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!
Brittany and I have talked about our Trailquest goals quite a few times and one of the things that the game forces us to do is ride a little farther than we might otherwise. Our original plan was to ride the Timberline trail from the Tincup/ Mirror Lake area, and also add a couple of spur trails- Hillerton (632) and Sanford Creek (584). More on our change of plans in a minute…
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The TrailQuest has led to some epic days on the bike, it’s also taken us to explore some really fantastic trails. I can’t say enough about the area near Cochetopa Hills / Sargents Mesa / Needle Creek, just south of the tiny town of Sargents. There’s some great riding to be had there. And other than the Colorado Trail Segment, you’re likely to be on the trail alone. The loop that encompasses Milk Creek to Colorado Trail to Longbranch is an excellent loop for the more adventurous rider seeking less-than-standard trails.
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As with any trail in that area, info was sparse and we weren’t sure if it would work well as an uphill. We stopped at the Tomichi Trading Post in Sargents to get a couple of last-minute snacks and the owner took one look at our “pedal bikes” and thought we were nuts. Only one way to find out…
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Mount Edwards is one of those peaks that even many backcountry skiers haven’t really heard of. Accessed from the same trailhead at Bakerville as Torreys, Grays, and even Grizzly Peak, Mount Edwards sits in the shadows of these classic peaks. But, Mount Edwards can hold its own, and the lines that it offers can arguably be better than what’s offered on its sister peaks. Certainly you’re bound to see less people on Mount Edwards too.
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I have a long history with Mount Rainier. I was just 14 years old when our plane flew alongside her and I was mesmerized – so much that I decided I wanted to go to college in Seattle, just so I could be close to Mount Rainier. But, after visiting the University of Washington campus and being disappointed, I set my sights elsewhere and ended up in Boulder. Still, Mount Rainier hung in my mind. My dad and I eventually climbed her in the mid-90’s, fully guided with RMI. The famed Dave Hahn was our lead guide.
But, then became a ski mountaineer and my eyes gazed back to Mount Rainier. I needed to ski her. Two previous volcano-skiing trips to the Pacific Northwest were fruitful, but did not give ample opportunity for skiing Rainier. After missing last ski season due to injury, and coming back to a rather mediocre season in Colorado, I needed something. I needed a big goal, something that would be the highlight of my season. I decided that would be Rainier.
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From this angle, the couloir on Savage Peak practically looked vertical, not to mention it had a giant runnel running down the middle. We continued towards the summit, though no one was quite certain they would actually ski it. The good news on the ridge was that I found
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The bike rental guy explained to us that we would have to hike to some of the water falls, and gave us bike locks. He said our loop should take us 5 hours. Yep, kinda like the Gilligan’s Island thing – but instead of a 3 hour tour it should take us 5. And we had a picture of a map that was painted on a wall that would help us navigate. Perfect! What could possibly go wrong? 😉
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Marjorie’s was good. We knew that another lap or two in Marjorie Bowl would be the best skiing, but we’re suckers for a good aesthetic line. So even though Shit for Brains couloir looked a little worse for wear, we decided to head up it for our second lap of the day.
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What we found actually surprised me. With the low snow, I was expecting pretty technical conditions in the steep upper portions of the bowl. Surprisingly, the low snow conditions made a planar face, rather than flutes and spines like we normally get.
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