Need Berthoud pass info asap

**mtbakerskier** · 02-07-2006, 09:43 PM

I am going to be up at Berthoud pass on Thursday, and I could definatly use some beta on where to find the best goods.

Z · 02-07-2006, 09:48 PM

Hike up the west side bootpack up to the bench. Look around in all directions. It's pretty much all right there for ya.

Good timing to get some more exposed stuff, not so good for pow....

**MOHSHSIHd** · 02-07-2006, 09:53 PM

Originally Posted by Z

Hike up the west side bootpack up to the bench. Look around in all directions. It's pretty much all right there for ya.

Good timing to get some more exposed stuff, not so good for pow....

was up there today....almost all the pow has been wind affected....still soft, but as Z said its great for skiing the stuff on the west side....

the rush/nitro area is your best bet for a good time...

**iskibc** · 02-07-2006, 09:54 PM

It's been relatively warm and sunny the past few days. If you are looking for pow, stick to north facing trees, otherwise it's going to be a little baked. Everything is pretty self explanatory up there. Just get up high and pick your lines.

**Foggy_Goggles** · 02-07-2006, 09:55 PM

If by "goods" you mean "I want to take pictures of dudes getting rad", it's all good to go. Like Z said, it is all visible from the highway and all four quadrants are shuttle-able. I'd show you around but I'll be working.

**marshalolson** · 02-07-2006, 09:57 PM

i'd show you around, but have to work and can't miss school...

**mtbakerskier** · 02-07-2006, 10:01 PM

Originally Posted by Foggy_Goggles

If by "goods" you mean "I want to take pictures of dudes getting rad", it's all good to go. Like Z said, it is all visible from the highway and all four quadrants are shuttle-able. I'd show you around but I'll be working.

Cool, does anyone have a topo of it showing the best lines for shuttling?

Thanks dudes!

**Lone Star** · 02-07-2006, 10:03 PM

Skied the first creek drainage yesterday, generally on S-E aspects, and came across some pretty damn light, deep snow. Don't believe all those beaters

that think all the pow crusted over or got windblown days ago.

**Hacksaw** · 02-07-2006, 10:31 PM

Maybe before you run up to the pass you should check out the Northern Mountains avalanche forcast.........

http://geosurvey.state.co.us/avalanche

**Froman** · 02-07-2006, 10:34 PM

old Berthoud Pass trail maps:

http://www.coloradoskihistory.com/lost/bpass.html

**shera** · 02-08-2006, 06:32 AM

Originally Posted by Hacksaw

Maybe before you run up to the pass you should check out the Northern Mountains avalanche forcast.........

http://geosurvey.state.co.us/avalanche

Halsted, you know we're all CAIC junkies.

A interesting slide last night on Berthoud Pass. Seems one of the steep road cuts failed naturally (There may have been a tree bomb plop onto the slope) and put quite a bit of snow onto Hwy 40. The interesting thing is that the rotary plow had hammered that slope earlier in the day with debris from the rotary chute, & nothing happened. Must have been stressed just enough that one snow clump out of a tree caused failure.

Aside from the general sluff on Monday, we saw one interesting thing when we were standing on top of a rock that had the snow dripping over it. Big pillow thing with a convex rollover. The snow sheared off in a little slab about a foot down. It was only a couple of feet across and only the last round of snow, but it was cool to see the forces at work. Clean slab line at the crown and clean shear on the bed. While something like that obviously couldn't bury you, it could cause you to lose your footing on a pillow line, so exposure could be an issue.

And I've never seen tree wells like what we've got now.

With the warm temps today and tomorrow, is it possible for water to drip down through the pack, then start running across various harder layers and act as a lubricant? That's something I'm always envisioning with a lot of sunshine...

