Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Powder Skis (or lack thereof)



Of recent, I've heard a lot of complaining about the absolute lack of snow that the Front Range mountains seem to be experiencing, and granted, that compared to the last two years at this time we are way behind on our expected snowfall, when I look back on my season so far I find it hard for me to complain too terribly much except for about the rotting snow layer at the bottom of the snowpack that seems to be causing slides on an almost unprecedented level. I got powder turns in November, did a hut trip last weekend where it snowed a foot and a half on us, have done about 50 percent backcountry days and already have 27 days on skis in for the season. And it's not even Christmas. So while the WROD at Loveland has definetly gotten a little old, I know that some good snow is going to be coming and it's most likely just around the corner. Let's hope that it doesn't come while I'm home for Christmas.
These shots are a wrap of last weekends trip to the Eiseman hut. While the first part of the skin in definetly highlighted the drastic need for snow, (we had to take our skis off for a portion!), the deeper into the hills we got the deeper the snow got! For those unaware, the Eiseman hut is part of the 10th Mountain Division Hut System and sits about 7 miles outside of the town of Vail. I'd jumped on this trip as a spot had opened up on what seemed to be an annual voyage to the hut, and if the opportunity comes up I'd more than love to jump on it again! Saturday was pretty much spent skiing into the hut (7 miles with a heavy pack is usually a full day thing) while Sunday and Monday were spent reaping the goods that Mother Nature had blessed us with while we were toiling to get to the hut. Sunday, according to a rough guesstimate, Vela, Dobish and I probably logged about 6000' of vertical in both the up and down through the tree shots right outside the hut. Couple all of this powder snow with delicious food and good friends (and a lack of bacon. :() and you've got a fantastic time! Here's some pictures!





















So I think I'm just going to let everyone else keep on complaining and I'm just going to keep on being patient. Because, if you know where to go, even 4 inches of snow becomes a powder day. And if that 4 inches becomes a foot and a half and you've got 20 friends in a backcountry cabin, well, your more than lucky enough.
Stereo- Blitzen Trappen

Oh and since my track record clearly shows that I probably won't post again before Christmas, Merry Christmas!

Monday, November 30, 2009

Turn of the Seasons:Photo Essay



Fall and spring in Colorado are very special times, it's a time that can be frustrating if your limited in what you like to do and it's a time that if your flexible you can have all sorts of different fun in. It's a time where your best to let your passions and activities be ruled by the weather and the changing of the seasons rather than trying to force what you'd like to do down Mother Nature's throat. One day you may wake up to 3 feet of fresh snow and the next day you may find yourself skating down slightly icey single track. Either way, keep your head alert, your eyes to the sky and let every morning with that nip of pure winter excite you and your headed in the right direction.
That being said, here's a few photos from adventures during November.














And to highlight my point further, here's a few pictures from a recent trip to Phoenix Arizona for Thanksgiving with Fifer and Ames and some mountain biking







Monday, November 2, 2009

MTB TR: Fruita and Grand Junction



"Broke is only temporary; poor is a state of mind"

I get really poignant fortune cookies. I'm not quite sure why, especially when I seem to be surrounded by people who get shafted in the fortune cookie department. It's as if some fickle hand of fate seems to dollop out little life lessons in small plastic packages surrounded by a semi tasteless crunchy dough material. A gem surrounded by tastelessness, could be a metaphor for some sorts of life if I were the more pessimistic sort. However, I'm not so I'll just keep getting the dollops of wisdom pearled out by whatever old fu manchu wearing chinese gentleman in the sky there is.
Anyways, above is a fortune cookie I got a Thai place in Grand Junction last night and man did this ring true with this weekend. (I have tons of pictures that I will post up here shortly). Having received just enough snow to make the high alpine dangerous, and to cover up every rock on the Front Range, some friends and I decided to journey out to the desert in search of dry singletrack and slick rock for what might be one last thrash fest on bikes for the season (perhaps not anymore...)

