Of Huts, Elk, Boomers, and Pow: Winter at Janet’s Cabin

High along the ridge of Elk Mountain (12,704′), preparing for our sunset ski descent.

• Hut: Janet’s Cabin
• Peak: Elk Mountain – 12,704′
• Route: Guller Creek approach (via Copper’s Kokomo & Lumberjack lifts); northeast ridge ascent of Elk Mountain
• Skiers: Zambo & Brian + 13 boomers and 2 new ski buddies
• Distance: 16.67 miles (Cumulative)
• Vertical Gain: 5,876′ (Cumulative)
• Dates: February 4-6, 2024
• Touring Strava Track: https://www.strava.com/activities/9635619953

A hut trip to Janet’s Cabin has been on my Colorado bucket list for years. As a lifetime skier of Copper Mountain, I’ve always known that there was a hidden cabin way up in the woods somewhere beyond the gate of West Ten Mile, the most westerly run on the mountain. I had skied past the gate dozens of times and pondered an outing beyond the rope lines. I had also seen plenty of fully loaded snowshoers and skiers riding the Kokomo and Lumberjack lifts en-route to a stay at the hut.

So, when Brian invited me to partake in a trip to Janet’s, it was an easy sell. We would be going with a group of his parents’ friends. Apparently there is a very active, very enthusiastic group of locals who live in in the Angler Mountain Ranch neighborhood of Silverthorne. They do a few hut trips per year together and had some open spots available. So, Brian and I were able to tag along for the fun.

We would be the designated “youngsters” on the trip. With five kids and nearly 80+ years between the two of us, I don’t think either Brian or myself felt very youthful, but it’s all relative, I suppose. Anyway, after a shockingly stress-free drive up to Copper on a late Sunday morning, we rendezvoused with Stephan (the trip organizer) and everyone else on the deck of Copper’s West Village to make final preparations and distribute food before heading up.

Just a couple of young whipper-snappers ready for their next winter adventure.

Before I even met Stephan I knew I liked him. It’s not too often I find someone just as hyper-organized / detail oriented (some might say even maniacal….) as myself, but he certainly fit the bill. His meticulous planning emails were a marvel (yes, I at least certainly read them even if no one else did), and his A+ organizational skill were on full display as he dutifully introduced everyone, took stock of equipment, inventoried all our needs, etc. I departed feeling quite reassured that this was going to be a good time.

Brian and I missed out on a cooking slot, so we volunteered to haul (what ended up being) 21+ lbs of food apiece up the mountain. But since I was had little desire to cook and I still felt spry enough to be play role of a mule, it seemed like a fair trade.

Stephan carefully counted all of us as we skied through the gate. Going up via the Kokomo and Lumberjack lifts allowed us to ski the first 3/4 of a mile or so down into Guller Creek. From there, it was skins on as a mellow 3 mile, 1,000′ trek up to Janet’s cabin lay ahead. (Photo by Jake)

We met a new friend, Jake, on the way in. As an early thirty-something living in Dillion, he was the REAL youngster of the trip. As such, we happily let him plow ahead and take the lead.

16 inches of fresh pow had fallen the two days prior at Copper, which made the skin in quite lovely.

Not to mention the spectacular long meadow for most of the approach.

Lord Helmut trudges along as the Ten Mile Range looks on.

After a stress-free 2.5 hour effort bottom to top, we successfully reached Janet’s and were ready to relax for the evening.

We kicked off skis, unloaded gear, started a fire, and then resisted the temptation to drink our beers all at once as the rest of the crew arrived over the next few hours.

This group was impressive. Summit County Colorado has the highest life expectancy of any county in the country and this crew-o-boomers was proving why. There were multiple folks on the trip who were 65+ or even 75+. But the age didn’t stop anyone from skinning in and taking laps throughout the trip. I could only shake my head in amazement at the ‘no big deal’ attitude everyone had. Between the strong crew, the beautiful day, and the spectacular scenery, I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of pride to be a Coloradoan; these guys were rock solid.

The other benefit to going with an older, wiser crew was the food. When it came to culinary excellence, these guys did not mess around. Full-on charcutier boards, multi-course meals, and dessert were the norm for every breakfast, afternoon, and dinner. Had it just been Brian and I, we probably would have been content to exist on beer, Nutella bagels, PB&J, and pringles the whole time. Suffice it to say, the A+ cuisine was deeply appreciated.

After a leisurely evening of settling in, observing many games of euchre, and friendly chit-chat, we turned in early, excited for an active day of touring ahead.

Our plan was to take all of the second day to tour around. We planned to ski off of the high ridges to the west of Janet’s all morning, followed by lunch, and then hopefully an afternoon/early evening ski of nearby ranked Gore 12er Elk Mountain.

And so, the next morning Brian, Jake, Josh (another new friend on the trip), set out to see what lie ahead.

