TR: Mount Eva Ski (21 May 2015)
(Last Updated On: June 30, 2015)
As we’ve mentioned, planning what to ski and when has been a little bit of a crap-shoot this spring. Freezes that are forecasted have been not coming to fruition, and sometimes vice versa. After getting shut down due to warm temperatures and no freeze in Rocky Mountain National Park the day before, I decided to go for something mellower – a pretty much guaranteed success. That became Mount Eva, and Frank Stern was up for joining me on this outing.
It was the second day in a row of waking up to pouring rain on the Front Range. Uninspiring as it was, I hoped we’d rise above the clouds to the sun, since we now live in the Pacific Northwest afterall 😉 And that’s what we did.
Our first glimpse of Mount Eva from near Slater Lake showed it was caked in snow. This photo does not show the summit, but it does show the southern slopes.
Skinning was hot. Really reall hot. But, the Front Range plains remained shrouded in clouds, which you can sort of see in this photo.
Mt. Eva’s south slopes and south couloir looked good. Here, the unobvious summit is peeking out, capped in white.
As we gained the ridge, clouds started moving in, as predicted in the forecast. Another look at the southern slopes on Mount Eva.
The views were still pretty good though! Looking towards Berthoud Pass.
Gray Wolf with Mount Evans and Beirstadt in the distance.
Torreys, Grays, Edwards and Kelso were absolutely caked.
Frank on the summit of Mount Eva, with part of Parry Peak behind.
Unfortunately, the skiing was a little meh with the onset of flat light. But, you could work the skier’s left aspect near the rocks to find steeper turns and more definition. Frank.
The way out was pretty fun. We passed by Upper Chinn’s Lake.
An old cabin near one of the lakes.
With a frustrating week of rain and light freezes, we were pleasantly surprised to have found good conditions on Mount Eva. The clear night allowed for a good freeze, and the afternoon storm prevented the snow from getting too hot. I was looking forward to maybe skiing something a little more challenging the next day, but was having trouble what would ski well as it was supposed to be snowing once again. Ah, the challenges this May have brought to us!
Brittany Walker Konsella
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