On Saturday, the goal was to get four newbies on a Rocky Mountain classic with some fresh conditions. While the snow wasn't as deep as expected, everyone was beyond stoked to be skiing a steep, continuous line that required hardly any effort on the up or the out. While the day started off great with warm temps and zero wind, the low-lying clouds decided to fuck with us on the descent that involved numerous downtime as we waited for some lift. For much of the second half of the line, visibility was less than 10 feet which made things more interesting than any of us cared for. With slough building into a hardened gut, it's clear Dragon's Tail is getting tagged a lot this year, but granted, this is the first time I've skied it past March.
Some scenics:
Gary making his way down:
Soon followed by Thatcher coming in hot:
YC goes for a hit near the bottom above Emerald Lake:
Group is all smiles (L-R Fritz, Gary, myself, Thatcher, YC):
Video courtesy of Gary:
2 comments:
Great trip report. I've hiked and snowshoed in that area since 2005, and only managed to snowboard in the area a few times. But I never imagined hiking up the couloir and skiing down it. Great photos and video, and thanks for the inspiration to go back there.
I also just read you're from New Jersey. I'm originally from the Newark area. Glad to see another Jersey-guy make it in Denver.
I'm enjoying the blog and the ideas for backcountry trails.
Thanks for the comments Jude! That area of Rocky Mountain National Park is always amazing. It can get windy at times but the views are hard to beat.
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