Thrash fest we did find. After arriving late at night on Friday we met up at a local diner to grab some grub, before heading towards the legendary Fruita trails. Mountain biking literally has put Fruita on the map. This tiny town one exit down from Grand Junction has access to some of the most exciting rim rock, slick rock, single track in the state of Colorado. We started out in the parking lot at the Loma exit with intentions of hitting up Horsetheif canyon loop and doubling it around to Lions loop.

We ended up bailing half way through Lions Loop (lack of sunlight) making a beeline climb up Mock Ridge and connecting back to the parking lot through the Moore Fun trail. Horsethief starts out at the trailhead, winds along the rim rock and then dives straight into the canyon with a series of rock steps and then loops down along the canyon walls and ravines to meet back up to the original rock steps. As the name implies, this is the wild, wild west at its very best. Looping through the ravines and past the canyon walls, you can't help but imagine Butch Cassidy hiding out in the slot canyons and taking shelter in the course of the day.

The rock hop that took out 3 tires

Zack handling the rock hop masterfully

Lion's loop doesn't seem to have stuck in my mind as poignantly as the other trails that day so I'm going to gloss over it a bit, but say that the scenery was beautiful and trails dry and rocky. Mock Ridge started with an intense 1000 foot climb up a hilltop to crest on top of a ridge that overlooked the whole valley and canyons. The trail then wound along the rimrock, sometimes coming with in 2 to 3 feet of the plunge. This part was more than slightly spooky as riding my bike along this rim it was really easy to feel the empty space pulling at you from the left. It was sort of like learning to drive where they tell you "look where you want to go, not where you don't".

The entrance to Horsethief!
Spookay and not easy to do! The trail bounced back down some pretty technical rocky spots to a low point where we began the climb up to Moore Fun. This section of the ride I'm not really sure I can take credit for actually riding as I ended up pushing my bike up hill more than riding it and walking it through some pretty technical points. We were nearing the 20 mile and 2,000 feet of climbing mark for the day and I was very very tired and had no desire to injure myself by pushing through something stupid when I wasn't at the top of my game. I made it back to the car though in very little style and to a cold beer waiting for me!
The group I was riding with was unbelievably supportive and friendly. Zack, Lindsay and Nick were incredibly helpful with tips and patient, especially since I was the least skilled rider there. I had an incredible time goofing around on the trail, and it was the type of camraderie that makes you seriously want to go back for more.
More and photos later....

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Alaska Part 3: Erwin Hill and Denali State Park



So after arriving at Robin's house late the night before, we had an alpine start (leaving the house around 10 am) to grab a quick hike in Denali State Park. I'd done some reading and the Erwin Hill route seemed to be pretty minimally strenuous and (if the clouds cleared up) pretty rewarding. Mel's Mom was coming with us so I didn't really feel like breaking her on a hike. We left Talkeetna with a steady drizzle going on.

I spend a lot of time in the mountains and one of the thing that fascinates me about visiting different mountains is the different types of flora and fauna one sees in different places. One of the major differences between Colorado and Alaska is Alaska is WET! It rains and snows a ton there and after a strong summer of growth there is some unbelievably thick brush and things to hack through.

Not a ton of the photos from Ermine Hill came out great as we spent most of the hike enwrapped in a cloud with a couple of fleeting glimpses of the southern large peaks of the Alaska range coming in and out of view. Thus all of my photos from this hike are made up of subject matter that involves the little joys and excitements your able to find in nature when the broad vistas are closed.
It was a good hike through solid brush and swamp, which inevitably brought you up above treeline at the crest of the hill. We were mostly dry until the clouds decided to open up on us on the way down where we proceeded to get soaked to the bone.

One of the coolest things about this hike was the combination of lowland marshes (mosquitoes) and having the hills and treeline right there. According to all the research I did, you have a better chance of seeing Denali and getting a good view of the Alaska range from Denali State Park then you do from inside the national park, so if you ever find yourself on a clear day there head for Ermine Hill.
Next up, Hatcher Pass.

