Day 14 – Copper

Posted on 25 January 2012 by BJ| Leave a comment
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Union Bowl from S Chair, Jupiter in close

Sunday morning pow days are trouble when you live in the Front Range.  I normally avoid them like the plague but in this case it had been so long since a good stinking pow day that I put into place my stealth plan and scored while the iron was hot.  No 3.5 hr traffic for me.  Just first chairs up Super Bee and first tracks down Jupiter Bowl.

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Jupiter Bowl. Patrol ski cuts, ready for shred

Patrol informed us that the bowl was opening, and we had to follow directed skiing to ease it into operation. All good with me.  Slash and burn, slash and burn all the way down.
The storm dropped about 9″ between close of lifts on Saturday and 5am Sunday.  It continued to snow all morning, so I am probably going to call it 10″+ new by lift open.  HELLZ YEAH. Rode my Gyrator 162 for the first time and it absolutely plowed through all conditions with no chop.  Floats like a champ in the deep stuff and never got stuck.  Definitely solidified as my double-digit resort pow stick.

Usually on weekends I avoid resorts altogether, but this storm kicked off a major natural avalanche event all throughout Colorado.  Not even worth taking chances.  Several riders died in a matter of a few days here in Colorado after this storm – both out of bounds and inside the ropes.  Not worth taking a chance in the BC right now from my perspective, It will always be there next time.    I wore my beacon in bounds on Sunday at Copper.

Great day to stretch the speed limits on an untracked slice of my favorite mountain.  Copper Mountain always delivers on a pow day.

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Now this is more like it…

Posted on 21 January 2012 by BJ| Leave a comment

the current 24hr Colorado forecast.

courtesy: http://weather.rap.ucar.edu

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Day 13 – sharing the stoke

Posted on 15 January 2012 by BJ| Leave a comment

Season 2 begins for Ava and Lily

Today was not an epic powder day.  Today was not an incredible BC experience.  Today was not made of progression, exploration or fresh tracks on an untapped run.

Yet, today is one of those days that will stick with me forever.  My dad took the time to begin teaching me skiing, and the love of mountains at 6 years old.  Last year it was time to begin passing on the stoke to a new generation – my neices.

They picked it up quick last year – turning, snow plowing and full control.  All that time on ice skates has really helped.  But earlier last week, they were hesitant to go for the first time this year.  Worried perhaps that they would have to start all over, and they didn’t want to do that.

But as soon as they got on the skis, and skated right over to the magic carpet… I knew it would come right back to them.  And it did.  they were better by the end of the first day this season than they were all of last season.  “like riding a bike…”

Seeing them always smiling in the lift line, and progressing again (using their poles like racers!) in such a short amount of time…asking when they could go again afterwards – there are moments of satisfaction and shared stoke in this which no powder day can even touch.  Their excitement and joy bring joy to my heart.  Everything else pales in comparison.


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Snow.com dispatch: CAIC forecaster talks pain, powder in the backcountry

Posted on 12 January 2012 by BJ| Leave a comment

Nice dispatch from Devon O’Neil on Snow.com with a small look into the life and thoughts of Scott Toepfer, forecaster for Colorado Avalanche Information Center.

More here: http://buzz.snow.com/outdoor_adventure/b/weblog/archive/2010/10/14/avalanche-forecaster-talks-powder-pain-in-the-backcountry.aspx

 

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Day 12 – Incognito

Posted on 8 January 2012 by BJ| Leave a comment

Geez, it feels like it’s been forever.  Watching the jet stream do it’s Col thing is getting old.  Knowing there would be new snow, but also knowing how funky and unstable  the current snowpack would be with the new weight, I decided to head up to Berthoud Pass and do some exploring on lower angle terrain.  Get some photos, shake out the kinks in my touring legs and, earn some pow turns.  Today did not disappoint.

The skin approach was a bit more difficult than expected as I worked my way up to treeline.  Felt like I was skining up bottomless pow, but in reality it was the 6 or 7″ new overnight on top of ground to surface facets.  pole strikes went straight through.  tough sledding on the steeper sections for sure.

Above treeline the snow was untracked and very dry/fluffy.  Skin up, shred pow.  skin up, shred pow.  skin up, shred pow….and so on.  Meadow skipping laps and that familiar flow and float.

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Where is the snow?!

Posted on 29 December 2011 by BJ| Leave a comment
 NCEP Global Ensemble: US 15 days PQPF  – the 15-day forecast.

Depressing. (Source: NCEP/NOAA)

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Day 11 – Berthoud

Posted on 26 December 2011 by BJ| Leave a comment

Berthoud Pass Puppy strikes again - east side

Still some freshies to be had more than 4 days after the upslope storm.  NW winds re-shifted the oddly shaped upslope drifts, filled back in some of the usual spots, and created a fun day.

still wondering when the season will really begin. and still on the rock board…miss my pow sticks.

 

 

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Day 10 – Upslope goodness

Posted on 22 December 2011 by BJ| Leave a comment

First day of winter solstice 2011 came in with a bang here in the Front Range.  14″ at my house and that means shreddable lines in South Boulder County.

New lines - BikeinRidge

Good times with C-Low and Don from WildyX.  Don toured in from his house, Curtis and I toured in from 66th.  2 miles across the top of the mesas, scoping possible lines and enjoying the views as the storm lifted and the sun came out.  We scored!    pretty frickin cool when my commute back home was 3 minutes.

already scanning the mesas in my backyard for next turns and shreddable lines.  I guess big Upslopes aren’t that bad after all!

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Day 9 – Mary Jane Mountain

Posted on 17 December 2011 by BJ| Leave a comment

Transceivers - Bracketing and pinpoint search discussion. Photo: Teddy Eick

Today was the first of several on-snow Avalanche Awareness classes put on by Friends of Berthoud Pass.  A 1.5-hr classroom session in the Mary Jane lodge, followed by 3 hours on snow, where we touched upon safe travel techniques, introductory beacon searching, shoveling and hasty pit discussions.

Perfect class for the rider who is thinking about getting into the backcountry, and a first stepping-stone for the aspiring BC enthusiast.   Super sunny day, shedding layers and good conversations with the group I was leading.  So nice to get back into the education side, and see the wheels begin to turn up awareness for the attendees.

I'm Getting down for a bracketing example Photo: Teddy Eick

Transceiver discussion Photo: Teddy Eick

 

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Day 8 – Eldora

Posted on 16 December 2011 by BJ| Leave a comment

Challenger lift with Seth and KW

When there hasn’t been ay new snow recently, sunny (soft) hardpack is pretty freaking fun.  Corona was open, and with the exception of the heel U-bar on my hammerheads slipping (which were replaced quickly by WildyX- Thanks!), mid mountain, I’d say this was a fantastic day.

 

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