Explore 13s

2011-02-04T00:57:00.001-07:00

Dudes wearing Uggs is whack, f'ing with my steeze

2011-01-29T18:01:00.001-07:00

Josh Blue is perhaps one of the most positive an inspiring comedians of our time

2011-01-28T10:17:00.001-07:00

I smell like campfire

2011-01-19T21:00:00.001-07:00

Midnight full moon at the pass tonight

2010-12-23T08:55:00.000-07:00

I spy a halfpipe @keystonemtn

2010-12-12T09:29:00.000-07:00

Overcast and chilly @keystonemtn, snow?

2010-12-07T10:03:00.001-07:00

Bottomless powder @breckenidgemtn . . . If you know where to go

2010-12-06T08:54:00.001-07:00

Day 13: Level 2 clinic

2010-12-02T08:08:00.003-07:00

Loveland pass is closed right now

2010-12-02T08:08:00.001-07:00

Warmer, partly cloudy @keystonemtn

2010-12-01T08:30:00.001-07:00

10: finally on snow training

2010-11-30T13:20:00.001-07:00

Blue sky but the park is icey @keystonemtn

2010-11-29T12:08:00.001-07:00

Freshies on gassy thompson @keystonemtn

2010-11-27T18:03:00.001-07:00

What the hell is don cherry wearing?

2010-11-27T15:49:00.001-07:00

$1 tacos are a ski bum's staple food source, second only to beer

2010-11-27T09:11:00.001-07:00

Another blue sky day @keystonemtn

2010-11-24T16:37:00.001-07:00

Its cold in sumco today, -35F wind chill forecast for tonight!

2010-11-23T09:03:00.001-07:00

Blue sky day, trough ahead of the weather front, take advantage while you can

2010-11-21T12:56:00.001-07:00

Storm is finally getting close to keystone, should be snowy

Blizzard of '10 - Dillon/Silverthorne CO

2010-11-18T15:41:00.003-07:00

So I headed up to Keystone on Tuesday on a whim, hoping I'd be able to get my pass and figure out some details of my employee housing. I had enough foresight to grab my board and some clothes/gear, but didn't really intend on using/needing them. BOY WAS I WRONG!

After taking care of some business and renewing my pass, I decided to hit the slopes for a few laps. It was overcast and there were a few inches of new snow, but nothing major and there was little wind. I left the hill around 3pm, and by 3:15 at my car I was standing in a major whiteout. A blizzard came booming into the Dillon valley and we were bombarded with at least 6" of snow and 60+mph winds, making visibility essentially zero.

I knew the pass would be closed, so I headed towards I-70. It took me 45 mins to make it the easy 6 miles into town, and on the way I heard about the severity of the storm on the radio. Assuming I'd be stuck for a while, I decided Ruby Tuesday was the best stop to bed down, and I hit up the bar where you can still get happy hour in a storm! I was the first of MANY stranded travelers to arrive, and we all just sat and told our stories while the weather died down outside.

After a few hours, around 6pm, the weather had lifted considerably, but I-70 was closed from Vail to Idaho Springs, and getting back to Denver was out of the question. I was fortunate enough to make a friend at the bar, Steve, who was kind enough to offer me a bed and his Jeep. "$$ck it, lets go party!" I said. We bounced around a few bars in Dillon looking for a crowd, but eventually settled on heading back to Breck, closer to people and his condo. The Dillon dam road eventually opened again, and we pulled into Breck just before 10pm. We settled in at Jake's Dive Bar on the strip, and proceeded to commiserate with the locals over the course of SEVERAL drinks.

Steve's place turned out to be more than it was cracked up to be, and I was put up in first class accommodations in my own room, king size bed, full kitchen and hot tub. And the best part - IT WAS FREE!!! Steve also turned out to be a great host and he's restored my faith that you CAN trust a stranger, especially in a pinch.

Anyway, it was quite a night and it worked out extremely well given the circumstances. Kinda makes me want to get stuck more often . . .

Day 1: Keystone

2010-11-18T15:33:00.003-07:00

First gondola ride of the season . . . and what a season it will be! Having gotten started this year a FULL MONTH later than last season, I had limited expectations. That being said, once I arrived at Keystone at around 1pm on Tuesday, I found the snow to be quite good for this early on. There were very few thin spots and there was a bit of fresh blown topcover - not quite powder but getting there. I took 3 runs after stopping at HR and the New Moon to try and patch things up with work. Great first day! The outback bowl will open up tomorrow and so does Vail, so my hope is that everyone heads west and I have Keystone to myself.

One observation - it was snowing very hard on Tuesday afternoon, and it eventually turned into a whiteout by 3pm, closing every road into and out of Silverthorne and Dillon. Despite the weather and it being a weekday, there were still DOZENS of people riding at Loveland pass. The upper and lower lots were completely full, and there seemed to be throngs of people with inappropriate gear clinging to the sides of trucks on the way up. Was I ever this sketchy doing this over the last few years? Well, one thing is for sure, that spot has blown up, and either its gonna get shut down or somebody is gonna die, or both. Too bad really, I love Loveland Pass, but perhaps its time to branch out . . .

Until next time!

I'm BAAAAACK

2010-11-12T10:32:00.002-07:00

Well it has been a great summer but I'm ready for the snow to fly! This year will bring some great new additions to Explore13S, including detailed trip reports from the summer climbing season, where I bagged 11 CO 14ers in two months! Trip reports are currently available on 14ers.com but I'll be editing and reposting them here.

Also, I have accepted a position at the Keystone Ski School for the 2010/11 season, and I am incredibly excited to be this close to the action this year. I will be performing regular daily updates via twitter/facebook/linkedin and this blog, focusing on Summit County snow/weather conditions and local events.

100+ days or BUST!!!

