Category Archives: Backcountry Skiing

Kelso Mountain Ski: An After Work Outing

What: Kelso North Couloir. When: June 5, 2013. Who: Ben and Rick. How: Parked at the base of the couloir where the run out hits the road. Wearing trail runners with boots and skis on our backs, we set off at 5:40pm, crossed the creek (Ben more “gracefully” than I) and headed up the lookers right ridge. Keep reading…

A Centennial and a Highway 82 Road Shot

      No Comments on A Centennial and a Highway 82 Road Shot

As soon as I started researching Centennials it became apparent there are several that just beg to be skied. Rising dramatically from the northern side of Highway 82 and offering up numerous prominent 3,000+ foot road shots off its flanks, “Lackawanna” is undoubtedly one of them. A few trip reports on the interwebs single out a specific gully that drops southwest off the summit ridge of this humble peak. Several parties have used this gully for a late-winter/spring snow ascent, though as of last week no one had logged a ski TR. Continue reading…

Mt. Ouray: Skiing the Devil’s Armchair

I’m sure Salida locals have climbed and skied this behemoth of a peak (thought I don’t personally know of any), but there’s not much, if any, documented ski descents of the east face of Mt. Ouray (edit – Ted Mahon’s short TR came up yesterday on centennial skiers.com…..). Also, given the fact that my ex-wife and I tried to climb and ski the peak several years ago, I think I’ve finally found an experience worth sharing – so here we go. Keep reading…

Yankee Boy Basin 13er Ski Descents

      2 Comments on Yankee Boy Basin 13er Ski Descents

With several feet of new snow falling up north and the ensuing avalanche issues still fresh in our minds, our group decided to head down south to ski in Yankee Boy this past weekend. With good coverage and a low CAIC rating, the excellent weather forecast is what put us over the edge. The San Juans are indeed a commitment to drive to from Denver, but with a combination of factors as perfect as we had, pulling the trigger was an easy call. For years Brian and I have looked forward to skiing some of the lessar-known lines in the basin. Keep reading…