Sat CO Skiing

[Yossarian]

Tried to go up to BP early to meet SheRa before catching up with Foggy, but got 20 mins from home and the engine started to cut in and out.

Fack.

FACK.

So, I turned around, and am back at home. Foggy is swinging by to get me, so maybe there's still hope to salvage the day.

Although this would all be monumentally easier if I wasn't sofreakinghungover.

Drugs are bad kiddies, drugs are bad.

See you up there anyway, perhaps.

[Theodore]

Drugs are bad kiddies, drugs are bad.

Mmmmkaay.


http://images.southparkstudios.com/i...acters/49a.gif

[shera]

Cletus - can you ski tomorrow? Meet at the Hard Rock in Empire at 7:00 am. The rest of youse are invited too.

Brett and I did a couple of runs on Loveland Pass this morning. The north facing trees that I had been skiing are facked, but we got knee deep pow in the wind drifted stuff above treeline. Really nice. But there were a ton of folks up there at 10:00 am, so it will surely all get tracked out...

Anybody that went to Berthoud or Butler today, I'd like to hear how it was.

[funkendrenchman]

Cletus - can you ski tomorrow? Meet at the Hard Rock in Empire at 7:00 am. The rest of youse are invited too.

Brett and I did a couple of runs on Loveland Pass this morning. The north facing trees that I had been skiing are facked, but we got knee deep pow in the wind drifted stuff above treeline. Really nice. But there were a ton of folks up there at 10:00 am, so it will surely all get tracked out...

Anybody that went to Berthoud or Butler today, I'd like to hear how it was.

Figure11 and I went to Jones Pass and it was pretty good.

[Yossarian]

Can't go up Sunday, final soccer match in Boulder at 11am.

[Yossarian]

Aight, here's the full report...

Went and got wrecked last night with a buddy from my soccer team, a couple of his pals, and Mr. and Mrs. Crinkle. Passed out around 12:30a, I think. Woke up at 6:00a, noticeably without that fresh feeling. Rolled out of town at 6:30a, hoping to catch SheRa before meeting Foggy at Berthoud. By 7:30a I was back at home, cause my car no worky worky. So, I ring up Fogs, and he swings over to get me on his way up. Yatzee!

We're both pretty hungover, so we're taking it easy. The music is on, we're each sucking down water as best we can, and Foggy is doing a fine job of piloting the Gogmobile in spite of our haggard states. We roll on up to Idaho Springs, pop out at the Safeway, grab a couple of Don Miguel burrittos, and heat em up in the store. It aint the Old Mill Market sausage, hash browns, egg and cheese, but it's something, and the label says its a brekky burrito, so I roll with it. We're good to go after that, and we head for the pass. Some minutes later we arrive, and discover that the place is PACKED.

http://www.tetongravity.com/usergall...al_BP-FOBP.JPG

No parking in the main lot, so we park below Hollywood on the west side. I suggest something in Hells Half Acre, Foggy counters with a mellow tour up Russell Peak to The Bench. We go west. Part way up we spot tracks on No Name, just south of Russell, which we're headed up. Looks pretty sick.

http://www.tetongravity.com/usergall...P-102304-3.JPG

After a fair bit of suffering via that oh-so-lovely fragile-shaky feeling you get after a night of too much caffeine and alcomahol in combination, we get up top and slide over into a mellow bowl to the north. We find a great slope for a pit, and dig away, happier than pigs in shit just to be out on a beautiful day with skis on.

The pit turns out to be quite interesting. Lower down, on the east side of the pass in the north facing trees, there is perhaps 30-40cm total, with a noticable rain crust part way through. Here however, we're digging at a significantly higher elevation, and in a cross-loading deposition zone of a gentle feature. The snowpack measures 90cm. Nearly 3 feet deep.

http://www.tetongravity.com/usergall...P-102304-4.JPG

We find 10cm of frozen sugar at the base, followed by 50cm of knife-hardness bomber consolidated snow. This is topped by more recent snow and wind transport, in two soft-slab (fist hardness) layers, each about 15cm thick. We do some digging, some poking, some guessing, and then we do a half-rutchblocky cut of a very large chunk at the back of the pit. Foggy steps on and slides right off as the more recent fresh/transport immediately falls away in two layers from the super consolidated snow below.

