TR: Hippy skiing in the Front Range BC

There is a distinct lack of gnar, large hucks, and fixed heels in this TR. You've been warned.

Day 1, 3/8/08: The Brrrraaaaaap!!-mobile

Dside11-11 was nursing a light knee injury, and was kind enough to spend the day dragging SydVicious, Hippy Prophet, and I around behind his sled. We headed to the sledneck haven of Jones Pass, where we found that sleds scare away skiers, leaving us a fine selection of untracked lines.

We started with a couple short, fairly low angle laps, where Hippy Prophet was annoyed by all the powder
http://jwelch.smugmug.com/photos/263873369_62P8u-L.jpg

SydVicious dodges some trees
http://jwelch.smugmug.com/photos/263873942_bky7g-L.jpg

and decides she's had enough of this pow skiing bullshit and takes to the air
http://jwelch.smugmug.com/photos/263872876_8qU92-L.jpg

Dside figured that a little pow would cure his knee, so we parked the sled and took a little skin where we found this
http://jwelch.smugmug.com/photos/263874658_fBQmq-L.jpg

Photographer is required to make first tracks
http://jwelch.smugmug.com/photos/263875763_9qjTg-L.jpg

SydVicious
http://jwelch.smugmug.com/photos/263876197_bUwv7-L.jpg

http://jwelch.smugmug.com/photos/263877021_ao9mY-L.jpg

Dside
http://jwelch.smugmug.com/photos/263877945_MpqUN-L.jpg

http://jwelch.smugmug.com/photos/263878418_h3qfm-L.jpg

Hippy Prophet
http://jwelch.smugmug.com/photos/263880186_3Axjj-L.jpg

http://jwelch.smugmug.com/photos/263879717_JuNan-L.jpg

SLAY3D
http://jwelch.smugmug.com/photos/263881189_a7Ayw-L.jpg

It sucked, but we figured we'd give it a second shot, this time with sled assistance most of the way and no pictures.

Conclusion: sled skiing is fun.

Day 2, 3/9/08: Four hippies go for a walk

Sunday brought a different kind of tour. Telepariah, TeleBear, and snowbeard were kind enough to let my inexperienced ass tag along on a tour near Squaretop Mtn. We started from the Silver Dollar Lake trailhead and skinned/booted to Squaretop's east ridge.

A bobcat got first tracks
http://jwelch.smugmug.com/photos/263898470_NfHmA-L.jpg

Telepariah, TeleBear, and snowbeard skinning
http://jwelch.smugmug.com/photos/263887949_ccam2-L.jpg

Above this point was a good bit of dust-on-crust, steepish climbing involving some sidehilling. Turns out I totally suck at this, and the other three guys don't. The final couple hundred feet required booting.

The line. We skied the skier's left side, 1400' to the lake, although we traversed out just above it
http://jwelch.smugmug.com/photos/263888861_fGNmd-L.jpg

adrenalated, snowbeard, and Telepariah
http://jwelch.smugmug.com/photos/263889357_5kDNj-L.jpg

TeleBear forgot to look at the camera
http://jwelch.smugmug.com/photos/263888367_j4xw9-L.jpg

Lines for another day
http://jwelch.smugmug.com/photos/263890741_bhPPY-L.jpg

We briefly considered skiing a line on the east face of Squaretop down to Squaretop lakes, but changed our minds after hiking halfway over.
http://jwelch.smugmug.com/photos/263891828_NPHnP-L.jpg

TeleBear, Telepariah, and snowbeard scout the line
http://jwelch.smugmug.com/photos/263891230_Maaf9-L.jpg

And now it was time for the descent. Conditions were 2" of fluff on top of styrofoam. Minor sluffing of the fluff layer occured on the steeper slope at the top.
I've learned there are times when it is best to just shut the fuck up, listen, and learn. Telepariah discussing if and how to ski something is one of those times. It was certainly educational.

snowbeard
http://jwelch.smugmug.com/photos/263893085_Y3nzn-L.jpg

http://jwelch.smugmug.com/photos/263893670_VaMNf-L.jpg

http://jwelch.smugmug.com/photos/263883287_MpphK-L.jpg

http://jwelch.smugmug.com/photos/263883943_GJFgF-L.jpg

TeleBear
http://jwelch.smugmug.com/photos/263894263_AwtnF-L.jpg

http://jwelch.smugmug.com/photos/263902974_f9aiC-L.jpg

http://jwelch.smugmug.com/photos/263904412_Fm6eX-L.jpg

http://jwelch.smugmug.com/photos/263905731_BuEGY-L.jpg

Telepariah, killing it on leathers & 3-pins
http://jwelch.smugmug.com/photos/263896339_3djpK-L.jpg

http://jwelch.smugmug.com/photos/263900643_MktEP-L.jpg

http://jwelch.smugmug.com/photos/263906494_9cEK8-L.jpg

http://jwelch.smugmug.com/photos/263907106_xXJoR-L.jpg

adrenalated
http://jwelch.smugmug.com/photos/263897118_k4fzA-L.jpg

http://jwelch.smugmug.com/photos/263900003_vkD5u-L.jpg

http://jwelch.smugmug.com/photos/263899188_oBKnP-L.jpg

snowbeard feels morally obligated to jump off anything jump-offable
http://jwelch.smugmug.com/photos/263884642_ANwTr-L.jpg

We meadowskipped on back to the car
http://jwelch.smugmug.com/photos/263885564_B5NJY-L.jpg

http://jwelch.smugmug.com/photos/263886533_wCXCc-L.jpg

snowbeard says, "Today didn't suck."
http://jwelch.smugmug.com/photos/263887306_aK6JV-L.jpg

good stuff!

that was ok for all the teleskiers present ;)

Excellent. Glad to see Telepariah outside.

Very nice. Looks like a good weekend.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by adrenalated

http://jwelch.smugmug.com/photos/263889357_5kDNj-L.jpg

---

MYTHBUSTERS yesss!

cool pics

Well done.

Looks like a pretty sweet weekend. :yourock:

Nursing.


Nice turns guys.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Z

Nursing.

---

... a hangover, right? Because that's everyone's major in college, isn't it?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by adrenalated

Dside figured that a little pow would cure his knee, so we parked the sled and took a little skin where we found this
http://jwelch.smugmug.com/photos/263874658_fBQmq-L.jpg

---

Holy shit, the stoke meter is off the charts!!!! My imagination is running wild...

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by goldenboy

... a hangover, right? Because that's everyone's major in college, isn't it?

---

Or nursing beers if yer a lady.

I could be getting my hippies confused but is Snowbeard's real name Mike and does he live in Nederland?

^^^ nope

Way to kick it in the ass, hippies!

r. :cool:

this tr speaks to my soul... thanks!

Nicely done...............

Very nice. Thanks for the report.

many beautiful lines (especially the untracked bowl)....good for y'all!!!!!!