This past Sunday was Monarch Mountain’s closing day for the 2022/23 season.
Continue readingSalida
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 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 readingWhat I love most about living in Colorado
…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 readingFirst-world mountain problems
I was doing a gravel ride the other day when I encountered a problem that I’ve only seen happen in the mountains. A first-world mountain problem, if you will. No one’s going to starve, get hurt, or die but it did sort of mess up my plans for the day.
Continue readingThankful, mostly
In this season of transition between autumn riding and winter skiing it’s a good time to stop and reflect on the past year to give thanks for what we have.
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