New to me

Tuesday morning, didn't have to be into work till later due to a night meeting, so why not try a new route into work? I wish I'd do this more often than just do 'the direct route' in! It took maybe a half-hour longer, provided some great scenery, and some good rough rider-ing (paved and dirt roads switching back and forth for the 30 mile ride).

Rollerballs were everywhere from the big warm ups. This one was particularly cool looking.

This road looks like I live some place other than where I do. I feel like I'm riding through the desert southwest at times. This is a great road to ride as only one car passed me, you get some very unique views of the biggest creek in the area, and there are views to the divide and plains within feet of each other.

This was the warmest day of the year so far, up almost into the 80s in the flatlands. I got my first sunburn of the year and saw the first chipmunks since they went into hibernation last fall. The chorus frogs are singing everywhere there's some standing water too down below. It's pretty amazing seeing the wildlife wake up en mass.

Prospecting Pow with Pilots

None of us thought it would be like that. It was that good. After drinks with Timmy and Heyride at the Pighouse last night for his upcoming b-day I was unsure how good I'd feel today, but whenever there are skis on my feet and pow in the forecast I need little more motivation.

What a great way to end March, inundating myself in skiing as much pow as possible, while the getting was good. Day 6 on skis in the last 9, with nearly 16,000ft accumulated vertical doesn't even register compared to Greg Hill's journey but it's a good weeks work for me. (If I only didn't need a job!) With almost 3 feet of new snow since last Saturday, and the winds returning last night and picking up all that snow that fell on the high peaks and placing it into the little catch areas, like Prospector Gullys, I had a feeling it'd be pretty OK. Yesterday's tour to 4mile was excellent, but today's was truly insane.

The Pilot, Dubba, Heyride and me all met up at the tunnel at a nearly dawn patrol time of 7am for a 4 hour tour. Sunrise was getting obscured by the blowing snow in the parking lot, so we zipped up and headed for the safety of the trees. After an almost two hour skin up to the top, we got 3 amazing runs in what were the best turns of the year up there. Knee deep pow, straight-lining, face-shots, and just throwing ourselves around in the snow without a worry in the world. Like Dubba said, "if we had done this in the off-season while racing (bikes) full-time, we would've lasted much longer!" Yep!

The below video was inspired by Hot Dog - the Movie. I was only 11 years old when that movie came out and I remember watching it and learning all the goofy lines like it was just last year. A Classic. A larger version viewable in HQ is here.

21 degree fun

March madness continues with another 4" of new snow last night. We're still only 86% or so of average but we're seemingly catching up. Today, Hayride and i journeyed to an old favorite, 4-mile bowl, my first time here this year.

The coverage was beyond good, best I've every seen it I'd wager, as "that stuff" (W-I-N-D) hasn't affected this area nearly as much as usual. It's just really weird to be up on top of Windy Ridge with no wind; when you don't have to yell to your friends to communicate while hiding in the nearest tree well trying to get your skins off without them flying eastward to Kansas if you let go of them at the wrong time. Yeah, that stuff was noticeably absent! I could get used to that.

We were therefore able to start up high with some soft snow! There was still a little sun crust a few inches below the new snow but we found a great 100ft wide section of the bowl where it was nearly absent so we spent the next 4 runs lapping that.

This is by no means an advanced backcountry ski spot. It's all about cruiser runs. But you can really let it rip and have lots of fun carving with no worries about avalanches or hitting trees. It's good 21-degree fun.

For the last open run of the day we switched skis, me now on Hayride's new Dynafit Stoke's. I was thinking they'd not turn as easily or be as easy to ski, but I was WAY wrong, they fit like a glove. Those skis are game changers...truly amazing and better than my Manaslu's, even for carving. Yep, I now have Stoke-envy.

Dos Dawn Patrols

Yours truly, skinning up, Dawn Patrol (photo by Hayride)

Eighteen inches of new snow in 24 hours = two 5:30am wake up calls in a row for me and Hayride. Yesterday (Wednesday) we tried to get up to Anchor Mine but was thwarted by the lack of plowing. With that much wet snow on the ground, and still falling, we didn't make it 5 feet...we had to turn back.

