GET YOUR SIGNED COPY! After 2 seasons of research, and one year of a lot of writing and editing, Backcountry Ski & Snowboard Routes: Colorado, was released in October, 2017! Published by Mountaineers Books, a foreward by Chris Davenport, and featuring 102 routes, we think you're sure to enjoy it. Buy your copy here and we'll personally sign it for you!
On July 6th, Frank and I left Crested Butte in the dark hours of the morning, driving toward Fairplay, with the intention of skiing a peak near that area. We didn’t know that tragedy would strike, so much that we wouldn’t make our way back to Crested Butte for two and a half weeks – and our lives would be forever changed.
Read more
Torreys was the second fourteener that I skied during my fourteener skiing project. I skied it back in 2006 and was lucky to have descended the luscious Emperor Couloir. You can catch a glimpse of this iconic line for just a couple of seconds as you travel down I-70. This line is respectably steep, aesthetic, long, and fun. It has all the makings that a classic ski route should have. Yet, Dead Dog seems to get more love. But I love the Emperor much better.
If you picture a “people mover” walkway at the airport and double its width, that’s about what the slide looked like. It was so slow and methodical that I actually skied in it, as if I was whitewater kayaking down a stream.
Read more
Frank and I were looking to ski something in the Crested Butte area. Admittedly, after skiing here for so many years, sometimes it’s hard to find things to ski that keep us interested. But, I suggested Mount Richmond – a peak that I had never skied, and Frank had an idea for a different line on it which would be new to him as well – it seemed like a great option. Mount Richmond lies the shadows of nearby Augusta Mountain and Mineral Point. Seemingly unassuming from afar, Mount Richmond, actually has some fun steep backcountry ski descents!
Read more
Chances are, if you’re a backcountry skier who spots inticing lines, you’ve spotted Mount Guyot’s south face from US 285 as you pass near Fairplay. From this viewpoint, the modest 13,370 foot peak commands the skyline, and begs to be skied. The south face requires just the right conditions to be skied, and is not always “in”. But, the hidden behind on the north side of the mountain lies more moderate and ski-friendly terrain. The most popular of these is the Swan Dive, a northeast facing gully that plunges into the Swan River below.
Read more
Still, we had time to drop in the East bowl, which had the best corn snow we had skied in years. Lately, it seems like corn snow barely exists- we get dust, or rain, or the temps get too hot, too fast. But not this day- we had effortless skiing. We made our way back to the summit, where the more North-facing bowls were just beginning to turn “ripe” with the corn harvest.
Read more
Back then, maps called it 13,870′. Others called it “North Carbonate”. But, the Department of Interior actually officially named it Cronin Peak in May, 2005. Still, it took a handful of years for the name to really take hold. The new official name for this peak is to honor Mary Cronin, who became the first woman to climb all the fourteen-thousand foot peaks in Colorado, in 1921. After learning this, I wanted to climb this peak even more.
Read more
On the map, Afley Peak stands at 12,646 feet of elevation – a meager summit in a mountain range that boasts several of Colorado’s Centennial Summits. But when one view this peak from their own eyes from a top Scarp Ridge, Afley commands a memorable presence, resembling a peak that belongs in Alaska rather than Colorado, and begging to be skied.
Read more
Quandary Peak is an interesting mountain. On the one hand, an easy and safe winter route on a 14er means that crowds are the norm all year long. On the other hand, beyond the standard East ridge route there is a lot to be said for the mountain,
Read more