Playground 1.22.15

With avalanche danger slowly decreasing last week, we started brainstorming ideas for something out of the normal January backcountry runs. While the alpine was calling, we were worried that the wind had ruined the snow surface, and we started thinking about some more sheltered locations. Brittany suggested the playground, which is always a good choice, and that’s where we headed along with Ben and Mark. It was looking good:

First, we got to ski the South facing slopes to the valley. Unfortunately they were a bit crusty, although Ben made it look pretty good:

The obvious parallel chutes were looking good and that’s where we decided to go. I’ve heard them called by a couple of different names, including twin chutes and double barrels. An old skintrack made things easier, and we scoped out the runs. With four of us, it only made sense to ski them both. Brittany dropping in on the skier’s right:

Mark was next, in the same chute:

Classic tele style:

Ben got first tracks on the left barrel:

Here’s a shot of me midway:

…and in the runout:

We finished off in East bowl, which may have had more tracks in it than I’ve ever seen. Conditions weren’t perfect, but hey, we were skiing the Playground in January, so it wasn’t all bad. We wouldn’t mind some more snow, however!

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Frank Konsella

Frank loves snow more than anything... except his wife.  He ensures his food is digested properly by chewing it 32 times before swallowing.He is a full-time real estate agent serving Crested Butte and Gunnison and would be honored to send you his monthly newsletter.

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