Some joker in a 4Runner with summer tires blocked our way on the way out (why don't people have snow tires at 9,000ft...?) but we quickly pushed his rear end out of the way to make it up to some sidecountry, before the resort opened and the masses descended. A great three runs in Jugg Trees with almost 2 feet of new snow on old moguls, was a joyride barely turning through those trees. Almost too slow snow though - turns were optional. The 4th and last run of the morning found us ducking another rope for some sweet turns on a steeper line, giggling the entire way down in our slow-motion giant slalom course. I was able to look down at my ski tips and see them rise and sink each turn...a surreal feeling!

And today, the road was plowed so we had some great morning-after turns up at Anchor Mine. Amazingly better snow actually, 24 hours later - faster than yesterday's wetter flakes. But the W-I-N-D picked up a tiny bit last night (don't say it aloud!) so we stayed protected in the tree-lined alleys of the hill and scored some of the best DP turns of the season.

Back at work, after two early days of dawn patrol, only cafe' could keep my eyes open, and just barely as I sat at my desk trying to work instead of look at my new desktop photo of last Saturday's powder day. I'm going to miss winter.

Rites of Spring

Sunday, second day of spring, same start, different end. Today I went alone as I tend to do. Highs were high with almost 60 at the ranch so I had to find some shade and protection from the wind up high. I had the motivation (with the help of a quad-shot espresso morning) to run up to Prospector Glades and eek out some soft turns in the middle two gullys. It was surprisingly good, if short, on elevation loss. But as Donny put it the other day "this place is great if you're an athlete" or something like that. Said another way, "This place sure has a ton of uphill!" It feels like you climb more than you descend here, which is just fine with me because of the solitude I achieve at my lunch spots. Yep, gotta love the Mo-Fat funnel.

it's.....back....!

It's a lot, if not all about the up

Biggest snowstorm of the year even though it was less than predicted amounts. I'd say 4-8" up at the Tunnel with more in 'catch' areas. And in this area, with snow comes wind. We have been blessed with the least windy winter that I can remember but also one of the lowest snowfall years. You gotta be OK with the wind if you love the snow here. So, today we got reunited with an old friend up high.

The snowfall count was very varied around Colorado. Aspen got over a foot, Eldora claimed 10", and Loveland got 3", other places none. The southwest flow grabs the moisture right out of the gulf and flows northeast and swirls up the east side of the Continental Divide and just plops all that moisture on the east side of the Divide, the Front Range. Spring is the time we get the most snow around here.

I awoke to 19.5 degrees. Oops...wait...there's a NEGATIVE sign in front of that 19. WTF?! Once again the DVR valley proves to be the coldest spot in the area. Hayride had -10, our old place on Mag had zero...and we almost tripled the lowest. The horses were going bonkers, bucking and snorting when i looked outside. Glad they're warming themselves up! Of course they were pissed about the time change and not getting their hay "on time."

Today I headed up to the Tunnel with Hayride and Donny, the world traveler who has recently set up base camp back in Boulder these days. We had big plans to go high into the alpine, but once we realized the extent of the wind we went as high as we could and farmed the best snow we could find - which was mostly NOT in alpine but below treeline. This was perfectly fine with me because it was fewer than 20 degrees and the windchill counted in the negative teens from the ~40mph gusts.

Hayride got some new skis - Dynafit Stokes, the sweetest lightest fattest skis out there in my opinion (ski envy). But I love my Manaslus so I ain't complaining. After the first run he looked like he was telling them what to do just fine (below - this is my favorite picture that I've taken in a long time so zoom in!).

Donny was sporting rather large 190 BD Verdicts which likely tripled the weight of my setup which I'm sure hurt on the uphill but he could sure ski those things on the down.


As the day went on, the wind got stronger, and the snow conditions got worse above treeline. All in all we got 3 runs of 'varied' snow up higher and pretty darn deep pow in the trees for these parts. I can't tell you how excited I am that spring is here in the Front Range.

Eiseman Hut Trip

What can you get for 100 bucks? It's not a menial amount of money but when you're talking skiing, there's not much you can get or do for $100 anymore. A lift ticket costs almost that much these days. So...yeah...i went on 3rd hut trip this year. So what?

