Featured Trip Reports

Kendall Mountain Benchmark - 4.7.15 Temps didn't quite warm to what we had hoped for prime corn, but overall the Kendall Mountain cirque was just amazing. Definitely a large playground of many lines on multiple aspects. This approach was up the Sprague Creek drainage, caning up the center in to the cirque.More...

April 9, 2015 The San Juans were a bit behind on snowpack levels, but there was a silver lining. The roads that typically do not open until May (Ophir Pass, Animas Forks, Cinnamon Pass, were open the week we arrived. This allowed access to higher terrain. California Peak was no exception. Harvesting corn snow most of the way up to 13080' on one of the California Peak saddles. Silverton Splitfest was unique this year in that we were able to getMore...

Polar Star sits just below timberline at 11,040' on the west side of New York Mountain, in the Northern Sawatch Range. The old mining town of Fulford sits below New York Mountain in the Nolan Creek drainage. Polar Star is a privately owned hut and part of the 10th Mountain Division Hut system. It has many of the same amenities and characteristics as the rest of the 10th Mountain huts. Some notable differences are; a running water tap outside sMore...

A trip to Silverton, CO for the AIARE ITC (Instructor Training Course) gave a close look at the conditions on Red Mountain Pass. There was a decent storm event on January 12, 2015 putting down between 10-12". The weather warmed quickly on January 13th & 14th in to the low 30's at higher elevations above 12k. As the profile below shows there is a bit of an "Oreo effect" in the snowpack (a weak layer sandwiched between stiffer slabs). It is morMore...

A long haul up to Andrew's Glacier via The Gash in Rocky Mountain National Park. As can be expected in October, the weather below alpine was in the 70's -- and up above it was perfect snow. Here's a photo trip report.More...

Margy's Hut 10th Mountain Division - 3.20.14 - 3.24.14 Really just epic snow this year throughout the 10th Mountain Division Hut system, and Margy's was no exception. We started with warm weather in Gypsum where we all met for an early breakfast before the ascent to Margy's. About Margy's Built in 1982, Margy's Hut (along with the McNamara Hut) was one of the first two huts in the 10th Mountain system. The building of these two huts represMore...

Eiseman Hut 10th Mountain Division - 3.12.14 - 3.16.14 Likely the best snow conditions I have ever encountered in Colorado. We broke trail going in, and that evening a storm came through and dumped several more feet on us while at the Eiseman Hut. The grandest days of powder, and a trip that will imprint in memory. About Eiseman Built in summer of 1996, Eiseman Hut was funded by Dr. Ben Eiseman and a number of charitable foundations. Of spMore...

Red Mountain #3 had an amazing looking northern descent that we just had to have. There are a number of ways you could ride this drainage out, but if you stay somewhat high after the bowl you could end up coming out near the Idarodo Mining complex near the top of Red Mountain Pass. I will not be posting GPS tracks publicly, but if you would like them just shoot me a note. We staged a vehicle lower on the pass at the Idarodo Mining Complex scenMore...

The first night at splitfest we listened to a presentation from guide Andrew Klotz, author of Cold Smoke: Skiing Colorado's San Juan Mountains. Andrew gave us a few tips and places with satisfying lines in the area. A few of the others from the Silverton Splitfest had gotten in a few days early and also had beta on the good and bad. The San Juans are comprised of five wilderness areas with nearly six million skiable acres. Aside Alaska, there areMore...

I have had my sights set on Andrews Glacier in Rocky Mountain National Park all year. Specifically the lower portion of the apron below Andrews Tarn. The area is no picnic to get to. If travelling to this area from the bottom up, you will trailhead at Glacier Gorge. From there, the winter bypass to the Loche Vale. From the Loche, this time of year, you want to stay on the south [left] side of the Loche as the sun angle is deteriorating the ice onMore...

The snow has been so amazing it seemed ridiculous not to rearrange schedules to hit this a second day in a row. We made first tracks after yet another snow the evening before to the Loche Vale. Today the conditions were even better with champagne powder from the Glacier Gorge trailhead all the way to the Loche. It was an absolute bluebird day, although the temps are beginning to warm. This perfect snow 'might' last another day or two.More...

Our trip to Harry Gates Hut - 10th Mountain Division Hut System was three nights / four days. We trailheaded at the Diamond J Ranch (winter only) for the Montgomery Flats approach - roughly 6.8 miles. The temps when we left were so warm we were in T-shirts. The second and third day at the hut was a completely awesome snowstorm that blanketed everything with an additional 14-18". Bluebird skies and warm temps came about on our way back to the traiMore...

A perfect day in Rocky Mountain National Park. We left Boulder in a snowstorm, but by the time we arrived to Bear Lake 40 minutes later; sunshine and fresh powder greeted us. We talked to a Park Ranger at Bear Lake on an AT setup and he suggested the Dream Lake Chutes, it sounded like a good route. We took the Lake Haiyaha trail to roughly 10,600' and then broke trail right at the saddle - essentially going up Hallett Peak's base (if any one needMore...

What started off as a bluebird day - absolutely no clouds, quickly changed by the afternoon. We were expecting that. Within 24 hours most of the couloirs should be filled in nicely. I will let the pics do most of the talking.More...

12.18.12 First turns of the season, and it feels great to finally get out there. The Dragontail was inspiring to see filling in nicely. The snow telemetry was reporting 21" at Bear Lake, with an additional 12-14" forecast to fall in to the evening. Since I was dialing in new bindings and the coverage was still relatively thin we kept in low aspect terrain and mainly just had fun being out there.More...

The Lake Brainard area was still closed to vehicles at the lower gate. This was awesome news to us. We unloaded the mountain bikes and biked from the winter closure to Brainard Lake and up to the Audubon trailhead. From there we we did an a-frame and hiked to 13k on the summit of Audubon. The couloir didn't have snow to the ridge so we had to downclimb Audubon which was completely unfun. Eventually we made it to the snowfield.   &nMore...