FRWW TR: Sopris+Highlands Closing Day

[Tips^Up]

Warning: this TR contains lessons learned through other's lives, deaths and experiences. Please separate my light-hearted account of our days in the mountains from my thoughts of Lathrop, Mike, and Wallace and everyone that knew them and is directly affected by their passing. They have indirectly affected me and I hope others can learn from them as well.

Condolences to all friends and family, especially young daughter of a man I never knew that lost his life on Sopris on Friday. It is deaths like this- of an extremely talented and experienced skier/mountaineer that freak me out more than anything. He'd done Sopris many times before, was an accomplished athlete and still took his last fall. Doing what he loved.

http://www.aspendailynews.com/sectio...-tumbled-down-

Thanks to cuseo for his recent TR, fotos and beta on descent routes.

Also, thanks to previous Sopris TR author, yetipolice, for this useful bit of advice. Quote and picture from
http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/s...ghlight=sopris
"huge cornice and also exhibit A. why my dog is staying home on next ski tour:

http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/s...hlight=cordova
Be careful bringing dogs into the backcountry with you. Dogs don't know the first thing about avalanche dangers and could care less.


4.26.08 Sopris TR:
If you've driven from Glenwood Springs to Aspen, you've seen and felt compelled to summit Mt. Sopris's 12,953 foot peaks.

Picked up Chris in Glenwood and started skinning up the road at 10:45pm Friday night. If it had been daylight, we would have had this view

2 miles later, we were at the Thomas Lakes TH

We pitched Chris's brand-spankin new TNF Rock 22 tent about 1/2 way to Thomas Lakes somewhere around 1-2am. If it had been daylight, this is what our wind-protected campsite would have looked like


Good morning

Jake and Jared started up early that morning and soon our crew was 4.

Jake's long stride makes him an uphill machine. Our descent came to the saddle and went skier's right of the large outcropping in the center of the bowl.

Jared snowshoeing

REGARDLESS

I was feeling like a bag of dicks on the hike this day and was the caboose for the 1st 2/3s of the ascent. Here are the engines pushing up from saddle to summit

Capitol in all its nastiness above Jared's head

Blurry but you get the picture: BIG cornices atop the Laundry's

Hero shot

Again, they're large, fractured, and I'd love to be around when they break-watching from far, far away

This gap is approximately 170cm wide.

Boarders schralping from the summit

I'm about to air the cornice. Best air of my season. Eying it from where Kampe the kameraman is standing, it didn't look that big but once I dropped it, the ground fell away a lot more than I anticipated but I held it tight and stuck the perfect steep and soft landing into some big arcing turns.



Kampe draggin knucks below the first pitch

Kampe REGARDLESSly boarding

Runner takes off, the throw down to second, Jared making the call...He's SAFE!

With the monoboarders out of the way, Jake shows it is done.



Jared

Reflection and recollection from Thomas Lakes

Chris and I packed up kamp and headed down with heavy packs. Play at the plate, Kampe the ump...he's SAFE!



BBQ, early bed, late sleep-in, breakfast at the Village Smithy, score some free passes from laid-up buddies, and we're on our way to Aspen Highlands for closing day.



Not bad view on the hike to Highlands Bowl. If you look closely, you might see tracks

Sorry for repeatedly bringing up sad and morbid story lines from this season but when I looked at this face, I knew I'd seen it before

RIP to another skilled, knowledgable, unlucky guy that's no longer with us
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/new...in-cliff-fall/

Highlands Bowl, full coverage, spring corn, closing day, April 27th, 2008.



Last day festivities

And as always, keep 'em up

[Tips^Up]

and frww stands for Front Range Weekend Warrior. which i unfortunately am.

[Lone Star]

yeah dude!! I don't think I even knew about sopris til this season. beautiful peak.

[Cono Este]

Looked liek a sweet day!

[cuseo]

Sweet TR! I didn't know there was an acronym for Front Range Weekend Warrior??!?! Ha! A warrior doing battle, though, and that's legit.

How about Highlands, huh? What a party, that day was awesome.
Good to see a lot of homies back safe from AK (with some stories).

Word!

ps. ditto on really wanting to see that cornice go, that would be a sight!

[Shredhead]

Nice job, Sopris is a great spring ski. Probably a little windy Saturday for the corn?

Highlands closer was off the hook!