I just liked the name of this antique piece of equipment parked at the top of Monarch Pass.   There’s snow, let’s go!

With all the snow we’ve been getting over the past few days I’d been scratching to get up into the mountains.  With it being spring break, I knew Monarch would be lousy with tourists. That sounded less than appealing. Besides, what I was really jonesing for was powder, the deeper the better.  

So I headed up Monarch Pass to meet my friend Susan for some backcountry laps at Perfect Trees.  I had met Susan at Perfect Trees last winter and since then we’ve done several backcountry outings together.

I brought the GoPro so I guess that makes this post a GoPro SnoGo, Bro.

The drive up Monarch Pass in the morning was of the white knuckle variety.  Bad weather makes for great skiing but treacherous roads to get to that skiing.  I passed three CDOT plows on highway 50 between Salida and the top of the pass. It was clear they were struggling to just keep up with the rapidly accumulating snowfall.   

At the Monarch ski area, the line of spring break cars trying to get in snaked all the way out of the parking lot onto highway 50 and around two turns before the entrance.  I managed to skirt around that cluster without incident, glad to be going somewhere else.

On top of the pass it was windy and snowing hard.  But it’s funny, once you get out of the car and get all your gear on, the snow that seemed like it was trying to kill you on the highway suddenly feels like it’s there to make your day more enjoyable.  I was getting excited.

About 10 minutes after I arrived, just as I finished getting on my boots and jacket, Susan pulled into the lot. We talked about the conditions and decided to head up for one run to see what it was like.  Perfect Trees isn’t avalanche terrain but when nearly two feet of snow has fallen in two days, discretion is always advised in the mountains.  There was at least a dozen other people unloading their cars and getting ready to head up as well.  Powder day in Colorado and everyone’s in the mountains.

Bottom of Perfect Trees just below the parking lot on Monarch Pass.

Beacon check.

Heading up the skin track.

Frosty tree.

We completed one run and it became clear that not only were the conditions good, they were amazing. Like died and went to heaven amazing.   There was at least a foot of heavy, fresh powder on top of what seemed like a bottomless base.  All I know is, every time I stepped off my skis to transition I would sink up to my crotch in snow.  Almost too much snow.  Here’s a video.

We ended up doing three laps together then Susan, who had skied the day before, decided to call it a day.  I, having sat around on my ass the day before, was still feeling motivated and did one more lap on my own.  After my fourth lap I briefly considered doing even more but with over 2,000 feet of vertical in them at that point, my legs said no.  

I headed up the skin track that takes you from the bottom of Perfect Trees back to the parking lot for the last time.  An amazing day in the mountains.