Although the calendar turned to May last weekend, winter was in full-swing throughout Colorado. Despite a relatively light year in terms of snowfall, a series of spring storms has made up for previously subpar conditions, providing excellent skiing conditions which hopefully last for a few more weeks.
On Saturday, I met up with Joe and his friends for a circuit route at Berthoud Pass. We braved some strong winds on the ridges at high elevations, but the 4 north-facing couliors all provided deep powder and mid-winter conditions.
Joe getting deep & steep:
Touring towards the last run of the day, Chimney chute, after harvesting the slopes behind:
On Sunday, I made a solo trip towards a peak/line that caught my eye last spring: the southeast face of Hagar Mountain (13,185 feet). Fortunately, there was barely a breath of wind and the snow held off just long enough to provide enough visibility for the descent.
Hagar (left) and Citadel on the approach from Dry Gulch:
On the summit of Hagar Mountain:
Preparing to ski the southeast face:
I could just make out the terrain features through the flat light at the start of the line, but I unintentionally ventured from my intended route about halfway down. However, the snow was a perfect blend of powder and corn so I didn't stop to adjust and enjoyed nearly 2,000 vertical feet of skiing back to the creek bed.
My line down the southeast face:
With the ski descents of Crystal and Hagar complete, that's 2/3 of my goals completed for the spring season. Only North Maroon outside of Aspen still remains. Hopefully the plans will materialize in coming weeks to take on this classic!
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