2010-09-26T22:13:00.001-06:00

Day 48: Last Day at Keystone

2010-04-11T11:48:00.002-06:00

Day 47: Sunny @vailmtn

2010-04-08T10:22:00.002-06:00

Day 46: Windy @keystonemtn w/ Lindsey

2010-04-05T13:29:00.002-06:00

Day 45: Just another day at the office

2010-04-02T11:49:00.002-06:00

Day 44: Keystone

2010-03-31T10:17:00.003-06:00

Did my brakes today . . . so easy

2010-03-30T12:48:00.002-06:00

so easy, nothing siezed

Old rotors ok but pads shot

Day 43: Loveland Pass w/ Scott & Rich

2010-03-29T16:59:00.004-06:00

Day 42: Amazing Spring Day at Beaver Creek

2010-03-28T10:26:00.005-06:00

3/26/10, 41 days @keystonemtn

2010-03-26T10:42:00.002-06:00

im looking at myself reflections of my mind, its just the kind of day to leave myself behind . . . Tuesday afternoon . . . Wait what day is this?

Day 40!

2010-03-23T10:08:00.002-06:00

sunny morning at keystone

Day 39: Keystone, met Amber and John

2010-03-22T10:23:00.004-06:00

Day 39? @keystonemtn

Biiiig new booters @keystonemtn

You are here . . .

Front Row at the UFC - Vera vs Jones

2010-03-21T16:28:00.003-06:00

Front row ufc tonight

Joe rogan

First ufc fight, best seats in the house

roberts out cold

First bank center in broomfield

Sakara by tko

Main event vera vs jonez

Day 38: Keystone w/ Dom and Ryan

2010-03-20T09:12:00.004-06:00

sunny at keystone

Top o' the morning to ya!

Working on new jumps @keystonemtn

Wtf @burtonsnowboard, my POS custom x warped to shit today, a NO i didn't hit anything. And cust serv doesnt take calls on the weekend . . . Crap

Day 37: Gnar continues at Keystone

2010-03-18T14:11:00.003-06:00

Day 36: Happy St Patties Day!

2010-03-17T18:19:00.002-06:00

Happy St Patties Day!

Another day on slope, giggity

Day 35: Keystone Solo

2010-03-16T13:56:00.003-06:00

lunch . . .

Day 34: Mansion at Beaver Creek, Shredding at Keystone

2010-03-12T20:10:00.005-07:00

Eyes of the world . . .

Nice viking countertop range

Panorama from kitchen

Hot tub

Life

Second floor tv room

Main kitchen

master bedroom, heated floors in the bathroom

View west over avon

New moon again

Day 33: Vail w/ Dom, Claire, and Cousin Dave

2010-03-12T19:59:00.007-07:00

Avalanche blasting on Mt Bethel this morning

Day 33: Vail

Base of Blue Sky bowl

Blue Sky Lift

Bottom of tea cup bowl

peru chair

lionshead village

Gnar

Day 32: Solo at Loveland Pass

2010-03-11T18:14:00.006-07:00

Day 31: Loveland Pass w/ Peter

2010-03-10T15:04:00.001-07:00

Day 31: Loveland Pass w/ Peter

Day 30: Beaver Creek

2010-03-07T18:34:00.000-07:00

Day 29: Beaver Creek

2010-03-05T12:53:00.003-07:00

Day 28: Keystone w/ Caroline

2010-03-04T09:35:00.003-07:00

This one goes out to Dom

Day 27: Crusty Poop at the Basin

2010-03-03T17:35:00.003-07:00

Gorgeous sunny day, had a couple hours to kill this morning, and given the large amount of housework I had to do today, I thought I would hit the slopes. Made it up to A-Basin by 10:30, under an hour including a gas stop and giving a ride to this chick at Loveland Pass.

Rode hard until around 12:30 and peaced out of there. Beautiful weather, hard crusty snow. Had to stick to the groomers, although the jumps in the mini park were soft and nice.

Day 26: Zuma Bowl at the Basin

2010-03-02T13:34:00.002-07:00

Panorama looking Westish from the top of Montezuma Bowl - Keystone and Breck in the background.

"Buy a Pass Hippie!"

2010-03-02T12:42:00.001-07:00

Day 25: Powder Cache at Keystone

2010-03-01T14:03:00.004-07:00

Day 24: Groomers at Keystone

2010-02-28T08:26:00.002-07:00

Dubin at the Spring

In line at keystone 8:11a

Borbet Exor 17" booYAH

2010-02-23T17:09:00.001-07:00

Day 23: Waist deep @ Keystone

2010-02-21T09:22:00.002-07:00

waist deep powder on buck shot @ keystonemtn. first day open this year, first tracks, 35" snow over the past seven days... livin the good life

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epic trees today @keystonemtn, deep

Day 22: Jarret and Becca came to play in the hills

2010-02-17T20:31:00.001-07:00

J to the izzo on snowshoes ha!

Wellington Lake is CLOSED!

2010-02-16T17:06:00.000-07:00

Wellington Lake is a privately owned lake in the Pike National Forest, South of Bailey. The first year I moved to CO, I went camping here with a friend in September 06. I never knew exactly where we were at the time, and never gave it much thought to look it up. Finally today I was inspired, and it didn't take me long to find it on Google maps, and track down the name of the place.

Unfortunately, as of today, the website reads "Closed Indefinitely" and the message on their voicemail says that Wellington Lake is now closed to the public. Time to bid a sad farewell to some early CO memories - I was really hoping to be able to camp here again. I hope they are able to re-open in the future.

View Larger Map

Product Review: LaCrosse XG-55

2010-02-16T16:38:00.000-07:00

Rating (out of 5): ****
Price: $60-99 USD (online)

I've acquired many pieces of outdoor gear this season, and I would like to share my experience with each of these tools both for my own reflection and for the benefit of others in the market. I have been looking for an altimeter for a couple seasons now, and my first review will cover my trusty new wrist-top aid, the LaCrosse XG-55.

