Splitboard

After over a year of shopping, I finally bought a splitboard. I got a Viole Mountain Gun off of Craigslist. Before I took it backcountry, I decided to try it out at the resort first so that I could work out the kinks in a controlled environment.

To cap off the ski season, I offered to buy a lift ticket for anyone in my family who wanted to go up with me. I thought I would get one or two takers, but it turns out that seven people signed up! Becka, Dustin, Larry, Lexi, Kirstie, Matt, and Dalton all went with me to Powderhorn on March 21, 2009. Larry rented a suite at the base of the lift and the entire family showed up for a great weekend.

My splitboard is stiffer and longer than my old snowboard. It took some getting used to but I like it. It rides fine on the hard pack and slush... now I just need to get it into the backcountry powder. I need to adjust the back foot pin so that it is easy to put on and off. I also haven't tried out the skins yet.

Vail

Every native Coloradoan should at least ski Vail and Aspen, right? With this in mind, I was excited to ski the famous back bowls of Vail, so I headed straight there from the Rivah and Northwoods lifts. I got a nice todo list of the best runs: Genghis Kahn, Champagne Glade, Little Ollie, etc. My first run was the Head Wall in the Sun Up Bowl and my first taste of powder over ice. It looked good on the way up, but it was hard to edge on the steeps. I endoed on the first run of the day.

I then took the Jade Glade to tick off the first todo. It was more fun than the Head Wall and would be a blast if there was deep powder. From there I headed to the Blue Sky Basin to stay ahead of the crowds. I headed down the Champagne Glade for an awesome run through the trees. It was powder with no ice and very few people. I just had to do it again even though there was much area to explore (photos 2).

Little Ollie (far ridge photo 1) came next and it was another fun ride through the trees on more mogul terrain. Then Resolution and Hornsilver from Pete's Express but nothing special here. I wanted to take Lover's Leap but the lift line was getting long so I headed back to the bowls.

I took Ghengis Kahn and it was again a bit icy underneath but fun. I then cruised over to Gorky Park where there was absolutely nobody on the slope. I know they were all avoiding the ice, but it was cool to have the whole bowl to myself. The lines at the main lift were long here too, but the singles line was fast enough that I braved my way back to get in Lover's Leap (snow field photo 3). I did it and it was the awesome steeps I was looking for.

It was getting on 2pm and I wanted to head back to the front side to finish out the day. I meant to take Whiskey Jack to Sourdough but got distracted and went too far on the ridge so I cut through the trees. It was not much fun but was an adventure that reminded me of the days of going off trail at Powderhorn in my youth.

I stopped for a beer at the Two Elks Lodge to rest my legs. The didn't have anything hoppy on tap, so I ordered a Shock Top and they hit me for $7.50. After the break I took the Northwoods lift, down Whistle Pig, and up the Wildwood lift into the Game Creek bowl. I had a focus on the Haro trail, but it was actually named Faro (photo 4). This little bowl is mostly blue and mostly forgettable. I took the Lost Boy trail on my way to the final goal: the Gondola. Lost Boy afforded great views and easy slopes.

I made it to the Gondola just before 4pm for a beautiful fast ride up the mountain. I ended the day with a descent of Columbine (photo 4) and International. I've looked at this run for over a decade from highway I-70 and finally seen it from the other side.

My cell phone caught a good pic so I included the third photo... my artistic contribution to this post. If and when I make it back to Vail I would like to explore the Sun Down Bowl next time. I would like to try Divide and Encore on the Skyline Express lift too. They both look to have some great black diamond runs. Otherwise I will leave this resort and the high ticket price to the tourists (last photo).

The Royal Arch in February

Mom came to town and I convinced her to take a little hike in the Flatirons. In the guide book the trail to the Royal Arch is only 3.5 miles long, which seems simple enough. I failed to remember the altitude gain on this trail. It turned out to be quite a hike, but mom was a trooper and made it all the way.

Coming from Moab, she wasn't too impressed with our arch. She didn't even classify it as an arch; she thinks it is two rocks leaning together. Oh well, we finished the day with some lunch at the Walnut Brewery.

Arapahoe Basin

After fighting I-70 the day before, I decided to leave the house at 6 am instead of 7. This put me up at A-Basin a little bit too early. Luckily they opened the lifts at 8:30. To start the day I took the Pallavicini Lift to Pali Face. This run has some nice steep bumps. I missed the Radical and Standard runs, but had fun on Powderkeg, Wildcat, and South-Chute. Photos 1 and 2 give you a view of the upper front side of the mountain.

A-Basin causes you to do a bit of hiking everywhere. If you just ride the Montezuma Lift you are forced to hike a couple hundred yards to reach the Zuma Cornice and the double black runs off the backside. A better strategy is to alternate from front to back. Ride the Lenawee Lift which will get you higher and you can avoid removing your skis to get to the Zuma Cornice (photo 3 with Keystone and Breckenridge in the distance). Then ride the Zuma Lift and take Falcon or the Half Moon Glades.

I had the most fun on Schauffler and Groswald. These runs are very steep but open allowing you to choose your line. At the bottom I had fun on Eureka: a short run through the trees. The Torreys and Grays runs look a lot longer on the map than I found them to be. I was hoping for more tree skiing. Maybe I missed something.

Later in the day I took Exhibition which is a great mogul run right under the lift. I was a bit tired so didn't display my best exhibition to the folks on the lift. I ended the day with a nice little blue find called North-Fork. It makes a nice combo with the TB Glade which offers easy tree skiing.

I like A-Basin for its easy access. You can park right on the slope and have a BBQ. Of course you must arrive early to get a spot in the "Early Riser" lot. The snow was mostly very packed which was the only downside for the day. I guess I could have crossed the highway and gone off-piste. Check out the nice carvings in the last photo.

Breckenridge

Why write about ski areas? Mainly for my own beta in case I go back. If you find it interesting great. I will return to the back country for some snow climbs and descents within a month.

Traffic was brutal again on I70. I parked in free lot and rode the new Gondola up. There were long lift lines everwhere. I kept going up trying to get away from the crowds, but even Imperial was crowded. I rode the Imperial Express Lift three times and enjoyed the above tree line skiing. From the last ride up I took the Magic Carpet Ride run. It was steep and powdery and highly recommended. Below the carpet ride there is some fun tree skiing on the Independance Chair, but way too many blue runs.

It took some time to work my way to Peak 9. Chair C seemed hopeful as a black, but the run was closed for racers. The blues were way to easy so I made my way to Chair E. Finally I found some steeps with trees. I decided to ski here for awhile and really had fun. My 153 K2 Apaches were awesome in the turns.

At 2:30 I decided to check out Peak 10. The blacks here were quite easy. The burn was fun bumps in trees. I was too late to hit the double blacks off to the right on Peak 10.

Overall the mountain is too much a resort... not for locals. Plus the price of $92 per day is too expensive. The long lift lines and two bus transfers to get back to free lot compounded the problems here. Oh well, it was worth a shot. Where next? A-Basin or Winter Park.

Eldora Mountain Resort

At the base of the Indian Peaks is a quiet little resort called Eldora. It may be the closest resort to my house not counting Echo Mountain. It reminds me alot of my home resort Powderhorn. You can still see the signs of days gone by here. From the top of the Corona lift you get a nice view of, what is it, Parry Peak (photo 1)?

Glade skiing is the point here. This is a great area to learn the art of tree skiing. This place has more tree charm than most. For an introduction, start between the runs on Challenge lift like Powderhorn and Jolly Jug, then progress to the Jolly Jug glades (photo 2). From there go to the Bryan Glades (photo 3). The Bryan Glades were at the limits of my abilities/fun. The trees are a little tighter at top, then the run drops into a creek bed. I lost a ski trying to make a tight turn; my sign that this was my match. I know many are more advanced and can handle the Placer Glades, the Salto, and the Moose Glades. I hope to join you next time. For a mid-forties, mid-skilled skier I like the change of pace that the glades allow. I move slow, make some jump turns, snow plow a bit, then gain just a little speed when I can find a run out.

This is a good resort if you like groomed expert runs. Corona, Cascade, and Challenge are all easy black diamonds. The damn mule shoe was no fun: hard ass pack bordering on icy. Maybe the easterners are used to hard pack, but coming from Loveland; I didn't enjoy it. The one good bump run is called Psycopath (photo at bottom.)

The blue groomers are non-descript other than to say I don't completely understand the categorization. Some such as Powderhorn seem as hard as the blacks, and some blacks such as Klondike seem like they should be blue.

I-70 may be a bitch, but there was a wreck on US 36 which cost me 40 minutes. I would like to return to Eldora, but is it an easier commute than the corridor resorts? The jury is out. Next up: Breckenridge. Later in the season: A-Basin. Maybe Monarch if M want to take a soak at the Princeton Hot Springs.

Mountaineering Goals 2009

I'm putting it out there for all to see. That way there will be motivation for me to complete my goal. Here are my mountaineering goals for 2009:

Mount Whitney -- I plan to climb the highest peak in the lower 48 with Brian, John, and Miles sometime in July. I hope to take the Class 3 route.

Ellingwood Ridge on La Plata -- After Dalton and I turned back half way in, I must return to conquer it.

Mount Sneffels, Southwest Ridge -- Close to my western slope roots and a Class 3 climb, I will knock this one off some time while visiting family in Grand Junction.

Capitol Peak -- The test piece for knife edges could be my first Elk summit.

Little Bear-Blanca Traverse -- One of the top four 14er traverses. 5.0-5.2 free solo climbing, yeah I think I'm ready.

Crestone Peak -- The Needle is my personal favorite so far, so I want to return to the Sangres. I can knock out a few extra 14ers here too: Humboldt, Challenger, and Kit Carson.

And for extra credit: Long's Peak Keiner's Route. I will take a guided trip with CMS.

For inspiration I've included a few photos from last year's Kokopelli Trip and a few links to some awesome climbing:

http://www.mensjournal.com/the-real-spidey

http://www.summitpost.org/list/310714/colorado-s-most-arduous-mountains-routes-and-rocks.html

http://www.climbclips.com/mediadetails.php?key=dfa173acc06aeffcdce7&title=Simply+Read+5.13d+-+Rifle%2C+Colorado

http://www.climbing.com/exclusive/features/cragofthefuture/

http://www.rockclimbing.com/routes/North_America/United_States/Colorado/Western_Slope/The_Fortress_of_Solitude/

Spring To Do List

I pared down the extensive list of trails in the book Colorado's Indian Peaks by Gerry Roach to just those snow climbs that have the right mix of fun and challenge. With spring approaching, let's hope the snow consolidates soon so we can get to it:

Juliet on Mount Neva- I Class 2, Moderate Snow : Fourth of July Trailhead 7.8 miles
Southeast Face on Mount Toll - I Class 2, Moderate Snow : Mitchell Lake Trailhead 6.4 miles
Queens Way on Apache Peak - I Class 2, Moderate Snow : Long Lake Trailhead 9.0 miles
Southeast Slopes on James Peak - I Class 2, Easy Snow : St Mary's Glacier Trailhead 7.0 miles
Shooting Star on James Peak - II Class 2, Steep Snow : St Mary's Glacier 7.6 miles
North Star on North Arapahoe Peak- II Class 3, Steep Snow : Fourth of July Trailhead 7.8 miles
Snow Lion on Jasper Peak - II Class 3, Steep Snow : Fourth of July Trailhead 9.6 miles
Hopi Glacier on "Hopi"- III Class 3, Steep Snow : Monarch Late Trailhead 18.4 miles
Ooh La La Express on "Ooh La La" - II Class 3, Steep Snow : Middle St Vrain Trailhead 20.4 miles
Fair Glacier on Apache Peak - III Class 3, Steep Snow : Long Lake Trailhead 20.5 miles (Finest)

I know these pics have no snow. Get over it.

Ski Powderhorn - Ski Loveland

Matt and I took a trip to Powderhorn on January 4, 2009. I had not skied Powderhorn for over 10 years and hadn't skied period for about as long. The new shaped skis made it easy to transition back from my snowboard. Things haven't changed much at Powderhorn in the past 10 years. I showed Matt all the nice jumps on Dude, Lower Dude (photo 1), and Snowcloud. Photo 2 is from the top of Wonderbump.

The binding on my rental skis broke on the first run. I had to walk down to midway and catch a ride down to the lodge to rent another set. I'm used to Copper Mountains high-speed lifts and long runs. The slow lifts and short runs of Powderhorn have at best a nostalgic quality. Not having to fight I-70 traffic makes Powderhorn great on the other hand.

On January 24th I took my first trip to Loveland. The slog up I-70 was a brutal 2 hours from Aurora. It was a windy snowy day, but lots of powder. I like the way the mountain is laid out: it is easy to move from one end to the other. Again, the lifts are not high speed and the runs seem short. To avoid the slow ride on lift 2, take lift 1 first then hop on 2 at midway.

I enjoyed the runs on lift 1 most (photo 3), but it is a lot less crowded on lifts 4&8 (photo 4). The wind chill above treeline was brutal. The shortcut under I-70 back to the lodge is quirky and cool.

Der Freischutz Scramble

It's a beautiful January day with temperatures in the mid-sixties so back to the Flatirons I go for a climb. Don't tell the rest of the country about the great weather we have in Colorado.

This time I picked a climb called Free Shot which makes Gerry Roach's list of "classic" scrambles. From the NCAR trailhead you head up the Mallory Cave trail past two large boulders called the Square and Babyhorn. To your right is Der Zerkle and to the left is Dinosaur Rock.

I knew I was not quite up to Der Freischutz, but Dinosaur Rock beckoned. The face is a 5.4 climb, but I skirted around keeping the climbing easier (photo 2). I wanted to get a view of Der Freischutz. Check out the top photo.

Backtracking to the trail I found the base of DerF and the start of the East Face (N39 58.400 W105 17.299). This is 5.0 territory but doesn't the rock look inviting (photo 3)? I reached the ridge top and the route wasn't immediately evident. I back tracked a bit, but the downclimb wasn't appealing. Being my first time on this rock I wasn't sure I could escape the top, but I proceeded up. It turns out the downclimb is easier a bit higher up.

As the shot of adreneline coursed my body I decided to continue to Mallory Cave rather than continue up Free Shot which was now in view. There were many kids on the Class 3 approach to Mallory Cave so I back tracked and found a piece of crack and ledge to climb on upper Der Freischutz above Free Shot. It was a little snowy but I managed to shinny up.

At the top I discovered some climbers tackling the backside of DerF. The downclimb from the peak was challenging but quite fun. I had to duck under and through some boulders to make my way down to the trail.

I will be back in order to properly climb Free Shot (photo 4) and the South Face of Der Freischutz. I'm learning that making my own route can be just as rewarding. On the way back to NCAR, the deer herd in the large park has grown to about 15+ now. I even spotted 3 deer in the park far below the NCAR trail. Everyone was enjoying the fine January day in the Flatirons.