The holidays are here and I must admit it’s been tough to get away from the house to “git sum”, much less sit down to process photos and compliment them with even a few paragraphs of semi-intelligent scribble. Well, this past Sunday I managed to pry myself away for the morning and join the Miller Bros for a few sets of turns that were most decidedly “early-season” in nature, although still a ton of fun. Continue reading…
In mid-September I was able to free myself for a quick morning and get out on what would end up being my summer hiking finale. Though not all that flashy or ambitious in the grand scheme of things, I decided to check out a slick little loop in the Indian Peaks Wilderness that had long been on the proverbial wish list. I left our temporary address on Lookout Mountain around 4am and arrived at the Brainard Lake Recreational Area an hour and half later after paying the $10 entrance fee. Continue reading…
With the maniac trip report writers doing what they do best, (writing kick ass trip reports) I figured I might as well toss a gear review into the mix. And since ski season is JUST around the corner, a ski review is only fitting. So…..today we’ll be talking the Kastle TX97 (177cm length – 128x97x117mm with a 22m turning radius). But before we begin the review, a brief history of the company is in order. Kastle has been making skis since 1924 when Anton Kastle made his first pair in Austria (all ash construction). Several winter Olympians won gold medals using Kastle skis (3 gold’s in 1952 and 2 gold’s and 18 other medals in the 1956 olympics). Read more…
As almost anyone who has ever climbed a 14er knows, Gerry Roach’s Colorado’s Fourteeners book is pretty much the bible for all things high in Colorado. It is the book that started it all for many of us and it guided us on many early trips during our mountaineering journeys. The second edition I own shows all the signs of nearly 15 years of use: the cover is coming off, nearly 50 pages are loose, the pages have been written on, and a good chunk of the material is now outdated. Keep reading…