To get us started, here's the key feature list from the box: altimeter, compass, barometer, chronograph, forecast, dual time/alarms, backlight, water resistant. The XG-55 comes in an attractive silver with black band and a red accent around the face, similar to many timex-style watches. Large, easy to use buttons make it simple to use with gloves on, the LCD brightness is great and the backlight is ample. The watch itself is a little bulky, but not uncomfortable or awkward.

The XG55 starts out with all your basic digital watch functions including date, time, day, altitude, temp, barometer, and forecast overlays all on the main screen. From here you can access alarm, chrono, and timer functions as well. Fairly intuitive, works like most other digital watches that I've used.

Pressing the Mode button moves you over to the barometer function, which can be calibrated to the current sea level pressure. The display shows both barometric pressure and temp, with the time in the lower sector. Holding St/Sp toggles the barometer reading between in/hg and mbar, and also the temp between F and C. Barometer has a 12 hour recall memory.

Out of the box I found the altimeter to be very accurate and quite useful. It reads in intervals of a foot (although it can also display meters)and also shows the time/temp overlay. This is a barometric altimeter however, so it is VERY susceptible to fluctuation based on local barometric pressure, and must be calibrated frequently if you want it to be accurate. Calibration isn't the most intuitive, so don't throw out the instruction book. Altimeter also has 12 hour recall.

Finally, the compass. This is a digital compass and best for approximations only. You can take a reading fairly well, however you usually have to take the watch off to get a good line of sight. It has an "off cal" indicator in case you are holding it tilted or are getting too much interference from metal around you, which is nice to alert you if the reading is wacky. Directions are given in NSEW and degrees, which make it nice to casually check a bearing while walking, but I wouldn't trust this thing over the standard compass in my pack for map reading and waypoint finding.

Overall I give it 4 stars. It lacks the high end features of a full function GPS watch, and is a little larger in form factor than some of its cousins, but for the functionality they pack in for the price, you can't beat it. The XG-55 is a great companion for the novice to advanced backcountry user looking for a capable, affordable wrist top.

Tech Specs
Actual Size: 2.12" x 1.38 " x 0.62"
# Altimeter Range: -2306 feet to 30,065 feet
# Barometer Range: 8.85inHg to 32.48inHg
# 5 Weather Forcast Icons
Compass Range:
# 0 to 359 (digital)
# 1 to 60 pointers (graphical)
Chronograph Range:
# 99 hours, 59 minutes, 59.99 seconds
# 100 Lap History
# Recall Lap History and Total Time
Timer Range:
# 99 hours, 59 minutes, 59.99 seconds
# Countdown Mode with Quick Set Values: 3, 5, 10, 15, and 45 minutes
# Timer sounds for 30 seconds when count reaches zero
# Thermometer Range: 14.0F to 140.0F (-10.0C to 60.0C)
# Water Resistant Case: Up to 100 Feet
# EL Backlight
# Watch Power Source:
# Single 3V lithium battery (CR2032)

More Green Mountain - 4 miles with Lindsey

2010-02-15T21:49:00.000-07:00

This is one of my favorite day hikes around the Denver area. If you start on Alameda Pkwy and head up past the radio tower at mile 1, your done with most of the vertical gain, and you can hit the 2 mile summit in around an hour depending on your pace. The overall gain is 700 ft, but there are some ups and downs which add to the actual gain.

On this trip we came back down the Green Mountain Trail, however there is a turnoff for the John H. Hayden trail (in blue) which offers a different view and a slightly more interesting (although a bit longer) hike for the return trip. Overall distance is ~4 miles.

View Green Mountain in a larger map

Once you make it to the radio tower you're rewarded with incredible views of the Denver plateau and the surrounding towns of Golden, Morrison and the hogbacks and flatirons. The city looks amazing from up here. If you continue on to the summit you gain an impressive and unobstructed view of the frontrange.

The quiver . . .

2010-02-15T10:41:00.000-07:00

Back to front:
08 Burton Custom X 164w (non-ICS) - from the avalanche
04? Burton Canyon 164 w/ some old 04? Mission bindings
04? Burton Feather 151 w/ Ride LXh bindings (Lindsey's)
09 Burton Custom X ICS 164w w/ 07 Burton C02 bindings (my current weapon)

Day 21: Pow at Keystone - FINALLY!

2010-02-13T07:59:00.000-07:00

The title says it all - we FINALLY got some pow pow. Dom had rented some snowshoes and planned on heading up and over Loveland Pass with me, but the weather had other ideas. Even though we got an early start, the sky was cloudy and the roads were sloppy. We encountered some traffic on the way up, and the pass was closed, so we took the tunnel and the long way around to Keystone.

We got a few runs in on our way to the Outback, and we were teased with fresh tracks in the top few inches on both of our runs out there. Our third summit, around 9am, lead us to the top of the Outback bowl, which was closed at this point. We the skier's left line through the trees off the right of the chair, and were rewarded with fresh turns in 6in of powder all the way down through the trees.

Our next run up the outback yielded open bowls. They were running the Cat but we didn't have any cash, so we hoofed it up the tracks to the outer part of the South Bowl past the gates. There was some sluffing along the ridge, but overall the snowpack was fairly stable. After dropping below the ridge, all I could do was lean back and float through the foot or more of powder that had deposited on the leeward side. This made for some good floating but tough turns. The traverse was gnarly and the catwalk out required that I point it the whole way to keep my speed up. Dom fell off the ridge behind me, lost a ski, and took more than 30 mins to reach the bottom . . .

This is a panorama of the New Moon Cafe at the base of Keystone. For the last few years Kickapoo has been our spot, however with the addition of Spoon and their $2 PBR drafts, and now my new favorite the New Moon Cafe, the crowded Kickapoo is seeming a bit overrated.

