Category Archives: Sawatch Range

French Group Summits

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Returning to Colorado from the PNW, a ski trip Brian and I had been planning since January, officially marked the end of ski season for me.  Going from skiing powder in a complete whiteout to hundred degree temperatures in a matter of twelve hours was a stark contrast. Colorado has been HOT lately, too hot in fact.  Days of high temps and zero rainfall has created some impressive and devastating fires along the Front Range, and there doesn’t appear to be any sign of mother nature relenting in the near future. Keep reading…

Mount Hope Ski: The Hopeful Couloir

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It’s no secret this season has been less than stellar for the Colorado snow enthusiast. Many have decided to hang up their boards in pursuit of other hobbies, as the thin snowpack continues to dwindle in the face of relentless sun and heat. Though good skiing has indeed been difficult to find this year, there is still some to be found if one searches in the right place. Keep reading…

Closing Out Ski Season on Grizzly

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It’s just a fact of nature that no matter how much snow we get over the winter, summer will eventually run its course and the snow will disappear. I personally love and welcome this transition, as by this time of year I typically lose the motivation to shoulder a 35 lb pack of ski gear and hike for miles on dry ground to ski a thousand feet of marginal summer snow. Keep reading…

Cross Couloir Powder Ski

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Brian and I met Matt at the bottom of the Tigowon Road at 4am Saturday morning, the last full day of calendar winter. Our sights were set on bagging Holy Cross on skis via it’s classic line, the Cross Couloir. Matt’s Friday afternoon recon mission to 12,000′ above Beaver Creek told the tale of a stable snowpack on north through east facing aspects. The CAIC reported that the recent storm snow had bonded well with the old snowpack, which we knew had been getting baked on east aspects by late winter, higher angle sun for the past two weeks. Keep reading…