Crested Butte

Davenport & Beidleman Nail Hairy New ski Route on Capitol Peak, ski mountaineering and backcountry trip.

David Rothman writes poetic memoir of his beginnings as a skier.

The coolest thing about the trip was being able to ski with Rick Borkovic, a prime figure in the revival of using the telemark turn for backcountry skiing. In the 1960s and 1970s Rick was a ski patrolman and guide in Crested Butte, Colorado. With his nordic as well as alpine skiing expertise, in 1971 Rick (along with a few other Crested Butte locals) began experimenting with using nordic ski gear to make turns on steep alpine terrain. Rick’s group, along with concurrent nordic downhill experimentation in the Northeastern U.S. and in California, led to the modern free-heel skiing industry.

Colorado Friends Hut Founder Jim Gebhart — Goodbye, he lived in Crested Butte, Colorado.

This just over the transom from Craig B. in Crested Butte, Colorado. They did a good job of getting their September turns. Here closer to Aspen we’re still waiting for the first significant dusting of fresh so we can head…

I had the privilege this morning of assembling text and photos from a Crested Butte, Colorado crew’s stunning attempt at a backcountry skiing traverse of the high Elk Mountains in central Colorado, including exploration of a possible new ski route…