Coolest couch ever - reminds me of the old one that used to be in my living room back in Buffalo.

Day 20: Loveland Pass

2010-02-11T12:09:00.000-07:00

To the mountain! 20 days . . . Ok so I sound inspired but I actually didn't get moving until almost 10 today. At noon I finally decided not to waste the day.

Sunny in Denver, but a storm front was hanging onto the divide and looked like foam on a boiling pot of spaghetti, periodically throwing some snow and plenty of wind over our way. It was not pleasant at the summit of Loveland pass when I got there but the weather stabilized and even some sun peaked through in the few hours I was there.

This is the scenery during the long gaps in traffic, I like this panorama thing.

Good ol' thumb . . . It seems like I waited forever between my modest 3 runs today, and two of my rides were from the same crew who had resigned one of their members to driving. Better than a day sitting in front of the TV, even if rides were hard to come by.

Day 19: Watrous Gulch & Keystone

2010-02-10T10:46:00.000-07:00

I've seen this signpost before, although this time I'm headed off to the East up Watrous Gulch. Other than looking at the map, I'm totally unfamiliar with this hike, although it seems doable.

I got an early start by myself and hit the trailhead by 8am. I stayed on foot for a while, however a series of 6 ice falls over the trail forced me to shoe-up so I could use the crampons.

View Herman Gulch in a larger map

The initial climb is long, loud, boring, and relatively steep. You gain almost 1000ft in the first mile, and until you round the corner into the gulch you can hear I70 very loudly.

I found a nice rock to perch on for breakfast about 45 mins into my hike. It wasn't too far up the gulch but it was out of earshot of the highway. I felt very alone up here, and put some Car Talk on the iPod for some company while I munched my sandwich. I took these pics while resting.

Got down from Watrous and moved the party over to Keystone where I delighted in a handful of LONG groomer bombs. Got on the hill by 10ish, and there was still plenty of good snow. Good exercise, great sun, fun turns. Overall a great morning in the mountains.

Rounded out the day with a Ranger IPA and some time sunning myself at the New Moon Cafe. woOt!

Lets go Avalanche!

2010-02-08T22:01:00.000-07:00

Got some free tickets from Nick. 14th row, great seats. This pic was taken as we left the game. Avs stomped the St. Louis Blues on this day.

Herman Gulch photos

2010-02-08T08:12:00.000-07:00

Shoeing Herman Gulch. Photo taken near 11,200 ft.

Apparently we intruded a bird's comfort zone. He jumped down to about 15 feet away and decided to check us out a bit. He ended up about two feet from my head where this photo was taken with my phone, before we decided to move away and let this bird get back to being a badass.

Day 18: Herman Gulch

2010-02-06T16:27:00.001-07:00

View Herman Gulch in a larger map

Herman Gulch is in Arapahoe National Forest and the trail composes a section of the CDT or Continental Divide Trail. From the trailhead you head up a couple hundred yards to a fork - Watrous Gulch to the right, Herman Gulch to the left. There is a lake at the terminus of the gulch that is about 3.2 miles or 5k or so. The sign says 3.75 miles, but I think the winter use trail is slightly shorter because it doesn't wind into the trees, but stays in the clearing by the creek.

The view North West up the gulch from the clearing above the initial climb.

Looking South at Mount Sniktau . . .

We were the first group at the trailhead this day, although others soon followed. Fortunately we had no one in front of us, which made for a solitary and tranquil hike up. After the first steep hill, things graded out a bit, and it was a steady trod up a slight hill. We worked our way in for about 1:45 before resting at a tree around 11600' (marked on the map with a star). In hindsight, we were quite near the lake and should have finished the trek, but we decided to turn back as Ryan and Dom were getting fatigued and we didn't know how far we had come. Here's more pics of Dom and Ryan in action.

While there appeared to be several places to take in some turns, the snowpack was very striated and the hollow thud from our steps didn't make me feel any more comfortable. We found this treed and viable ski run at ~1:15 into the hike, identified on the map. Good slope aspect, enough vertical, not too steep, good tree coverage.

Day 17: Snowshoeing at Porcupine Gulch and more squirrels

2010-02-06T16:26:00.000-07:00

Not sure what happened to my pics from this day - Mail2Blogger was acting up. Anyway, got an early start and decided to hit up porcupine gulch. Spent a good few hours hiking my way in and out tracking squirrel and hare. It was a cold morning and the animals seemed to be taking their time getting up.

The sun poked through at around 10am and I finally started hearing some birds and squirrel, but still hadn't seen a single animal. At 11am I was ready to give up, and as luck would have it, I found a squirrel in the tree where I left my bag! This could be the same one from the other day, and I decided to tag him. Overall a successful and fun morning, although I bailed on making turns because I was tired and it was getting late in the day.

View Porcupine Gulch in a larger map

Home Sweet Home

2010-02-05T14:42:00.000-07:00

Hayden/Green Mountain Park

2010-02-03T15:32:00.000-07:00

View Green Mountain in a larger map

I've done this hike a few times but attacked it a little differently this time. First, I was using my new SwissGear alpine hiking poles ($25 on sale at Big 5!) which were great - I won't hike without them now. Also, I ran this one solo and decided to hoof it to the summit. I took the standard Green Mountain trail up, but decided to take the fork to the John Hayden trail just before the radio tower on the way down. I hadn't used this trail before, and it was a nice break from the routine. It is a slightly longer and more challenging trail, and it offers a slightly different but equally as impressive view for the way back.

The view from Mile 1.5 looking back East at the radio tower. Nice and flat on top!

Denver in the distance looking majestic. This is typical of the 360 views on this quick local hike. LOVE IT!