It previews like a Visa commercial -- $60 per person for the hut, $20 per person for shared dinners, and another $20 for your own breakfast, lunch, snacks, liquor, and gas money for the two night/three day trip = Priceless. It's yet another trip I'll never forget and it cost me less than 100 bucks. The main problem with these types of trips is the harsh reality check that one cannot stay at the hut all winter. You unfortunately must go back to the political reality and grind of work life. Work's good and all, but you can't beat life at the hut.

A couple of weeks before, I got an unexpected invite from the Frozelaps to their bro-in-law's Rescue Team's Eiseman hut trip. A safe group to go with for sure! It was great to meet new people and make some new friends for future adventures. Eiseman is a prized hut, the only 10th Mountain Division hut north of I-70 and it's famed for having the best terrain for advanced backcountry skiing of any hut...right off the front porch. It sits a few miles west of the Gore Range in an area that was pretty severely logged around 100 years ago. That means there are lots of roads but also that the trees are widely spaced and great for backcountry turns.

Almost 14" of new snow in the last week made the north-facing slopes dreamy, but the very warm days approaching 50 degrees at 11,200ft made for some seriously sun-crusty slopes on all but the most north-facing and shaded aspects. We did a good job of finding those stashes though and as you'll see from the video were able to ski some great lines with great snow.

The last day provided the classic Colorado bluebird skies with temperatures up in the 40s. It was a Monday morning and the third and last day of the trip, so we quickly got out of bed, ate, coffee'd up, and put our skis on for some last turns. A perfect ending, but the drive back to work nearly ruined the high. I can only dream of future hut trips and backcountry adventures while sitting 8 hours at my desk, and like I did at the meeting that night, to make the yin and yang of life stay together. So I sit here at my desk watching the snow fall from the biggest storm of the season, thinking about the turns Hayride, Donny, and I will be getting tomorrow up there...some-where...out THERE...!

Here's the Picture album link to go check out.

Icecycle

We've got a little bit of snow this week - maybe 4 or 5" total. Not a lot, but because it's been warmer and the start of the upslope season, the snow has a much higher water content making the roads extremely icy. As soon as the snow hit the road, it melts then freezes and now there's a reflective quality to the pave'. No issue with Nokians on board but it still makes the direct route in to work relatively exciting.

I stopped here to look back up the road at the sky. The more eastern exposure of this part of the road, and the fact it's pavement vs. the upper dirt section, allow it to warm up more and thaw out. The deep blue sky doesn't come thru as it did in real life, but as I descended it got an ocean-like color to it. In the dead tree on the left, right after I took this picture, a sharp-shinned hawk flew over the road and into the woods looking for breakfast. You can see him on the top of the snag if you zoom in.


I signed up for the Rough Riders Rally this week. Seriously looking forward to this event in late July. A good excuse to visit home, Tam, family, friends and make some new friends on a "go-anywhere" bike. Now I just have to choose whether to bring Tank or the Hunter for the festivities.

You can't get lost if you don't know where you're going

So why is it that I know where I'm going and I still get lost...?! I think that is a question I will always ask myself.

Conehead Hill on a hot & sunny Sunday

Ventured out on a solo ski today. I missed yesterday's "powder day" so was itching to get out (a powder day these days is anything over 4" of snow). I didn't leave the house until 10:30am and I knew that the Tunnel would be crowded and the snow on most aspects would be shite because of two back-to-back 50 degree days, but the rule of thumb is go high and go North when in doubt (higher elevation north-facing slopes, that is).

It felt like a day in the Sierras, or a Colorado day in late April with more snow on the ground. The forecast said there was potential for rain (yes, I said rain) but there was hardly a cloud in the sky. The main trail was hardpacked slush, the south-facing aspects were either partially sun-crusted or complete mashed potatoes, and I was wishing I had found my Globstopper wax for my skins as I was carrying an extra few pounds of snow clumped to the base of my skins. It's definitely all about the UP, but the up is hard some days!!

But like most days up here, the UP pays off in ways that can't be described in words. (It reminds me of watching surf flicks and how all the surfers they interview say the same thing, something like "it's rad, i can't describe it, it's just like...amazing," etc., etc.

After thinking I was on the right track, and of course that not being the case, I bushwhacked a bit to get up to my final destination an hour and a half and 2,000 feet vertical later. Sitting eating lunch atop a rock overlooking Prospector Glades without a breath of wind at almost 12,000 feet...well it's just a good thing.

