This little adventure was my October session of Turns All Year, (the unapproved pursuit of skiing every month of the year). I refer to this as “unapproved” in reference to Ann’s attitude towards this latest installment of my ongoing insanity. I was getting nervous about this trip actually coming to fruition, due to the fact …
As I was ascending the Cave Couloir on September 1st, it became obvious to me that the descent was not going to be easy. There were two technical issues that I was dealing with to figure out how best to approach the descent; First, I noticed that the runnels were getting pretty deep and went …
As is often the case with me, my plans always start out more grandiose than what actually transpires. This climb was going to be a combo climb of both the South and Middle in the same day. This is a fairly common climb that a lot of people do and it is still “on my …
As a rule, I rarely venture out into the mountains solo. Almost all of these ski mountaineering and climbing adventures that I do are with one or more partners. It is fun to share the experience with others, it fosters teamwork and it definitely provides an added layer of security in case of injury. However, …
The mission to ski all 12 months in 2014 is continuing with fantastic trips each month. July was no exception! Based on some expert advice from Sara Lundy of Sawtooth Mountain Guides, we set our sights on the basin above Hell Roaring Lake that is guarded by the Finger of Fate. We overnighted at the …
Dawn is breaking here on Lick Creek Road, just north of Slide Rock. We are parked at a snow bank across the road that is too much for the Jetta to handle, and there is a slight problem. The snow on the road, left over from avalanche debris this winter, is really about as much …
Last year I posted a trip report named “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly”. This aptly represented the snow conditions that day as we skied some lines in Garnet Canyon. This trip report is simply titled “The Bad and the Ugly”. Before I go in to all of the details of this great adventure, …
The original plan for this weekend was to head for the Lost Rivers with a group from Boise and make attempts on Donaldson, Breitenbach or Lost River Peak. The weather didn’t really cooperate and we decided to all pursue our own backup plans. For Greg and I it was the backcountry above Soldier Mountain Ski …
If you love powder, steeps and skiing Jackson Hole, this may bring on fits of jealousy. We just spent a fabulous two days skiing JH and doing a backcountry ski outing in Grand Teton National Park. Day one was spent with my wife, Ann and daughter, Rachel. It was almost a bluebird day with a …
My Backcountry Ski Story I don’t know if I’ll ever really become a full-fledged ski-mountaineer, or even an expert backcountry skier. However, I think I’m getting closer because: I am seriously contemplating switching to a Subaru for my vehicle My hair is getting almost long enough to put it in a pony-tail I pretty much …
Table of Contents My Perspective Photos Video Important Avalanche Related Links GPS Data and Mapping My Perspective One of the most important things that a backcountry skier can do is to start, and continue formal Avalanche education and training. I have put this off too long, but this past weekend I finally had the opportunity …
I suppose most people climb Borah Peak in Idaho’s Lost River Range because it is the state high point and one of the most popular climbs. For me, that was only a secondary goal. Those of you who are familiar with this website know of my passion for skiing and my pursuit of back-country ski …
This year for my 55th birthday I knew that I wanted to do a climb somewhere, and there was a group headed up to Borah on the Saturday after my birthday. But then my co-worker, Daniel Watrous approached me with an invite to join him, his dad and his dad’s good friend to do a …
Sometimes it pays to be cautious and sometimes it pays to take risks. This past weekend I was rewarded for both, which might seem like an oxymoron. Let me explain my logic. The payoff for caution was that by delaying the planned climb from Saturday to Sunday due to weather conditions we gained an almost …
A few weeks ago I was in a meeting at work that was focused on career development. One of the speakers made a comment that really got me thinking. To paraphrase his statement it went something like this; The most important thing that you can be doing is setting and meeting objectives. If you aren’t …
Snow report by Mountain Report & Snow Removal Denver
