Woodlay Ridge Tour

The Indian Peaks:
It's all about the tour. Shuffle lots, turn less.
3K of climbing, 1K of descending.
It's uphill both ways.
i could go on....
Only this group would love this tour with so few turns. 

 Heyride, Powers, Jeremy, Heather and myself journeyed up to Woodle-Lake to experience the upslope of snow we are in the midst of receiving. Although we woke up to -6 degrees today, yesterday when it started snowing it was a toasty 18.  As we got higher though, the snowflakes were smaller, yet there was almost a foot of new snow on the ground.  This place, well...it's amazing. Always breaking trail after the first 3 miles (cause it's so damned far up there), nobody up there but us Pilots, and always incredible snow.  I love skiing with this group as there is never a naysayer in the group...no matter what the conditions.  I think they're going to hate the tour and complain, but they always come back for more and end each day with, "that was FUN!" 

A very old tree, fire and lightning scars, the wind must be insane here most the time at this 11,00 ft. ridgeline

Heather down the first run, JHK waits below.

Powers down run #2, Heyride awaits

All smiles, run #2 in the background...now time for the SLOG out!

Happy Holidays!

The SMRP with Bear at the top of a hike up to Monkey Hill

Sunrise on a windy day, half moon on the right.

Sunrise...NOFX added

The Divide on a really warm day up high on Pipeline where there's usually no snow whatsoever.

Heyride rockin the Holmenkollens down Jug on a "training ski"

Ski porn

Yeah, more pics of skiing.  The pictures of today's ski with Jeremy say everything...bluebird day with no wind and lots of new snow to track up.

Pointing at Postage Stamp

Skinning up Russell Peak

 

Skinning up Moonlight Gulch

Jeremy's in the spot of the sun up there...

...and further down...

Moonlight gulch

Me heading down

 

Epic...the snow keeps coming!

Powers and Skeather

Work & Whiskey warm the weather

 

Skeather whooping in the 10 inches of new pow

1st day out in the backcountry for Powers and she will be back

Weekday skiing rules

Heyride has long hair these days. Like a hippy redneck or somthin

 Ventured out late morning to the local dawn patrol spot for some turns on the 3" of new snow.  It's not a lot, but it's been consistent this December so each day in the backcountry has been a powder day!
Some of the best, most effortless, turns of the year were had and we lost track of time which is a good thing, and bad as it gets dark so damn early nowadays!

my favorite shot of the day. Heyride with rooster-tail of powder

Ptarmagin mom. There are two young'ins under the snow in the foreground that we didn't know were there until they flew off suddenly with mom as we passed a few minutes later.

these turns were just effortless, made me feel like i know how to ski.

Butler Gulch

Visited a spot the three Pilots had never been to somehow. I've been an hour away from this place for 19 years, and the other Pilots grew up here...so WTF?! I guess because it's one of the most popular spots in this area for easy-access backcountry turns from Denver or Boulder.  It is really close..but there is some amazing terrain.  Even on a Wednesday there were more people there than I expected (not a lot, like 10...).  It was kinda like Senior day at the grocery store with a couple of ski bums thrown in for good measure.  The several older folks were on tele and snowshoes telling us where to find the best turns up there, and how they USED to ski glaciers in the Alps before their hips went bad.  I've never met two Euros on the trail here ever, and we met two today! 

It wasn't snowing until we hit 10,000ft, weird weather we're having this year, it ONLY snows on the mountains and is sunny and warm everywhere else.  Three runs, 3k vertical, 4 hours, a great day with the Vundercouple.

Heather skinning up to Pilot Peak (not named, so we named it...)

JHK approaching the top

H-bombing down "Hourglass"

JHK diving into the powder room

Swinging two heavy bats...

...one on each foot.  This year it's all about the Tour, not just about the up...or down...the entire package.  Heyride and I took the big AT gear on a longer 6 hour tour today. Windy as all heck, but that's just how it is here...back to normal this season.  The snow was amazing, this drainage is just incredible as far as remoteness, snow quality, and secret stashes of (albeit short) gladed tree runs.  You can find fresh tracks up here whenever you want to make the effort to huff it up there. 

