When gale winds blow like a sandblaster on the high peaks, you can still summit. If you want. But you might choose some powder farming instead, or perhaps a classic point-to-point tour. A bit of weekend stoke from such decisions. Check it out.
 "Backcountry skiing on Mount Sopris.") |
| Photos from Sunday, since it was prettier (Saturday we did the ‘Little Haute Route’ from Snowmass Resort to Buttermilk). That’s yours truly skiing just below timberline on Mount Sopris, famed fourteener Capitol Peak in the background. We drove Mr. Tippy up the Mount Sopris access trail and parked at the boundary of the non-motorized area. No poacher tracks. Good. As illegal sledders used to track this area up so heavily you couldn’t find any skiing. Wind and poor snow quality in the alpine obviated a summit ski descent, so we found a pow field to till. Yikes, I’m turning into a powder snob and I haven’t skied the Wasatch since last winter! Click image to enlarge. |
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| Lisa headed from the field back to the barn. Click image to enlarge. |
Lou again, lap number?
Parking areas are well signed.
And...Mr. Tippy did quite well on this trip so I gave him a kiss. He doubles as a ski drying rack when he's not raging.
WildSnow.com publisher emeritus and founder Lou (Louis Dawson) has a 50+ years career in climbing, backcountry skiing and ski mountaineering. He was the first person in history to ski down all 54 Colorado 14,000-foot peaks, has authored numerous books about about backcountry skiing, and has skied from the summit of Denali in Alaska, North America’s highest mountain.
