April is still the new March

Skinning up squirrel-huck gully.  That downed skinny log is the squirrel huck. No gap to huck anymore though with all this April snow!

I know I've said it before, but it's true. March was a total snow dud and April is giving a steady stream of nice snowfall...wet northwest type snow, 100% humidity (as seen in the above picture, maybe. there's a skier in that fog there).  Not much visibility at the top of the EPC and some slight crust on the anything-but-true-north aspects...so we headed to just that.  Amazing each time we go here! The gully always holds light powder. Funny thing today was that, even our noon-patrol start time didn't help our energy level.  It was like the fog somehow made it's way into my veins and slowed blood flow to my brain.  I tried a new traverse to get up to the top with fewer than 101 switchbacks but had no luck.  We ended up going right back to the gully - where we should've gone up in the first place (my bad) - and had just one nice but long run down back to the van where we ran in to Donny, and Hayride's co-worker.  Funny timing. They started at 8am, we started at noon, both got back to the car at 3.  They went way farther than us of course.

Hot dog!

POW! Some 8" of fresh!

Foggy below, freshies up high brah! Ok...enough of that...sorry.

First ride of the year on my first frame

Click here for more on this bike.

Snow ride today! Dumping snow on April 23rd! The first frame is awesome...can't wait to get some more miles on it.

Resort's closed, time for upslopes

We awoke to 15" of wet snow, and i mean wetter than Sierra cement wet.  Luckily I could plow the driveway so I could meet up with Hayride to head to the local resort for some up and down type skiing. The local joke about Eldora is that the best skiing happens after it closes. 

The forecast called for 9-11" overnight, and for ONCE this year they actually UNDERestimated the amount that fell.  It really must suck to be a weather forecaster...no respect unless you're spot on. The wind didn't start till the lake at the resort.  Full whiteout conditions. Had to use the Force to get our way up to the "parking lot" that was now in the middle of the road where the closed gate now stops you.  We started out into the headwind...just classic Eldora. There is no place windier (I hope). I haven't been on skis since Jackson two weeks ago...so am highly out of shape.  Breaking trail up the lift lines was f'ing hard...skis and legs felt water logged. Maybe it was the the 4" of snow stuck to the tops of my skis. 

Is that arrow pointing at Hayride?

 Took us an hour to get to the top and we headed for the steepest run on the frontside, seen above.  The snow was so heavy that we could barely make any turns but the ones we did get were quite good.  Even a faceshot was had - first time for this place! 

Horrible picture due to the dumping wet snow and the wind blowing it everywhere.

Upon returning home a mere 10 minutes from the windy resort, it was 50, yes FIVE-O degrees outside and sunny and the snow was pure cement.  Hayride had just ridden dusty singletrack a few days ago on the cross bike and now we're getting faceshots on the mountain.  This weekend we'll probably be riding trails again.  Springtime in the Rockies!

Seasons

1st frame is welded as of Sunday. Ruination IPA for celebration on the deck in the spring sun.

I grew up in a place that didn't have seasons...ok...it had two seasons, rainy and sunny.  Norcal winters are foggy, rainy, damp, GREEN, beautiful and summers are hot and dry and brown.  I moved to a place with four seasons, albeit some are pretty short...like springtime. Springtime in the rockies is an amorphous combination of waning winter and quickly approaching summer, it's hard to know when it's really spring here.  The few things that characterize this are:

1. Big dumps (snow, that is).  I love big dumps.  Although this year is an exception, we usually get a couple of 2-4 feet dumps in Ned in March and even April. 
2. Temperatures can get up to the 60's, but lows still in the 20's at night, and the appearance of the pasque flower. These purple flowers are the beacon of spring for most up at 8,000ft elevation...and really do signify and end to the wind, cold and snow.  Our house has no pasques yet, we are the latest to get them in this area as far as I know.  But the "banana belt" where I used to live has them already showing up. 
3. Trails on south-sides are dry as a bone but all other aspects are still closed off by snowdrifts, downed trees (the wind here is insane in the winter).

I feel more ready for spring this year than other years because of my new insanely expensive hobby - bicycle frame building.  I am really excited to ride a bike that I personally created.  I'm excited to create more bikes of different types - CX, MTB, touring, maybe even a road bike - and keep on experimenting with new designs and testing them out on the local singletrack.  After the ski trip to Jackson Hole, my feet haven't been in the ski boots and I haven't ventured into the backcountry even once.  The Indian Peaks are there, awaiting some spring ascents and descents, and that'll happen eventually, but for now I'm happy dreaming of riding my new steel steeds around the 'hood and finding out, perhaps the hard way, how my framebuilding skills add up.

For those that age gracefully, we salute you!

Sustenance

Forgot to post this picture, documenting more than I'll ever know or want to admit, on the closing end of our Jackson Hole ski trip.  This is almost in sequence (more beer at first, then need more Ensure...then more good beer at the end).  This is what happens when you put two guys in a hotel room and ski three hard days. 

The humble JH movie

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing 

 Music = "Fridge" by Victim's Family