The long skin up to...nevermind.  We got lucky enough to break trail for the majority of the day.

Overlooking the lake after a few good turns

A very large snag. The trees up here were just massive.

The ridge above the lake to the south. I've still yet to ski this slope on looker's left, but some day this season.  It's just an amazing looking 35 degree slope that drops almost 1,000 vertical (that's a lot for these parts)!

Best downhill of the day. Heyride carving the powder on one of the many alleys on the north side of the ridge.

that's a big tree next to me.

1st day in The Powder room

A great day out there today.  Eldora was claiming 8" of new snow over the night and I believe it this time.  The tunnel had 8-12" depending on where you were in relation to wind-blown snow. The ever-present wind was howling at the parking lot, and up at the lakes, but nowhere in between.  The wind is certainly back in full force this winter.  

JHK breaking trail

...and again. No sun but what you see in this picture, which lasted a total of 5 seconds.

Heather takes her turn in the powder room...

...and now JHK heading down the middle lower Prospector Gully.

Eldo Traverse

First tour on the Holmnekollens with Heyride this year to break in the body for the Grand Traverse.  Felt good to warm up on an 12 mile traverse from the tunnel to Rock! No navigation issues, left at a leisurely 11:30am, got back before dark, pretty sweet route, and only saw 2 people in the 4 hour tour! Arrived at the Rock with a shot of 12yr old whiskey and thank you AP for picking us up with a 4pack of TenFidy! Great recovery food. Really looking forward to more traverses this winter.

Snow on the divide, and not bleeding east at all

Heyride pointing to where we want to come back in springtime to ski. Sweet terrain up here.

Pointing to where we have to go...down to that road cut. It's fun, and scary, trying to get the Asnes Holmenkollen's to turn...on this type of snowpack.

Heyride making it look easy...

Splitrock. This rock was so awesome. Looked like it fell from the sky and split into three. The tree hides the center 'aisle'.

Compacted coyote track with the soft snow blown away from it's perimeter.  Photoshopped to make stand out a bit more...

This was pretty cool. A small spruce cone suspended by a frozen pillar of ice and snow.  Yeah, there's no wind here...

Rocks are hard

Went scouting on the Trabs this week and found some new prospects up lower than high on the rib. Follow the tunnel, it gets you there easier and faster - that's basically what i learned.  I've been getting lost up here for how many years (?) and just finally found a good route to Quicky couloir, and the middle rib area. 

MegaHare tracks

The route I took up was just stock full of snowshoe hare, bobcat, squirrel, marten, and mouse tracks.  A great old growth stand of fir in between trails so gets very little human use.  No ski tracks were crossed.

Looking east, one of the runs that opened up in front of me.  The Trabs ski SO much different than the Manaslus...i bailed a few times until I realized you really have to dig into the turn instead of 'surf' the turn like on the Manaslu!

First snowpit showed some questionable stability on east/southeast slopes up at 10,800ft.   Some serious sun crusts (ice layers) and wind slabs separate softer snow (see the layer that my snow saw is bisecting in the photo?).  Break through one of those and whaBAAM! I exited the safe way down in the deep woods but not before tip diving in some nice breakable crust. The layer near the ground is just pure ice with huge facets underneath.  Cold weather, no significant snowfall, lots of wind, classic early season Colorado snowpack.

Safely back to the trail with only minor gashes in my skis, I snowplowed as I look left for the goods.  Bad idea - I hit a rock sticking up just a couple inches about the surface. The ground came up and hit me so f'ing hard, my shoulder feels like I just played a Rugby game against Burlingame (long story, yes I played Rugby in high school).

Steel*Wool has an entry in the 14th Annual Elk Mountain Grand Traverse!  Heyride and yours truly are heading to Crested Butte at the end of March for another round...let the training (ski touring) begin!