TR: Middle Schuylkill (2 Jan 2011)
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It’s kind of like Middle Earth, except not really. It’s the middle of a big ridge. A ridge that looks like this.
Schuykill is one of the most popular backcountry spots in Crested Butte, largely because it does not require the use of a snowmobile. However, when heading out to the middle or far end of Schuykill, snowmobiles transform time touring on flat terrain to skiing on fun terrain. Thus, we opted for the snowmobiles today.
Really, it was an excuse to dig our neglected sleds out from under the piles of snow that had been collecting on them through the last couple weeks of seemingly endless storm cycles. Digging them out took the two of us over an hour.
We parked the sleds on Slate River road and then crossed the river itself. We were surprised to see it was not completely frozen over yet.
The skin track ventures through the trees in the middle of the ridge, just above Frank’s head. Our ski line was lookers right of that.
The skin.
Every now and then the contrasting light rewarded us with stunning views.
By the time we arrived at the top, the clouds and the shaded aspect had darkened our intended line. Still, we tried for some photos anyway. Frank dropping in.
Frank caught this one of me.
And then was set up for some great shots, but the camera malfunctioned in the frigid temperatures. This was going to be the money shot here….
I caught a few pics of Frank, though the quality is a bit grainy due to the low light.
In case you didn’t notice, the snow was most excellent. I can’t wait for more 🙂
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