It’s funny how the body goes strong, like a tuned 357 ci Chevy with eight big gas chambers pounding out the horses, then your cylinder heads carbon up, your oil gets thinned, and the go-peddle feels like you’re stomping a ripe mellon. I’m feeling like that today, after many more days on skis than off for the last few weeks.
We’re still having a spring that yields a snowpack somewhere between the Wasatch and Sierra, and it’s snowing up high again today. Thinking about getting out again tomorrow, but then, a rest day with some office work is oddly compelling. After all, just how many tax extensions can you file? A few photos from recent adventures:
A rare shot of me, this time in Laundry Chute, Mount Sopris, Colorado. Prolific Colorado ski alpinist Jordan White called the other day and invited me for a jaunt on Sopris (our Carbondale, Colorado signature mountain). Others joining were Crested butticians Frank Konsella and Brittany Walker. Britt had skied Pyramid Peak the day before, making her one 14er away from being the second woman to ski all 54. Frank has skied them all, along with Jordan and I, so I was thinking we'd have some sort of special psychic bond or something. I think I did notice a melding of our astral auras, but the skiing felt pretty normal. In other words, what a blast! We ended up in the lookers left Laundry Chute. A moderate run by these guy's standards, but a bit exciting for me having not skied anything steep for about a year, and being in my tongueless TLT-5s (could have used a bit more boot).
Another Jordan shot of your truly in Laundry. Ok, my ego is now inflated due to my newfound ski photo star quality, and the crowds will no doubt invade Mount Sopris like a busload of vacation gamblers headed for Vegas, so we'd better move along.
A more normal morning of corn harvesting, Michael Kennedy (editor of Alpinist Magazine) proves once again he's not just a climber.
One thing I enjoy about spring skiing is how you go early, get away, then let the sun and snow do what it will. You then return the next morning and see what fell down.
Human engine oil. Turns out that the BBQ in Marble, now known as the 'Slow Groovin BBQ,' is serving a mountain town breakfast on Saturday and Sunday. Git sum.
The place to be in Marble, Colorado. Highly recommended. You can ski the peak in the background, then have breakfast looking at your tracks. Very very cool. They'll be open weekends and most weekdays, but closed for a day or two. Call for hours at 970-963-4090. If you go, please tell them you found out about it on WildSnow.com
Well perhaps it’s time for an oil change, and to admit I’m still jealous of ski bums who don’t file tax extensions, or even tax returns for that matter.
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.