Other than a coyote tracking a snowshoe hare, no one else had been here even after a full on powder day Saturday. I love it when the only tracks I have to compete with are those of wildlife, and of the rollerballs that form from the saturated snow.

These two completely different and unique "lines" from rollerballs were within 5 feet of each other. Now, let's compare them to mine below. Preferences? Mine are pretty cool, if I do say so myself, but I like the rollerball's better.

Upper Prospector and...

...lower Prospector Gullys

In this picture, you can see my tracks in the snow on the right-hand side on that open face but what is pretty amazing here is if you look to the left. There's a massive avalanche path just below the divide where the crown (upper start line of the avy) looks to be at least 10 feet deep as the walls cast quite a shadow from this distance. It looks like a natural avy as I didn't see any tracks in the area and the trigger must have been a cornice break from above.

Instead of heading down after two runs on Prospector, I headed up the back of Conehead Hill and took my first run on Frogger of the year. The snowpack is definitely feeling more solid from this warm weather so I decided I could make this my last run of the day. It's a short skin to the cliff band that separates upper Conehead from the lower glades. Upper Conehead can wait till later in the spring when the snowpack is safer and when I have a buddy. The slope is around 35 degrees and ends in said cliff band. Some would be fine hucking these rocks, but for me they're more of a terrain trap. Frogger is what I call the lower treed lines and each time I head here I do something different. Frogger, as the name implies, entails "Frogger-ing" (as in the video game) around a bunch, but wow, what a dramatic and beautiful run! A maze of open glades that close off in trees only to open up again further down. Safe navigation is key here. There are lots of rocks for the huckers but you wouldn't want to go off one unintentionally!

Down and back at the car at 3pm where there were still at least 30 cars in the lot and somehow I saw only 6 people, all on the main trail. People heckle this place but if you like the UP, and don't mind getting lost, it's a great ski stash.

Swobo Sleeves

I lost my OR earband that I loved so much. Kept my ears toasty, fit under any helmet or other hat, was a lightweight warming device on warm ski days, etc. So I figured I'd try something new. Ever had a wool jersey that the moths got into? Holes everywhere but don't want to throw it away cause it cost you a pretty penny? Yep, I have a couple of those. I sadly got rid of my circa 1995 green longsleeve Swobo but I had a black short-sleeve that has been in my closet for a year now. Well, I took the scissors to the short sleeves and cut them off at the seams.

The seams are very flat so don't put an indentation in your forehead, and they appear that they'll reduce any fraying of the material. Now I have, count em, TWO thin and very stylish wool hats with a built-in vent in the top! Too bad the logo is upside down on one of them.

Snow and Sun hikes

The local mountain called 6.5" of new snow overnight, out of nowhere. The forcasters have been amazingly imprecise (wrong) this year, just like last year. A 40-50% chance of 1-2" results in high winds and almost 7" up high. Huh? I ain't complaining though. I got a surprise last minute invite to the Eiseman Hut outside of Vail in the beautiful Gore Range next weekend, so the more snow the better. I'm really excited for this trip with the Frozelaps because this hut is famous for having the best terrain of any hut in the 10th system and I've never been there before.


The Guppies on a hike this morning, 54 degrees and sunny. Jessie is turning into a more hyper mini-Monkey; that is becoming obvious now on my hikes with extendable leashes. She wants to follow every animal track and scent thru the snow and is more happy to turn the opposite direction of the plan. "Home is left? Let's go right!" Bear is a different story and gets tired pretty quickly, comparatively, and is looking for "milk duds" (elk poo) all hike long.

Count Basie getting out and about on the lower part of our hike with Rikki. We did the ridge loop, uphill this time, and he was loving the new snow and sun. At 12 years old and a rather big shepard mix, he's amazingly strong and fit and still pulls The Monkey's 'walk-slowly-back-to-the-house' act seemingly tired but just really wants to stay out hiking all day. We spoiled him with his own chicken, cheese, and rice burrito this week - put it on a plate for him to "find" on the coffee table.

Notes from early Spring

A section of the Colorado Trail near Breckenridge

Last week, I saw the first of the red-winged blackbirds by my office down in the flatlands where the flattened cattails lie over the thawing wetlands.

