169 | More Powder in Rocky Mountain National Park | 22 Jan 2011

After reading that the snowpack at RMNP increased by more than 16" over the week of January 16th and with high winds in the forecast once again, the decision on where to soak our souls in powder was quite the easy one. Shortly after 5 AM, Adam and I left Denver and made the brisk, mostly snow-filled ninety-minute drive to the park where we quickly found 3-4" of new snow on the ground and almost double that by the time we reached the trailhead at an elevation of 9,475 feet.

This was Adam's first backcountry adventure of the season, and an adventure it was. Visibility was even worse than last week and the snow much deeper. Shortly after seven o'clock, we made our climb up and found ourselves (me mostly) breaking trail through over two feet of light snow with my knees below the walls of the skin track.

Not long after setting out, we reached midway up with a choice to make. Continue up high almost blindly and against an unsuspecting strong wind, or circumvent around the area and do some exploring. We went with the Lewis & Clark option and were more than please with the results ...



On the ascent during an incredibly short-lived shallow section:





At our destination (we passed through the lake on the left side then went around the backside of the white knoll in the middle right):





The powder:















It wasn't until after skiing down that the sun made its presence known and we were able to see the vast terrain that lies further deep towards the south. Here's to hoping for more future trips with a little more help from the sky, but in the end, it was an all thumbs-up kind of day.

168 | Avoiding the Wind at Rocky Mountain National Park | 16 Jan 2011

After two resort days last Thursday and Friday, it was more than appropriate for a tour on Sunday with my buddy Andy. We've been hitting great luck with snow conditions this year and hoped to continue it along. With winds forecast over much of the Front Range in the 30-40mph range with gusts over 60, it was a difficult task finding out where to ski that was safe, steep, protected from the wind, had a short approach, and offered interesting terrain. Sure enough, Andy did some poking around the internet and found a zone on the south side of Dream Lake and Bear Lake at Rocky Mountain National Park. While there is vast information available about this area on another website, I'll be damned to make it that much more public.

Now on to the pictures ...



This is why I wake up at 4:30 AM in the heart of winter to go skiing:




The zone where we skied through all those rocks and boulders you see:





It was slightly over an hour to reach the top while gaining close to 1,000 vertical feet. On the descent, we navigated through plenty of blind rollovers and cliffed-out spots where the only option was to jump. Most rocks were in the 10-15' range with plenty of options for those wanting to expand bigger than 20'. Since it was our first time there, we had no idea what lied on the backside of all these blind hits, so we kept it on the less aggressive side.



Andy getting it done:





The snow was incredibly soft (if I had to guess, it was around 4% water content), and it was super deep with two feet and more in the landing zones.



Andy skiing away ...




and entering the white room:





More hucking:









Now back to the powder:







Leaving home, well .... to go back home:

167 | Pillow Stomping at Berthoud Pass on New Year's Eve | 31 Dec 2010

On the last day of 2010, a year full of plenty downs but also full of more substantial lifelong ups, I was fortunate to spend it at Berthoud Pass where I most feel at home in the mountains. Joined by Ed, Gary, and Forrest, we ventured out to a little zone called the Mushroom Patch. Not oddly, there are similar spots at Winter Park and Vail Pass, but this area at Berthoud Pass is far less known and we fully intend on keeping it that way.

For the complete gallery, click the following link with all photos courtesy of Forrest.



Where we skied:




Ed showing how awful the snow was:




Gary in the mood for pillow stomping:







Now it's my turn while sporting the new Westcomb Vapor FX hoody and pants along with the Skeeny hoody underneath:











Now back to the gear from Westcomb, an outerwear company created by guys formerly at Arc'Teryx. Not only is their stuff super bombproof, durable, breathable, and light, but unlike most clothing manufacturers, they don't outsource to Asia and all garments are handmade in British Columbia, Canada. On a day where the temperatures didn't climb higher than -10F, I was plenty warm in the Vapor FX hoody/pants with only a light shell and base layer underneath. Granted I've only been using the stuff for a few weeks now, but I'm beyond stoked on how well everything is made and I cannot say enough awesome things about them. If you're in the market for new backcountry mountaineering gear that will last a long time with the comfort of knowing it was made in Canada, look no elsewhere than Westcomb.

I also should add that I'm absolutely in love with the new Scarpa Maestrale touring boot. There are four things I was looking for in an AT boot: (1) lightweight, (2) stiff, (3) Intuition liners, and (4) Dynafit-compatible. Not only does Scarpa cover all of the above with its new offering, but the walk mode is beyond amazing. Immediately, I noticed my stride increase dramatically such that uphill climbs can now be considered effortlessly. To give an idea on stiffness, I felt that this boot was almost too stiff for my 180-lb frame on the descent but ultimately, it will be something I will grow accustomed to in the future and appreciate much later in the season for spring and summer descents where the added stiffness will be needed. As far as weight goes, the Maestrale is now the world's lightest four-buckle boot weighing just a fraction over 6.5 lbs. for a pair in size 27. I've only had two days on it, but I blown away by how incredible it is considering it's exactly everything that I've been wanting in an AT boot. If you're in the market for something like this and have feet more on the narrow side, definitely give the Maestrale a thorough look.

166 | Avalanche Awareness Workshop | Jan 21-22, 2011 in Aspen, CO

If you're in the Aspen area during the weekend of January 21st and often find yourself hiking in snowy conditions, skiing in backcountry terrain, or would simply like to increase your avalanche knowledge, you owe it to yourself to spend $30 for over nine hours of classroom and on-field experience and attend the event below.