http://www.tetongravity.com/usergall...P-102304-5.JPG

We wipe the more recent snow off the consolidated block to find a fairly distinct surface at the top of the old snow. Foggy then takes on good jump on the block, and the 60cm of uber-solid older snow jumps out, riding on the granular layer at the ground.

http://www.tetongravity.com/usergall...P-102304-6.JPG
http://www.tetongravity.com/usergall...P-102304-7.JPG

We played with the snow for a while longer, then clicked in and geared up for a mellow ski back out. Our pit had been on a 30 degree slope at the steepest point of a little roll (nice test slope), but everything else around was significantly lower angle, undulating lazily away below us. We spotted each other anyway just for good measure and skied down one at a time, alternating between little knolls down to the trees below. A quick look back up and then we headed into the woods.

http://www.tetongravity.com/usergall...P-102304-8.JPG

The snow in the low angle NNE trees that followed was ultra smooth, unaffected, and a foot or so deep. We cruised through a few meadows and glades, and then slowed down to pick our way through the thinner snowpack and fallen timber down below. A quick stop at the little hut, and then we worked our way out to the Currant Creek road.

15 mins later we hitched a ride back up to the top, and after some liquid and food and a bit of socializing, we headed for home. Foggy dropped me off at my door, and I stumbled right into the shower.

Gonna do a little grilling in a few minutes, then it's nap time for me, before I totally bonk. And when I do, I'll be dreaming in white.

http://www.tetongravity.com/usergall...P-102304-2.JPG
http://www.tetongravity.com/usergall...P-102304-1.JPG

[CantDog]

Very nice, I dig the pit data as well.

Sounds like your morning was better than mine, the only bowl I was seeing was the toilet. Damn you jack daniels.

[FigureEleven]

Figure11 and I went to Jones Pass and it was pretty good.

There were a bunch of people getting some today on Jones Pass. The road is still driveable to the bench before the final switchbacks. It did not suck.

[powderfarmer]

Wow, been back in colorado for like 10 days now and skied 3 days. Shera, loveland was smashed by 11, we stayed till like 2 and laughed at front rangers and CU kids, it was a mess. People stopping in the middle of the road to pick up skiers because the skiers wouldn't give them any room, people riding right into the road with cars coming, cutting trucks off, wow, never seen the pass that bad. In anycase, some north aspect runs were had and actually we had about 200 foot of vert to our selves for a long time, nice shin deep turns, but then someone followed our travese in and was mouthing off about it at the bottom, everyone was there next run. I have some good pics, maybe I can get them up tonight or tommorow. Anyone been in butler this week? Need to take some back country newbies out for a little teaching and beacon work, hopefully with some turns as well. And if any summit county peeps want to get together drop a line.

[Yossarian]

Anyone been in butler this week?

Try Here

[Hugh Jass]

Figure11 and I went to Jones Pass and it was pretty good.

Heh. I was at Butler today with the wife and dawgs. Could have made the ski rack exchange.

Can't offer much of a report on Butler conditions today. Out mostly for the tour; didn't get too many turns. The low angle stuff we skied was boot deep and light. Got to pick your spots - some nice blow-in, and some slabby conditions too. Unless you want to trash your gear, you've got to boot it basically to the major stream crossing, which I think is about a mile in.

[Yossarian]

bumping pics for Foggy for Mon morning

[FiveLarge]

Thanks for the report. As usual, especially appreciated the snowpack beta. Nice work on that pit. I was surprised to see that much snow! But, not terribly surprised to see your results of the stability tests. Man, those lines off no name...no question, they look juicy...but given what you found (and I'm sure is lurking in other places, though not necessarily exactly the same), I'd be pretty hesitant to ski where others had there.

I sat out the weekend because my rock ski situation encountered a hiccup earlier in the week...in other words, didn't have them for the weekend. Saw that picture, and though, crap, I don't need no rock skis. (I know it's not that deep everywhere up there...in reality, probably still good to have rock skis for awhile yet).

And now, my schedule looks like skiing won't be an option for almost 2 weeks, most likely. Forecast looks good for snow over the next week!