The only times it wasn’t sketchy were when the whole snowpack was rotten from top to bottom. For the most part, everyone did an admirable job of dialing it back this season, thankfully. But springtime eventually arrives, and with it, the chance to ski some steeper lines.
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We left the Playground reluctant to head into work, with smiles on our faces, and happy to be able to venture safely into a little more aggressive terrain. Here’s to a great start to spring skiing!
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I kept saying the line made me uncomfortable, that we’d find more mature snow further down the ridge. You could see that the snow in that particular gully had been less affected by solar radiation, and could therefore be less stable. What I didn’t explain was that the wind-loaded gully was the classic thing we should be avoiding right now given the history of remote triggers in similar terrain throughout the season. We were already venturing out on more risky terrain, why not ski the safest line possible given we had choices? But, somehow that never made it out of my mouth. Why? Because I was upset that my friends wanted to ski something we had previously all agreed on was unsafe. Instead, I just found myself feeling bad for being the one who was trying to change everyone’s mind.
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It’s no secret. Snow has not exactly been prolific in Colorado this winter, and it has been especially rough in the central and southern parts of the state. Here in Crested Butte, it has largely been the “unwinter” – at least until recently. I had basically given up on winter. But, after back to back bursts of snow in recent weeks, it’s game on once again!
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In much of Colorado, we’re currently sitting high and dry, without much snow in the forecast. Northern Colorado is close to average, but central and southern Colorado are anywhere from 30-70% of average. Across the rest of North America, some areas are already having a year to remember, while other areas are just as dry as we are here in Crested Butte. So, what’s a backcountry skier supposed to do when there is no snow?
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2007-08 remains my favorite season of all time, with local backcountry areas like Schofield Pass and Irwin racking up gigantic totals of roughly 900″ for the year.
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At 6:30 am I awoke with a start. It was Sunday, and I had all the best intentions of milking some sleep into the late morning hours to help rid the virus that had been infesting my body over the course of the week. But, upon gazing out the window, the world was covered in white. An unpredicted snow storm had engulfed our region, leaving 4 inches of fresh out our front door, and hopefully more in the backcountry. Ullr had finally delivered us a surprise, and it was time to head out to reap the rewards.
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Only 30 minutes away from Crested Butte, I feel incredibly lucky that we have easy access to the high desert terrain of Hartman Rocks. We don’t need to travel hours to Grand Junction or Fruita or Moab to have the desert experience. We have it just a quick jaunt away. With over 40 miles of trails in the area, there’s plenty to ride without getting bored.
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We are revisiting this post to remind backcountry enthusiasts that dangerous conditions can lurk in the backcountry, even early season. This year’s storms have dropped bits of snow that have stuck around on north-facing aspects that will likely create similar problems in the snowpack as we encountered in this report below. Be aware, be safe, and have fun in your backcountry travels this winter!
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