Day 16: Snowshoeing, Squirrels, and A-Basin

2010-02-03T13:55:00.001-07:00

Porcupine Gulch has become a favorite spot for me because of its central location to the ski resorts, proximity to Denver, and the many activities that can be enjoyed here. In summer and fall the trail makes a great start or end point for an afternoon hike on the Continental Divide. There are TONS of squirrel and snowshoe hare here for hunting through the fall and winter, and the terrain is excellent for snowshoeing and relatively secluded. Very little foot traffic up here. Also, if you're willing to boot for a few miles in the spring, I hear you can get some great turns in the West bowl.

As I was leaving the gulch I decided to sit for a while and let the woods settle, hoping I could see some animals. After about 25 mins sitting just out of earshot of the road near a squirrels nest, and not seeing anything, I was ready to give up. Then I heard the bark! First a single chirp, then aggravated screaming barking so loud that it made me jump - you guessed it, Chickaree! Freaking pine squirrel didn't like me near his tree and he sat there, staring me in the face, BARKING FOR 30 MINS. I've heard these guys don't back down, but jeez. The most incredible display of fearless territorialism I've ever seen - and from a 2lb squirrel!

6000 trail series 9x30 - My second time out on these shoes and for the price, I love them. They fit over both my hiking and snowboard boots, the crampons are KILLER, they float well, and they're comfy. Review on these coming.

Sunny morning at A-Basin - I swung by for a few runs and the snow was nice for a groomer day. Kept it on the bottom half and only got 3 runs, but hey, turns are turns right?

Day 15: Vail

2010-01-31T09:01:00.000-07:00

Vail . . .

So we split a condo in Frisco with Ali and John and a few of their friends from Cali. We ended up on the softest air mattress in history and it was kinda annoying to sleep on, but overall it was a good night. I made sauce and everyone else contributed apps, booze, etc.

Early to bed, early to rise, we actually made it to Vail by 8:30 and were on the chair by 9. Heavenly corduroy lol, its all that was left of last week's snow.

Short day, we were outta there by 12:45 and made it back down because Maddie had to work. Good although short morning for some Vail groomers. BEAR TREE!

Day 14: Keystone late afternoon

2010-01-18T09:51:00.000-07:00

Day 14 i never want to get here this late again . . .

Headed up late afternoon with Lindsey and Maddie, gave somebody a lift on our way over Loveland pass, and stopped at the spring for a drink. After that the girls dumped me off at Keystone for a few runs while they did some shopping. I managed to get 2 full runs in before the sun set behind the mountains. Good warmup for tomorrow at Vail . . .

Day 13 - Loveland Pass and Keystone

2010-01-12T15:22:00.001-07:00

Headed up around 9 with Ryan and decided to join some of the knuckle draggers at the pass. Having finally received my beacon, probe, and shovel, we thought it would be a good opportunity to try a few of these items out. For all of you who had a field day calling me an idiot for not having this equipment beforehand, let me say this - I was the only person we saw at the pass all day that mentioned that they had a beacon. Also, not a single other rider that we saw was carrying a pack, so where they had stashed their shovel and probe is a mystery. The point is, if you wanna get all pissy about backcountry riding, please feel free to stop at the base of the pass on any given day, and give a few of the folks there the rundown.

Ryan and I took just two quick runs on the short side of the pass, keeping to relatively mellow runs around 25 degrees below the treeline, snatching about 6-700ft of vertical each run.

Next we headed up to Keystone and got a few groomer runs under our belt. The snow was decent and it was a nice day, so we took it easy and enjoyed ourselves. We headed back fairly early and made it to Denver by 2pm.

I was stoked to get back on my feet, and being my first day at the pass since the avalanche, it was good to take a few mellow, relatively safe runs to build my confidence again. I'm glad to have my new gear, and I'm hoping to begin a new chapter of my riding career.

Happy 2010! Signing off from Puerto Aventuras, Q. Roo, Mexico . . .

No one cares . . .

2010-01-05T21:13:00.000-07:00

Day 12: New Board - First Ride Since Avalanche

2010-01-03T09:56:00.000-07:00

Behold, my brand spanking new 09 Burton Custom X Wide 164. Took it out of the bag last night and it came with a beautiful factory tune and edge. Detuned tip 'n tail and mounted up my bindings (it came with plates to put regular bindings in the ICS channel), and I was ready to ride. I've gotten a bunch of new stuff lately and I've been thinking about adding product reviews. This will be my first subject . . .

Nice day up at Keystone, drove up with Lindsey, Dom and Ryan. Partly cloudy with weather moving quickly in and out all day. Not too cold and relatively pleasant. I was a little anxious as we rode up the gondola for the first time, but once I got my board on my feet, I was right at home. My hip and leg held up perfectly, and only gave me trouble near the end of the day after many many rollers. Otherwise, I kept my elbow out of the way and tried not to think about it.

The snow was softer on top, made for some good turns. Underneath there are still some very hard/icy spots at the stone, so make sure you do your edge work.

Denver Beer Cooler

2009-12-31T21:54:00.000-07:00

Just stick 'em in the window! Happy New Year!

Gamekeeper's Thumb

2009-12-22T09:08:00.001-07:00

So I had my checkup this morning and evidently my thumb ligament (UCL) isn't healing properly. I have to give big thanks to Cornerstone Othropedics and to Dr. Mazzola for giving me a workable cast so I can still take notes at work. Still wondering whether this will fit into a glove. Or whether it should be fitting into a glove right now...

It's on my mind since it looks like the holiday season is bringing some good snow over the I-70 corridor over the next few days. Hopefully you'll find some time to get a few turns in for me if I don't get out. Be safe out there as the avy warning is still considerable on the usual N-E aspects, and will only be getting more severe. Which brings me to the point of my post...

