14erskiers.com

My jaw dropped in awe of the pure ignorance of these backcountry skiers. I could not believe what they were doing, and that they had also put our group at such huge risk. This group put the College back in College Bowl.

We are lucky in Crested Butte. Most winter recreationists are at least aware of avalanche danger and basic protocol. We are not prone to the inexperienced travelers that you can often see at places like Loveland Pass and parts of Berthoud Pass. And even after spending quite some time skiing on Berthoud, I never saw anything like this.

The calendar says it’s still fall. But, around Crested Butte, it’s winter. Some hail, “Oh, winter came early this year!” But they forget that this is normal for us. Winter comes in October most years, with the exception of the last three falls which have been irregularly warm. Admittedly, I’d be okay riding my bike through the end of October without the snow flying. But, I’m always embracing the season we we’re in. And right now, we’re in winter, whether the calendar says so or not.

Ski season began with a bang for us this year. With consistent weekly storm patterns, snow has been gathering up high for the last few weeks. Although still relatively thin, the snowpack is deep enough to not worry too much about hitting debris underneath. Furthermore, it’s supportable and bomber. We’ve never seen anything like it this early in October. That’s why we skied lines this day that we did not touch last year until April.