A few weekends back Rick, Brian and I decided to finally check out “Outpost Peak” (12,362′) on the west side of the Gores. Outpost is a bit of a local’s favorite, with access straight out of town and several ski routes including a generally winter-friendly option in the south ridge. The peak itself is the high point of a north-south ridge line that separates Pitkin and Booth Creek drainages. Keep reading…
Time in the mountains has been difficult to come by for me so far this year. Between selling and buying a pair of homes, preparing for Anna-Lisa and I’s move out of Denver, and training for a series of trail races in June/July, it’s been a thin year for ski descents. I haven’t been particularly broken up about it though, because it’s also been a thin year for the Colorado snowpack. Conditions have seemed rough up high for the better part of a month now, not helped by the fact that our base was disappointing to begin with. Keep Reading…
Earlier this month Rick, J, and I headed into Dry Gulch looking to get up high and make some turns down something resembling a ski line. With either Snoopy’s Collar on The Citadel or else Hagar Mountain in mind, we chose to go for the latter after seeing the snow coverage in the area firsthand. The southeast face of Hagar was a line I skied in May a few years back that I always figured would make for a good repeat. Tough to find a line more reliable and close-to-home than this one. Keep Reading…
On Memorial Day Rick and I managed to pull off a near-perfect climb and ski of Maroon Peak outside of Aspen. This one had eluded both of us for awhile and it felt good to finally get it done. The Maroon Bells are classic peaks and the ski options available off both of them are as interesting as they come in Colorado. While the north face of North Maroon may take the cake in terms of historic Aspen test pieces, its southern neighbor offers up just as much vertical and challenge. Read more…