Hope all the well-wishers out there enjoy their holiday as I will. Spend some time with family and friends if you can and consider yourself blessed to have them. I wish you all good health this upcoming season and 2010 year. I've been humbled by my experiences out here over the past 2+ years both on and off snow. I think recent events have been a wake-up call for all, those directly involved and those only involved through the nightly newscast. But with the new year, a clean-slate chance for us all to learn from the experiences of 09 and get better as a result. We all made mistakes this past year and have room to improve. The good ones among us recognize this. Recognize what you aren't, and spend the next year learning and doing your best to become it. The only way to find out whether you can stand up is to fall down. All that good stuff.

So let's try to keep it positive from here on out. Life's too short.

Winter Dew Tour @ Breckenridge

2009-12-19T12:06:00.000-07:00

Headed up to Breckenridge with Ally, John, and Lindsey today. They intended to ride, but following my recent accident, I was on foot. Got there around 9-9:30? and headed over to the Breck Connect Gondola. We were forced to park across the road and they wouldn't let us cross! We had to take a shuttle literally 200 yds . . .

It was a beautiful, relatively warm day, clear skies and sun. The tent area at the base offered lots of goodies, freebies, and a chance to play the new White snowboarding game on Wii, pretty neat. Also, I circled the Totino's free pizza roll line at least 8 times, which made for a nice free lunch.

Coincidentally, the Men's Pipe Finals were that afternoon, and it was just a couple hundred yards uphill to the pipe. It wasn't too busy and I got there early, and got a nice spot on the wall about halfway up, just behind a cameraman. I'll post some of the video soon, it was incredible. Danny Davis was dropping bombs.

The lawn chairs by Bergenhoffer offered a nice view of the pipe and chance to soak up some rays. Not a bad way to round out the day.

Day 11: I survived an avalanche today

2009-12-15T15:43:00.000-07:00

First, here's one of the many related news articles - this made statewide news and I was interviewed by Fox 31, CBS 4, and the Summit County News:

This is a picture I took after crawling my way out of the slide area. No, this is not a joke, and it is totally a coincidence that Dom posted that avalanche warning this morning, while I was on the pass hiking.

I met Amy at the top of the pass around 10am, and started our hike out. It was an absolutely gorgeous day and there were many people at the pass for a Tuesday. The snow looked very good in places, and we decided to try for one of the higher lines. We'd later learn that was the stupidest idea ever.

Got up to the summit just after noon, and after a break and a snack, decided to drop in. We did examine the snow extensively at the top of the ridge, and there didn't appear to be any slabbing, wind loading, cracking, or other signs of instability on the surface. The snow was firm, and at the top, appeared to be well baked.

I still had a funny feeling, but I've ridden that line many times in the past, and knew I just had to be careful. I dropped over the ridge and made 2-3 very firm turns, and everything looked good. Took my first soft turn and sunk fairly far, but nothing out of the ordinary. As I came back around heelside, facing down the slope, I heard Amy scream at me.

A HUGE slab had formed right under me, 300ft wide, and I was on it, at the top of a 40 degree slope with over 400ft of vertical to the gully below.

Immediately everything went silent for me. I became laser focused on my feet and the feel of the ground under me. I could instantly feel the moving snow start to pull me in, and at that point I made the conscious decision to point downhill and ride with it. Immediately my board bobbed back up to the top, and all I remember is a distinct feeling of everything under me moving and churning like water. It felt a lot like what I imagine surfing would be like.

All I could see was a yellow glow that I knew was up, and I could feel my feet and the ground under me. I basically pointed down the hill and managed to ride and stay on my feet for the majority of the slide, riding it like a wave down the mountain. As the slide flattened out at the base of the main slope, it sucked me in and (while I don't remember it at the time) smacked me into the ground, resulting in a pretty bad bruise on my left elbow and hip. This is the the only time that I was completely submerged and lost sight of the light above.

I immediately began 'swimming' upwards and within one or two strokes my head popped up again. Much of the dust had settled, and I found myself slowly sliding to a stop on top of the slide about 5-10 yards from the edge of the slidepath. I was basically unscathed.

Amy followed my directions and was able to ski out above the slide, through some rocks on the left of the slidepath. She skied down to me immediately and was able to help free me from my board and my modest snow chair. She claims that I dissappeared into the melee almost immediately and she had no idea at all where I was. It is basically a miracle that I was able to stay on my feet for so long and avoid getting cheese grated on the rocks, keep myself on the edge of the slidepath and away from tumbling debris, and end up unburied and in a position to extract myself.

Avalanche Season

2009-12-15T09:40:00.001-07:00

Since being sidelined with knee and thumb injuries from my first epic wreck in a few years, I've been forced to sit in quiet contemplation as the snow reports keep rolling into my email. It kills me not to be able to enjoy what is turning out to be a pretty good early-season run of snow dumps, especially since both of your esteemed 13S bloggers are now at best partially employed...

But this has given me time to contemplate the risks involved with living life as a proud Wookiee. Going back to this year's first backcountry run, I've been shocked at the number of people with that same itch to get out on unmanaged snow. Even 4 weeks ago, Loveland Pass was so crowded that it was approaching on-piste in terms of being tracked out and crowded. Though it may not be the most backcountry spot out there, I think there're a lot of folks out there (myself included were I out there today) who are not adequately prepared for what the wild mountains can do to the unsuspecting.

There have been some good dumps these past few days/weeks, and the common inclination is to get out there and rip it. These dumps bring with them, however, a VERY increased risk of unstable snow and (in all likelihood) slides. The more seasoned among us are probably saying, "Loveland Pass isn't really backcountry". And while I wouldn't necessarily disagree that it's easily accessible even without any hiking, it's still unmanaged terrain. Slides can kill whether you're 1000 feet from a paved road or 10 miles. It's with this in mind that I encourage anybody with The Itch to get themselves some education on the subject. The best piece of equipment any of us have is sitting on top of our shoulders. And I get the feeling that there's a lot of folks out there that forget that equipment when they head out in the morning.

