on El Diente, the North Face to the hanging traverse, I was struck by how much better Jarrett’s line is. It’s longer, steeper, more hidden, easier to climb, and everything else a classic line might be. It is our hope that this line will soon become the standard line for skiers of El Diente. We will do a full TR of our day on El Diente shortly, but for now here’s the route itself.

The route. Yellow sections are hidden.

The route is just around the corner from the Northwest Buttress, closer to Navajo Lake. If it looks like you’re climbing into a brick wall, you’re on the right track.

Just when you think there is no way the line goes through, a small exit couloir finally appears:

This leads to what we’re calling the “Fox Traverse”, because it vaguely looks like a Fox’ head (you can see our tracks if you look closely enough):

After the Fox Traverse, you enter the second exit couloir that leads nearly to the summit:

From the summit:

There it is. It’s in great shape right now and probably will be for a while, so get it while the getting’s good.

Brittany and I first met Jarrett Luttrell on a trip to Chicago Basin, when we successfully skied and boarded Sunlight, Windom, and Eolus. Jordan and Brittany quickly headed back to the Front Range after we departed the train, while Jarrett and I headed to a Mexican joint to get some food and a well-deserved margarita. With only Harvard left before my fourteener quest would be complete, I suppose I was already contemplating what it would mean for me once that goal was complete. Naturally, our conversation turned towards Jarrett’s goal to snowboard all the fourteeners, and what that would mean to him.

What struck me most about that conversation was Jarrett’s genuine desire not just to be the first to ride the fourteeners, but to also “do it right”. “Doing it right” meant a lot of things for Jarrett, but certainly included sticking to the same standards as the skiers. I think he even said something to the effect of “I hope whoever snowboards them all first doesn’t cut any corners, and make snowboarders look bad.” Don’t worry Jarrett, your accomplishment stands tall, snowboarders and Crested Buttians are all proud of you. Congrats!

The following are some questions 14erskiers asked Jarrett after his final descent, Long’s Peak, on 5-16-10.

1)When did you start?
July 1998 was my first 14,000 ft peak. I took a trip to Lake City to look at the San Juans with a Rodger Edrin book. I got chased off the summit by a storm, waited at camp, and then watched the sunset from Uncompahgre later the same day.

January of 2000 was the first one on a board. Quandary of course! But I didn’t get it from the Summit. Halbakken and I also climbed Elbert that week. We made it to the summit at sunset, but we only rode a little bit of Elbert’s NE ridge, and walked out in the dark. I went back later for both of those. I had a couple other marginal successes that year too. Halbakken and I rode the Bell Cord that year, but not from Maroon’s summit.

I guess Handies, and La PLata later that spring were the first ones from the very very tipy top. I think the standards for this project are higher than most people realize initially, there’s always a bit of a learning curve there. I’m still not satisfied with my status on Sneffels. Then again, a lot of people consider the Snake Couloir a summit descent for Sneffels. I guess I won’t argue with their claim. It holds a pitch for twice the vert, and is undeniably the big line.

2) What was your favorite, if you have one?
The Bells over all. For wilderness, and snowboarding: Snowmass. You can make it a great vacation, and take the time to smell the mold. It also has a quick pitch at the top that snagged my base like a carrot peeler. Chicago Basin was also a fun trip. Taking the train and meeting a great crew. Mt Sherman has a great view of Mt Massive across the upper Arkansas Valley. Great place for a sunset.

3) What was the most challenging peak for you?
Capitol. It always stood there waiting at the end of the line. I was lucky enough to get it on-site by going with the only one to go back and ski it again, Jordan. He’s put his time in on that one. On many of the other peaks, the risks were more manageable than I expected. On Capitol, my fears were mostly validated. That thing is pretty nasty for riding. It wasn’t the only nemesis though. I got shut down by the Wilsons several times, and there was never much snow in the Southern Sangres. I failed on Little Bear a few times during the drought years. Quitting for a while. Hard to justify the slog into the Blancas again when there are nice lines right in the backyard.

4) Why did you start snowboarding fourteeners?
It was an attempt to make getting down more fun. I liked applying one skill set to the other. I was probably a better rider then, but I think I have grown in terms of a more objective approach to the mountaineering aspect.

5) What did you enjoy most?
The solitude was nice sometimes, but I really enjoyed meeting the other people out there getting after it.

6) What’s next?
Next is mini-golf!

The FEIS can be found here, and the map, which may be the quickest way to see what is going on, can be found here. 30 more days of comments are now allowed, and then the FS will finalize their plan and then implement their plan. A huge Thank-You to anyone who wrote the FS a letter last year, I’d like to think we made a difference on this one.

One thing I did recently was update my ski the fourteeners page. Hopefully it’s a bit more user-friendly now, and I also added my so-called “best” descent for each peak in an attempt to inspire some new lines. One project for this summer will be to update the peaks with TGR links and put them on here instead. Check it out and let me know what you think.

Another page to check out is our “virtual library” for lack of a better term, if you’re interested in finding some new books to hold you over through the summer. That link is here.

Another thing we’ve been working on is the Facebook Fan page. If you’re on Facebook, please click here and become a fan. (I guess Facebook is now calling it “like this page”– same thing). We’ve been trying to post short things on Facebook to keep it interesting instead of just linking everything we do here on 14erskiers. If you’re already a fan, please suggest 14erskiers to your friends that might be interested as well. Thanks!

Finally, we’d like to be the best site out there for skiing, biking, and other outdoor sports. We’d love to do the occasional guest TR if anyone has a great adventure they’d like to share. We would also like to do the occasional gear review, although we don’t want to get bogged down in that kind of thing the way some sites do. If anyone has a product or an industry contact that they’d like us to review or get in contact with, please let us know. Most importantly, we’d love to know what we’re doing that you like, and what we’re doing that you don’t like. Seriously, let us know. Thanks!

I have already experienced one injury caused by equipment malfunction. In the 2004 Crested Butte Freeskiing contest, my binding pre-released in my Superfinals run. My buddy Ian took this photo on my first run, and I prereleased in about the same area, going REALLY fast.

Pre-releases happen, especially when you’re really pushing it, so I don’t begrudge my Salomon bindings at all for failing me. I broke a bunch of branches with my back, one of which was 4″ in diameter. I was wearing a spine protector at the time, which really saved me, but I still missed about a month while doing PT.

You’re less likely to push the limits in the same way out in the backcountry versus at a freeskiing comp. But of course some of the other hazards are greater. I’ve been out with people who were using the old Ortovox m1 beacon, which was a horrible beacon which only occasionally worked, even after Ortovox “fixed” the battery issues with them. Since I couldn’t get a signal, and my buddy couldn’t reliably search for me either, we turned around and called it a day.

Just the other day on Little Bear, Pam lost a ski and almost lost her ski over some pretty big exposure, but thankfully Brittany was able to grab it. Dynafits are fickle bindings, and she thought she was in them properly. She wasn’t. Locking the toepiece in a situation like that will help ensure that you’re really in the binding, in my opinion.

So what can you do? Well, beacon checks are always a good idea. Check your gear for excess wear and tear, micro-cracks, that sort of thing. Check the screws in your bindings for tightness. Lube and clean your bindings. Sometimes, you’ve just got to bite the bullet and replace gear, too, even if it seems fine. In the end, though, there’s still a lot of trust in your gear. Anyone have some good maintenance tips?