This past Sunday was Monarch Mountain’s closing day for the 2022/23 season.
Continue readingSkiing
The G.O.A.T.
As the 2022/23 ski season winds down, I’d be remiss in not mentioning this. History was made.
Perfect
Approaching the top of Monarch Pass from Salida, a high ridge rises above the highway from across the drainage on the left side of the road. The ridge runs northeast to southwest and ties into the Continental Divide above the Monarch Crest parking lot where the tourist gondola runs in the summer.
Continue readingI like big dumps and I cannot lie
Snow Stake
It’s been two whole weeks of recovering from the Covid. I’ve been lying around the house doing nothing more strenuous than reading and the occasional coughing fit. My test went negative on day 13 and I was feeling mostly back to normal. I was dying to get outside.
Continue readingChange of scenery, change of plans
For the past several years we have made it a tradition to take a mid-winter ski trip with members of our extended family. Over the years the location and participants and have changed but we’ve been consistent with an annual trip to somewhere in the mountains. This year we chose Winter Park.
Continue readingA better sense of snow
The key factor in staying safe when going out into the backcountry in winter is understanding what is going on with the snow. And what is going on with the snow, you might be asking? Well, as I learned in a recent avalanche course, a whole lot.
Continue reading…and a happy New Year
To start off 2023 Mother Nature gifted the Sawatch range and indeed, most of Colorado, with a major dump of new snow. The Colorado Avalanche Information Center map went red overnight. High avalanche danger = great skiing. Just make sure you stay inbounds.
Continue reading‘Tis the season
Ski season! We made our first trip up to Monarch this season to check out the conditions.
Continue readingNot the adventure I was looking for
Over the past few weeks I’ve been doing a fair amount of uphill skiing at Monarch. I really enjoy the effort involved, getting the heart rate up in the cold mountain air. And it’s fun seeing the ski resort from a different perspective and at a slower pace.
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