Information is readily available to provide basic avalanche recognition and awareness. The most concise I've seen can be found at http://classic.mountainzone.com/features/avalanche/. A few moments spent researching could save you trouble down the road. Get in the mindframe of evaluating snow and your line through it before stepping off. Can't tell you how many idiots I've seen inspecting the top of a shaky cornice. I say idiots and not rookies because I've seen plenty of "seasoned" backcountry vets who don't know the first thing about safety and wise risk-taking.

With no formal education myself, the plan this year is to attend a 3 day AIARE Level I class, to get familiar with the basics of recognizing avalanche terrain, and recovering a buddy should the unfortunate happen (unthinkable is the first word that came to mind, but it is entirely inappropriate to get into that mindset). All classes accredited by the American Avalanche Association or AIARE will have the same basic requirements and benefits, which be reviewed here: http://www.americanavalancheassociation.org/guidelines1.html or http://avtraining.org/Avalanche-Training-Courses/.

After some light research here's what seems to be available in terms of Denver-area classes:

http://www.boc123.com/ Boulder Outdoor Center offers classes in Boulder and Littleton with on-snow instructions up in RMNP. Very appealing in that the class is conducted on shoes instead of sticks and boards. Also the BOC offers a $40 rental on all required gear (shoes, beacon, shovel, probe).

http://www.totalclimbing.com/ Total Climbing offers courses in conjunction with the Colorado Avalanche School.

http://www.adventurecentral.com/ Renaissance Guides offers a class with the bonus of making some turns the same day. If that's your cup of tea.

You'll find plenty more with a quick search of your own. All are in the range of $300 for the 3 day course, which typically includes 1 or 2 nights of classes, followed by 2 days of avalanche instruction on the snow. A small price to pay for training that could save your life, or help you save someone else's.

In the end, my plea to those brave souls is to BE SMART. Slides can happen anywhere at any time but a risk/reward assessment should be the first step to any day out of bounds. 10 inches of new snow at this time of year should be a deterrent, not a push factor. At the very least, if you've absolutely got to get some tracks, do yourself a favor and check the avalanche risk for the day at http://avalanche.state.co.us. I'm just like any of you in that I want to be out there on top of that fresh pow. But I'd much rather be here in my cubie dreaming of a fresh foot than buried beneath it.

Day 10: Killer tune @keystoneMtn new pro shop

2009-12-14T09:36:00.000-07:00

Got my board redone . . . finally! He had to change the belt on the edger it was so bad lol! Got the full throttle top of the line tune at the employee rate of $20! Woohoo!

Met Amy at the Gondola and took some runs from 9:30 until 1:00ish. Even though Keystone reported 6" new snow, it was almost entirely tracked out by the time we took our first runs. The snow was soft, but calling it a powder day is like calling a Honda a racecar because it revs to 9k. Wishful thinking . . .

All in all it was nice to get some turns in, but nothing spectacular.

Day 9: Birthday cocktail @keystoneMtn

2009-12-10T11:50:00.000-07:00

Got up fairly early and made my way to Keystone by myself. Took my time coming over the pass and hit the parking lot around 9:30. Started out with a slow run down Schoolmarm over to A-51 where I took two runs to start my day. Then headed back up the chair and down Mozart for a run or two on North Peak. It was bright and cold, windy at the summit, and hard and fast on the snow. Here's the view from North Peak this morning.

Workin on my 'coon tan . . .

After a few runs I headed in for a much needed warmup at the summit lodge on Dercum, and helped myself to a "Hot Momma" by the fireplace. Some concoction of hot chocolate, Kahlua, Creme de Menthe, Bushmill's and whipped cream. Incredibly tasty, and they gave me a discount for my birthday!

This is what a fireplace should look like - with boots and all.

Took several more runs on the frontside of Dercum, including A-51, and several runs on the many open blues and greens. Finished up around 1:30 and cruised easily back to Denver on dry roads. Lots of State Troopers gunning for speeders, but I was being good. Great day on the snow!

Day 8: overcast and fog @keystoneMtn

2009-12-08T13:53:00.000-07:00

Spent the night up in East Vail and was jumping out of my skin at the 8-16" dump they forecast for last night. Way to blow that one forecast Sumco Weather! Barely 2" by the morning, and the roads were terrible! Decided it wasn't worth wasting a Vail day. Ugh . . .

Spent a few hours during the midday at Keystone with Amy Jo. The wind was a major factor in the snow quality - where the snow collected it was nice and pillowy, where it was blown off it was solid ice.

Got some great turns in on North Peak however it was quite foggy at the summit. Hit the park some more, although the jumps were closed. I'm getting all of my rail tricks back and I need to start filming this stuff. All in all it was an ok day, better than one at the office!

Day 7: Nice day @keystoneMtn

2009-12-05T11:14:00.000-07:00

Got a later start from Lakewood and by the time we finished screwing around we were on the hill at 11:45 or so. Blue sky day, but a little chilly especially up top. Took a run down the newly opened backside and hit up the North peak for a run as well, then came back over to the front.

Took a run down A51 and the current box setups are awesome. There are two triple jump lines and they are, relatively speaking, HUGE. Even the smallest is much bigger than the jumps at A-Basin and larger than the first kicker at Breck.

Check out the new Spoon Cafe . . . good food and cheap beer!

Day 6: A-Basin and the Double Line

2009-12-02T14:54:00.000-07:00

Got a VERY late start and left Lakewood at 10am, roads were icy and snowpacked all the way up to the Basin, and it was some of the worst highway grooming I've seen in a while. Way to go CDOT!

Got to the parking lot at 11:30 and was on the hill by noon. Took one top to bottom run on some nice groomers. The top inch of new snow made for some decent corduroy. After my warmup run, I found the double set in the mini park just above High Noon. Seen here:

These jumps are pretty tiny, and you need all the speed you can get from the first one to clear the second. The landings were excellent and not icy at all, and proved to be a good spot to throw the first 3's of the year. I could use a little work still, but I stomped the rotation a couple times.

