The news is you can still ski up there, so we went and brought back the beta in the form of some photos and a bit of reporting.
We figured this might be one of the last times we can easily get out skiing with a variety of test gear, so we set WildSnow Production Assistant Joe up with the full monty. Nearly everything you see in this photo is a WildSnow.com test and review item. G3 Zen Oxide skis paired with G3 climbing skins, Scarpa Rush ski boots, Mammut pants and Jacket, K2 Lockjaw poles and a slick Dakine backpack. The hat and gloves are Joe's. Click image to enlarge.
Some of you might remember Dave Downing, who did a number of guest blogs a while back and helped quite a bit with various WildSnow endeavors up to when he moved to Montana. He's visiting and had a dad's day off, so we set him up with my Green Machines and our pair of Dynafit Huascaran testers we're including in our Ultimate Quiver. The socks and shorts are his. We didn't ski a huge amount of vert, but we did hit everything from morning frozen to midday slush. Good test. Click image to enlarge.
Well, yesterday in the 12,500 foot and above zone conditions began the shift to a warmer snowpack on the easterly reaches, with northwest exposures becoming hardened by melt/freeze and not ready to ski till later in the day. I had my eye on an easterly line, but when we got there the eggshell had softened and you could easily punch a ski pole into the facet layers lurking underneath like some kind of HP Lovecraft beastie. Nonetheless, by staying to some lower angled terrain and simply cruising around, we made turns and had a nice day. Dirt hike to snow from upper hairpin trailhead on Western Slope side was still about 20 minutes. Overall, snowpack is looking thin.
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.