A bluebird morning awaited us for our full day of touring. (Photo by Brian)

Up and at ’em as the Gores look on. After a very quick initial climb, the terrain west of the cabin was super relaxed. Just vast expanses of white pow. (Photo by Brian)

The avy danger had just come down to Considerable after the recent storms. As such, we took our time to map out a safe way to get onto the connecting ridgeline between Elk Mountain and nearby Sugarloaf Peak (12,545 – unranked). Signs of wind loading were obvious and avy slopes abounded all over the northern and western flanks of Elk Mountain. Thankfully, we were able to use a rib to reach the ridge and then found a series of slopes under 30 degrees to play on, carefully avoiding the much more suspect terrain all around.

An overview of some of the winter ski touring options and slope angles around Janet’s Cabin (Click to enlarge). While there were certainly plenty of safe, low angle options to ski in winter, there whole area felt quite complex. A spring trip would have afforded many more fun lines to play in. We treaded cautiously.

Jake framing some of the many complications of the area. Lots and lots of fresh new snow to play in though!

Jake again, now reaching the connecting ridge between Elk Mountain and Sugarloaf Peak as the Holy Cross Wilderness sets the backdrop. (Photo by Brian)

The bowl below Sugarloaf afforded some very low angle slopes for a first powder lap.

Looking back up. (The shadows make that ‘cornice’ appear about 10x bigger than it was). (Photo by Brian)

Once the skin track was in place through all the new snow, it made for some quick laps back up to the ridge.

Waiting my turn atop a safe zone as Jacque Peak and the Mosquito Range put on quite the show. (Photo by Brian)

After taking three pretty solid (albeit a bit short) powder laps in the upper bowl it was high time for some lunch. We skied back down to Janet’s in time to carbo load and catch a few zzzs as the noon sun shined on overhead.

Relaxing back at the hut was a good chance to catch up on some Colorado history via the backstory to Janet’s Cabin. Named after Janet White Tyler, this was one of the very first huts in Colorado and served as somewhat of a blueprint for all the many huts to come.

As usual, I really enjoyed learning the backstory behind the hut’s namesake. (Click to enlarge and read)

As the afternoon sun turned into the long rays of the evening, we knew it was time to venture out again and see about getting on top of Elk Mountain. We figured it would be easy enough. All we had to do was follow our existing track up to the ridgeline, then skin the remaining half mile or so on to the summit.

Refreshed and ready for another crack at some winter Gore powder. It’s an increasing rarity for Brian to find an unclimbed Gore summit for himself these days, so that was an added bonus.

Gazing longingly at his one true love: The Gore Range of Colorado.

Skinning along high on the ridge turned out to be one of the trip highlights for me. The waning sun, incoming clouds from the next storm to come, and fresh coat of snow made for a spectacular walk across the sky. It felt like we were on top of it all. We were in the midst of a literal calm before the storm. I’ve had a few evening walks on Colorado ridges above 12,000 feet in wintertime and I can say each one left an impression. This was no different. It was a much needed breath of fresh air for the soul to be up high and outside like this.

About to gain the north ridge of Elk Mountain. (Photo by Jake)

On the ridge now. It offered a (mostly) snow-covered gentle skin to the top. (Photo by Brian)

Waning sunlight from the high places of Colorado.

Nearly there now. (Photo by Jake)

When we reached the *summit of Elk Mountain, we radioed down to the rest of the crew. The could see us from the deck at Janet’s so we made sure to give ’em a wave. (*Actually, it was a sub-summit. The true summit was ~100 yards away and out of sight of the cabin. As we trudged over to it in ski boots, it was a good chance for Brian and I to explain the finer nuances of LOJ peakism to Jake. I’m not sure he believes people like the LOJers we described actually exist, but we can assure you, yes, yes they do…).

Summit selfie.

Gores in fine form from the top (Photo by Brian)

Time to head back down.

Looking back up on Jake just before he dropped the bowl. (Photo by Brian)

Mission accomplished. Beers ahead.

With the peak successfully skied and two full days of touring behind us, it was beer-thirty. As is tradition, the libations and whiskey flowed for a fine second evening at the hut. Another excellent dinner was served and we even took a long sit in the sauna – a big perk of Janet’s.

Maybe the only negative part about the whole trip was the ski out. The nice flat approach turned into a bit of a rage-inducing skate fest on the way down. If we weren’t constantly beset by small uphills we were holding on for dear life on the icy luge run the whole way down. But like every egress it eventually came to an end. We were soon happily on our way back to Denver via a traffic-free I-70 weekday.

All in all, it was a spectacular few days out there. We met lots of new friends. Skied multiple untouched powder laps. Got a new Gore summit. Ate like hut kings. And made it back safely. What else could we ask for?

Hopefully we’ll get the chance to do it all again with this crew via a new hut next year. Until then, thanks for reading if you did and happy skiing!

Farewell, Janet’s. (Photo by Jake)