Above the jumps are a half-dozen boxes and rails that are pretty smooth and easy to play on. The majority of their rails are still stored off-trail just below the first lift, and it doesn't look like they've even started planning the bigger park, just not enough snow.

Day 5 - Sunny east coast day @ Keystone

2009-11-28T12:08:00.000-07:00

Got up late in the Springs and didn't make it to Lakewood until 10. Headed up to Keystone at a good clip on dry roads and took Loveland Pass. Gave a couple people a ride on the way up, and it was nice to feed back into the Karma wheel. They claim turns could be had in the lower trees, but after last week's rock debacle I decided that keystone sounded a little more laid back after all the turkey.

Met Dom around 11 and he'd already had 6 or so runs and one epic spill. It had cleared by 11 and it was bright and sunny, without any new snow. This made for scrapped groomerville with lots of ice. Montezuma lift was open, and in all I got 3 runs down around Schoolmarm and in the mini park at the top of Dercum.

@keystoneMtn

Thanksgiving sun over Pike's Peak

2009-11-27T17:11:00.000-07:00

Great Thanksgiving in CO springs, and a nice picture of blue sky over Pike's Peak to top it off!

The Pixies play "Debaser" on LN w/ Fallon

2009-11-25T11:16:00.001-07:00

Day 4 - Loveland Pass

2009-11-21T09:35:00.000-07:00

Got a fair start in the morning and hit the trail sometime after 8am. Only saw two skinners on our way out to the saddle, but they had already put in a few runs. Many of the first chutes/bowls on the front looked good, and we even saw a track off the backside, but we decided to head for the top.

Beautiful weather, we took our time and had no problem getting up to the summit in just over an hour. Our run looked like this (map below):

Started at the summit 12750' and dropped west off the backside to ride a nice patch down the back of the summit, crossed over to the front (east) right at the saddle, and carefully plotted the steep face through rocky patches - just enough snow to float, got some excellent turns in there. Followed the gully out, able to ride all the way to the road uninterrupted. Saw a few people hiking in the upper bowl.

Took a quick hike the second time around, and just got a few more turns under us. Very rocky in places, only surface dust, took a pretty hard spill on some small boulders. Met a guy from MA that was filming a kicker with his friends. Looks well built and will probably be around for a while this year.

View Loveland Pass 11/21/09 in a larger map

From Explore 13S

Blue sky at Loveland pass

2009-11-21T09:18:00.000-07:00

Pioneers! O Pioneers!

2009-11-18T19:13:00.001-07:00

Come my tan-faced children,
Follow well in order, get your weapons ready,
Have you your pistols? have you your sharp-edged axes?
Pioneers! O pioneers!

For we cannot tarry here,
We must march my darlings, we must bear the brunt of danger,
We the youthful sinewy races, all the rest on us depend,
Pioneers! O pioneers!

. . .

Opening Dates . . .

2009-11-18T19:05:00.002-07:00

Vail opens this Friday 11/20
Beaver Creek 11/25

check out the skireport.com widget for iGoogle, totally hot right now

Loveland Pass Map

2009-11-18T19:05:00.001-07:00

View Loveland Pass Ski Routes in a larger map

Random Awesome New Beck Video

2009-11-18T10:55:00.001-07:00

Explore 13s

2009-11-15T15:06:00.001-07:00

Day 3 - Breckenridge

2009-11-15T14:58:00.000-07:00

Lindsey forgot her board, so she ended up shopping while I enjoyed about 3 hours on the mountain by myself. Got on the hill before 9, had about 5 runs. First couple runs were nice, 5" or so at the peak, with foggy weather and cool temps, sun and less snow at the base.

Hit the park and tackled the first kicker in the now infamous Breck Triple Line, very exciting. Time to start spinning off it.

Started to get crowded around 11am so I snuck off for a bloody mary, and headed back down to meet Lindsey. Great kickoff weekend hitting both Keystone and Breck

Phone died so I wasn't able to take/post any pics and video today . . .

Day 2 - Keystone

2009-11-14T13:15:00.000-07:00

Hit up keystone early today with Dom. Roads were totally dry, although it was snowing a bit on the way up past Georgetown. We hit loveland pass in no time with very little if any traffic around us. Arrived early at Keystone and landed ourselves on the 4th gondola up.

It was cold early on, but warmed quickly once the sun was out. Only two variations on the main run down the frontside of Dercum. About 2-3" of fresh on top of mostly soft groomers, tracked out by our second run. By our last run at 11am it was getting icy. Unusually long lift line at the base gondola considering both the chair and midstation were open.

Park is just to the left of the main chair/gondola at the top of dercum. 20 or so features and one formidable kicker top it off, and it is fairly impressive for this early in the season.

Follow me on Twitter . . .

2009-11-13T12:55:00.001-07:00

For live updates of the snow conditions each week. I'll be officially kicking off the season this weekend from Keystone and Breckenridge, and I'll be tweeting live from the snow!

New Animoto Videos!

2009-11-12T18:46:00.001-07:00

I won a free night at Breck!

2009-11-12T18:10:00.000-07:00

Twitter is so not useless . . . so I'm following all these snow related people and the resorts on twitter - it is fantastic for real time updates, and I plan to tweet a lot this weekend at Breck.

Long story short, Breck Resorts had a twitter contest today and I won a free room at the Great Divide Lodge on Saturday night! Check it out
here - Great Divide Lodge. I see two days of riding in my future . . . now to tend to those gashes . . .

Early season Loveland pass is unforgiving on equipment . . .

Ouch . . . Tuneup time

2009-11-12T18:00:00.000-07:00

Loveland pass 8.22.09

2009-11-12T07:21:00.000-07:00