**lemon boy** · 02-08-2006, 08:17 AM

MBS-

as mentioned it is pretty self explanatory but stuff you will see right at the p-lot:

mini mini golf (this is more filled in now:

bigger:
this one not visible from p-lot:

as you come up the pass:

A drive all the way down the N. side of the pass will reveal some other stuff that provides entertainment. Should you ski off the NE quad your two basic choices are to either cut skiers left semi-early and make it to the pullout (or skin back up to this) or to ski all the way down to the very bottom of the pass. It will be obvious where to park shuttles depending on the run you want. See previous blah blah about avalances as we're a lot different than your stomping grounds. Enjoy.

**Yeti** · 02-08-2006, 09:29 AM

A related but more basic question: how do you pronounce Berthoud? "Bur-thood"? "Ber-tood"?

**lemon boy** · 02-08-2006, 09:34 AM

Best attempt ever was MT several years ago with:

Bur-thou-oud

say: ber-thoud(thud) as in cold and a bag of sand thuds onto a table.

**pde20** · 02-08-2006, 11:04 AM

If you have time, order Berthoud pass map from this dude.

http://avalanchemapping.org/avatlas.htm

Or, if you pass thorugh Denver you can get them at Wilderness Exchange Unlimited @ 2401 15th St.

Have a good time.

**Yossarian** · 02-08-2006, 11:17 AM

conditions and whim dependant, I may be around as early as Friday, on vacation for the next two and half weeks, would be happy to help play tour guide a bit if you're around.

PM me and let me know. Right now my plans are to arrive SLC tonight from LA, but with dry and sunny from here to the foreseable future, I might just come home to CO and do a bunch of touring.

**pollard** · 02-08-2006, 01:40 PM

there are some really sick lines just above the second switchback coming down to the winterpark side.(fromt the summit) Alot of people warned me about them being really unstable but they were pretty legit when I was there. I'll see if I can get some pics up later and that mini golf(the name?) area is really easy to get to and as you can see pretty sick also

**mtbakerskier** · 02-09-2006, 02:09 PM

Hey guys thanks for all of the info, but sadly it aint goin to happen for me this trip.

After beeing sicker than a dog all day yesterday, coughing up blood all night, I checked my sorry ass into the local clinic. Turns out I got Hiogh Altitue Pulmanary Edimina so I aint going to be dooing jack shit for a while.

BTW, can any one recomend some cheap health insurance? Dishing out a grand for one visit definatly hurts the wallet.

**iskibc** · 02-09-2006, 02:13 PM

Originally Posted by mtbakerskier

Hey guys thanks for all of the info, but sadly it aint goin to happen for me this trip.

After beeing sicker than a dog all day yesterday, coughing up blood all night, I checked my sorry ass into the local clinic. Turns out I got Hiogh Altitue Pulmanary Edimina so I aint going to be dooing jack shit for a while.

BTW, can any one recomend some cheap health insurance? Dishing out a grand for one visit definatly hurts the wallet.

Damn, HAPE is a scary condition. Glad you caught it early. Where were you staying? I know HAPE can onset as low as 8,000', but is usually most prevalent at altitudes above 10K. Can't help you on the med insurance. Get better.

**lemon boy** · 02-09-2006, 02:19 PM

Holy shit dude!

Hope you get to feeling better

No help on the self insure. A long time ago I had a reasonable self insure plan through Blue Cross but I don't think they're in Wash.

If you need a crash pad in D-town send me a PM.

**Staircase** · 02-09-2006, 04:51 PM

You should be able to get basic health insurance for a little over $100 a month. Do an internet search for health insurance.

**shera** · 02-09-2006, 07:19 PM

Originally Posted by mtbakerskier

Hey guys thanks for all of the info, but sadly it aint goin to happen for me this trip.

After beeing sicker than a dog all day yesterday, coughing up blood all night, I checked my sorry ass into the local clinic. Turns out I got Hiogh Altitue Pulmanary Edimina so I aint going to be dooing jack shit for a while.

BTW, can any one recomend some cheap health insurance? Dishing out a grand for one visit definatly hurts the wallet.

HAPE, holy cr@p.

You're the first person I've known around here with that bad of a reaction. Headaches and puking is the worst I've had to care for.

Next time take ginko biloba. Really.