It seems like on the first day above 50 everything starts to appear from wherever their wintering grounds were. Today, I awoke to tapping on the side of the house and looked out to see the first Pygmy nuthatch on our cavity-infested wood siding going for some sort of insect. The blue spruce outside the kitchen window is starting to "move" a bit more with the arrival of the dark-eyed Junco's, probably pissing off the local house finches who have been there all winter. It's just a short time before the pine siskins move back into that tree too. The few flies that have been in torpor all winter and somehow survived are awakening and looking half-drunk as they try to get outside, driving the dogs crazy with their buzz.

It's only March 4th, but the signs are arriving daily - it's spring!

It may not seem warm to some, but it's been over 50 degrees for the last couple of days at 8,400 ft and that makes for some crappy suncrusted snow but it also means that the Front Range's infamous upslopes should be arriving soon and dumping lots of snow on the local stashes. When it gets this warm and I smell the ponderosa's vanilla scent over the smell of snowmelt on the soil, I start to think about what the upcoming mtn bike adventures will be this year, and the spring couloirs that I want to ski. Skiing Torrey's NW couloir, and Sawtooth and Elk's Tooth? A Rough Riders ride in Marin? An unsupported Colorado Trail tour? A Virginia fall colors tour with TK? Or perhaps a New Zealand tour and race for SSWC2010...so many options, how could anyone get bored?

It's all about the UP

New bumper sticker from me and Hayride

We've been talking about making this sticker for awhile now so finally I just did it. You all should know by now this is a good motto for me, whether it's referring to skiing or mountain biking. But if you're not a backcountry skier, you may not realize it's a take-off on Black Diamond's recent advertising campaign proclaiming "It's all about the down." Hmm...should such a statement be coming from a company primarily selling gear for backcountry skiing...? If you don't like the up, please go to a ski resort and leave the solitude, expansive views, wildlife tracking, touring and exploring, meandering skin tracks and conversation, and of course the untracked powder for those that do.

Resorts and ski lifts have their place but for me they're like weights in a gym, to practice and hone skills, and of course have fun while you're at it. I feel empty after hitting up the resort, like yin without the yang. All the cliche' sayings about 'hard work' could transfer over here...it's the up that makes the down special. I never realized that fact until I found Jesus in the backcountry (so to speak).

If you want one or two, send me an email at: meriweather8 at gmail dot com with your address.

(If I've offended you all that live by lift-served access... sorry...but get used it if you're going to keep reading this blog.)

9th Annual DoJoe

The finish line

The 9th DoJoe has come and gone. I haven't been every year, but every year that I do I'm happy I partook in the festivities in support of the local scene and the Colorado Avalanche Information Center (CAIC). The race is secondary to the party and costumes, but everyone finishes no matter how seriously they take it. It's pretty much mandatory that you wear some kind of costume, and the best prize goes to the person/s with the most creative costume (this year it was a pair of fat Black Diamond skis). If you don't wear some type of costume, you get heckled. This year the best costume contest went to the father and son "White Trash" duo. The kid finished the race at 10 years old...pretty cool.

However, several didn't think they had the best costume and that the prize should've gone to the Girl Scout and Cookie Monster couple.

The course record was broken by Flash Gordon in 17 minutes on superlight AT gear (and i mean geeky light gear that would cost over $3K to purchase at retail). Hayride had another excellent race and came in 2nd in the AT category! I felt relatively sleepy and got 5th in the Tele category. I raced on my Karhu Guide's and Garmont Excursions which will be the last time I try that setup on this course - way too unstable at speed. I was able to not use skins again but i didn't have very good grip on the steeper sections this year compared to last year. I also took the worst header I've ever taken at the top of West Ridge. I rung my bell pretty well. The light was so flat that I didn't see a sharp undulation and therefore stuck the tips of my skis into a windlip and went head first into the next windlip. I heard my neck vertebrae crack and I seriously thought I broke it. After another assessment, I was ok, if sore, and continued on down the 40 degree, 3 foot high moguled ski run to the finish line. The downhill is just nuts.

Skip and Hayride discuss important things

After the race, the party begins in the upstairs bar in the old lodge. Hillbilly music and dancing, free Upslope beer on tap, and lots of crazy skiers dressed up in funky costumes made for some great people watching. It's a great excuse for a small mountain town celebrate the life of Joe and the passion for skiing in the mountains that bring us all together each year.

A few more photos and a short video in my Photo Album here: