2009.04.25-26 Red Mountain Pass

Hut trips are not only a unique way of getting into the backcountry, they also provide a great opportunity to spend valuable time with friends sharing laughs and memories. 17 people joined for the second annual trip to the Addie S hut atop Red Mountain Pass in the San Juan mountains. Although this hut provides amenities not usually found in a hut (running hot water, stereo, propane grill) and is situated only ~50 yards from the road, the skiing and backdrop are absolutely stunning in the area. After a celebratory night on Friday, those who weren't nursing hangovers headed out in search of suitable ski lines.

Skinning towards the day's objective:

Dust layers in the snowpack from recent storms had me thinking I was back on the east coast instead of the pristine Colorado high-alpine. After tagging the summit of Red Mountain C (12,890 feet) J, Jesse, and I descended the north face before hitching rides back up the pass to the hut.

J skis off the summit of Red Mountain C: Jesse descends the north face: Enjoying dinner and friends in the hut (Photo: Joel G): Devon and I cook up a southern-style breakfast - biscuits and sausage gravy (Photo: Caleb W):

Everyone got out on Sunday as we skinned up familiar terrain on the west side of the pass. Despite some snow and cold temperatures in the morning, the snow softened up just enough for some spring corn skiing.

Follow the leader of the conga line (Photo: Caleb W):

Devon and I taking a short break (Photo: Steve C): Myself spring-skiing on the pass (Photo: Caleb W): Myself making turns in a beautiful backdrop: (Photo: Caleb W):

Information about booking the Addie S Hut can be found here: http://www.skihuts.com/

2009.04.19 Vail Pond Skim

Here's a few video highlights from YouTube of my somewhat-successful attempt at the World Pond Skimming Championships at Vail last weekend. This year's kicker was the biggest I've seen in my 4 years of participating in this event and only got bigger as the pool started leaking. Unfortunately I couldn't find the time (nor motivation) to design an elaborate costume, so I instead recycled my dad's plaid pants and an afro wig into a 70's outfit.

Here's a short highlight video from TV8 in Vail with a better angle (My run is at 2:11): And here's Joel's footage of my run:

I'd like to say that I tried to ride switch out of the pond, but its more that I was carrying way too much speed. Therefore, my backwards crash exit was completely unintentional. As always, an awesome day with lots of laughs and big splashes. A few more pictures from the day: Devon and I in costume:

Devon warms up in the hot tub after an unsuccessful pond skim attempt: Joel, Jen, Megan, Tamra, and I:

Also, huge congrats to Devon, Jen, Megan and Tamra. They were the only girls in the field of 75 competitors. They all straight-lined into the kicker too, carrying much more speed than most guys were comfortable with.

2009.04.10 Phillies @ Rockies Home Opener

The defending World Champion Phillies came into town for a three-game set over the weekend. Pictures are from the Rockies' home opener on Friday afternoon, which the Phils dropped 10-3 after a sub-par pitching performance by the Cole Hamels, the 2008 NLCS and World Series MVP. However, the Phillies bounced back with wins on Saturday night and Sunday to take the series.

Enjoying baseball on a beatuiful Friday afternoon:

Rockies' Home Opener festivities:

Dad, Christian and I (Photo: Andy D):

2009.03.29-30 Utah - Part II

Another major snowstorm was scheduled to hit Utah on Sunday, so there was a decision to be made: 1) forego skiing and drive home early before the storm, or 2) call off work Monday and ski two more days. This was an easy decision so Devon and I joined Laura and Aaron as they showed us around Snowbird.

Devon and I on a snowy day at the 'Bird (Photo: Laura P): The snow started falling at 9 am and quickly filled in the crusty snow from previous warm days. I was incredibly excited to ski Snowbird but limited visibility, heavy snow, and fierce winds prevented access to more challenging terrain as the upper mountain remained closed for the majority of the day. Snow continued, falling at rates of 2-3 inches per hour for most of the morning. ~12 inches fell by early afternoon leaving me excited for the next day!

Nuking, puking, dumping. Whatever you may call it, the snow was coming down hard!:

Aaron takes a break to defrost:

Any break from the storm was welcomed, even a short trip through the tunnel to Mineral Basin:

Monday dawned with snow totals approaching two feet as Devon and I prepared to return to Snowbird. However, Little Cottonwood Canyon remained closed for avalanche work preventing access to the mountain. So, we headed back to Solitude with Laura's brother, Wally, to test 15 inches of fresh snow. Honeycomb Canyon remained closed this day, but Wally led us to his favorite stashes. Unfortunately, these pictures don't do justice to the faceshots and whiterooms we experienced all morning.

Wally and Devon ride the Summit chair to reach the goods:

Devon gets fresh tracks:

Wally tears through the powder:

Enjoying my last turns through Utah powder before heading home (Photo: Devon S):

Spring Back to Vail Commercial

I www'd over to the Vail's website (www.springbacktovail.com) the other day and was welcomed by this fabulous video:

Yes, thats the fabulous Jen and I celebrating her successfull pond-crossing in 2007! Later that evening, I again saw the same clip on TV featured in a commercial promoting Vail's end of season parties/events. Two years later, the Dick in a Box costume still reigns supreme!

Come check out or stay tuned for highlights from this year's pond-skim at Vail on Saturday 4/18. Its a party and event you don't want to miss!

2009.03.27-28 Birthday Weekend in Utah - Part I

Multiple storms tracked through the west last week providing a much welcomed change to the dry weather that had persisted for the past several weeks. With my birthday on Friday, Devon and I decided last-minute to travel to Utah where the snow totals were being measured in feet rather than inches. A snowstorm targeting the urban Denver/Boulder area arrived on Thursday morning which made travel out of the cities difficult, but allowed us to get an early start on the trip as most places of work shut down by mid-day. Devon's long-time friend, Laura, greeted us upon our arrival in Salt Lake City at 11 pm and was gracious enough to provide accomodations for the long(er than expected) weekend. Friday 3/27: Typically, I find plenty of joy and satisfaction in skiing no matter the conditions, so spending my birthday skiing powder was extra special. Devon and I traveled up Big Cottonwood Canyon to Solitude, where the gates to Honeycomb Canyon were opened for the first time after receiving 15 inches the previous day: Devon traverses into Honeycomb Canyon to reach the goods:

We did laps in this area, finding untracked powder on each occasion until we felt satisfied that we'd had enough on the day.

Celebrating my 28th birthday in the best imaginable way (Photos: Devon S):

Devon's turn below the cliffs:

Taking a lunch break on a spectacular day:

Devon is all smiles after another run through untracked powder:

I must be getting old because after dinner and ice cream cake, I wanted nothing more than to go to bed. However, Devon provided the last surprise of the day with a fantastic present: an Avalung backpack to keep me safe on my skiing adventures! (I'll have a more detailed review of the BD Anarchist Pack in coming weeks after its gets some use)

Saturday 3/28: Today was a calm between storms so the decision was made to forego skiing. While it felt like a lazy choice, the weekend trip was extended through Monday to catch another significant snow-producing storm. This worked out for the best as we enjoyed the warm weather with a short hike and rested the legs for upcoming ski days.

The Wasatch mountains overlooking the Salt Lake valley:

Stay tuned for Part II.....a whiteout at Snowbird and more powder at Solitude!