Humboldt is a peak that can be difficult to find in condition if you’re looking to ski it from the top; it just doesn’t hold snow in the right places very often for very long. After a few late winter storms and some dependable beta, Matt and I were confident in our chances that the summit would provide a descent. Keep reading…
I met up with Matt at Bongo Billy`s in Buena Vista early Sunday morning where we consolidated into his truck and headed for the Cottonwood Creek Road. Both of us were amped about the possibility of another 14er ski, though we certainly had a few reasons to doubt our chances. Firstly, the weather forecast was less than ideal, sitting at a 60% chance of snow, and secondly and much more importantly, the avy danger was locked in at “considerable” for the Sawatch for all aspects at and above treeline. Keep reading…
Carl and I left Golden early for a winter ski descent of Mt. Elbert, the tallest peak in the lower 48. Despite being the tallest, it’s one of the easiest 14ers to climb and ski via its trade route, the East Ridge. We were pretty set on skiing the ridge rather than going for the more adventurous Box Creek Chutes due to the avalanche danger which was likely present on steep slopes in the Central Sawatch. Keep reading…
Fresh off Holy Cross, Kiefer and I started stewing about more winter plans. For a long time now I`ve wanted to get a peak in the San Juans on skis, but timing, lack of partners, and lack of snow seemed to always kill off my plans. Kiefer was in no matter what the peak as he is tenaciously at work on his winter list, so I took another look at the San Juans as a possibility. Keep reading…