Sunday, October 11, 2009

Alaska Part 2: Kenai Peninsula



Alaska: The Last Frontier. So about 2 months ago, Mel and I traveled up to AK with her family to partake in the family vacation, or as her Dad called it on our extensive itinerary (seriously this trip was planned far better than most government operations, we even had an exit strategy!) "The Great Alaskan Adventure". The trip started with us flying into Anchorage (flight arrived around 2 am AK time) and spending the first day in Anchorage. Frankly, the best thing I saw in Anchorage was the phenomenal view of the Chugach range from the museum top floor, other than that it was very gray and not terribly exciting. The next day we drove down to the Kenai peninsula, specifically Seward. This peninsula is famed for its wildlife, gorgeous views, whale watching and glaciers. The whole of the peninsula is still being actively carved away by sea ice on one side and internally by an icefield that glaciers pour down hillsides, grinding away the mountains as they work there way to the sea.

Now I'm usually not a huge fan of big touristy tour type stuff, so I wasn't too excited that our first day on this mythical peninsula was going to be spent on a boat with an all you can eat salmon or steak buffet (not kidding), but I figured that's the price of coming on a family vacation, you can't spend the whole time hacking through the bush. I was blown away by how well done this tour was. It was marketed as a Sea Wildlife tour and holy cow was it. Species that have been pushed to the brink of extinction in the lower 48 came swimming straight up or flew straight past the boat. Within the first hour I'd lost track of how many Bald Eagles we'd seen, on top of seeing Dall's Porpoises, Sea Otters, Sea Lions and puffins as well. And the scenery was like wandering into the Lord of The Rings. Glaciers came spilling straight down to the ocean, curved spires of jagged peaks poured upward into the fog and cloud filled sky while tendrils of clouds wrapped themselves towards the ocean. Truely, a phenomenal experience. I'll shut up for a moment and let the pictures speak for themselves(unfortunatly most of the wildlife photos did not come out as I don't have a good enough lens-must buy telephoto).














So after spending a night in Seward and eating some surprisingly disapointing salmon (my one major complaint about Alaska; the fish bought in restaurants was really not that fresh tasting, the best salmon we had by far was caught by Mel's Dad and Grandfather-other than that in restaurants the Fish and Chips were better than the Salmon), we woke up the next morning to head out to go sea kayaking with Sunny Cove Sea Kayaking. True to its name the sun came out while we were out in the boats as well. This was super fun, great to get some exercise and an awesome opportunity to see the geology of the peninsula up close. Unfortunatly, I forgot the disposable camera we'd bought for this part of the trip in my life jacket so it got left in Seward and then promptly got opened and stolen while it was being mailed back to us in Colorado (people...). So thus there are no pictures of this part of the trip. The best part of this was that while we were here, the salmon run was in full swing (early run) and during part of the kayaking we went up a river where there were literally hundreds of salmon directly below us in the clear blue water spawning and thrashing about. The guide told us a detailed description of the physiology of the salmon and I found it fascinating, I'll try to recount it here.

Salmon actually have mercury in their heads so essentially they act like living compasses, they also have an intense memory of what their exact river stream that they were spawned in and even though in their lifetime will have traveled all the way around the world, the second their spawning instinct kicks in they head directly for that river bed. Now the moment salmon start to spawn, they start to die as well, physiologically they lose all motivation to eat or rest and the only instinct that survives is that to spawn and to eat other salmon's spawn or eggs. We literally saw salmon that had almost all but fallen apart (no eyes, emaciated, losing fins) but were still swimming around spawning. Incredible.

So after viewing the salmon and heading back to port, Mel, Robin and I got in the car and headed toward Talkeetna. On the way we stopped at the Palmer Glacier (I think..) and Girdwood, home to Alaska's only ski resort Alyeska. This glacier had some of the best views of crevasses and the infamous blue color that the compressed ice adapts.




To get to the prime vantage point we ended up scrambling through a tight grove of Alders that provide an awesome idea of exactly what the brush in Alaska during summer time is like. While one may think of Alaska and think of a frozen wasteland covered in snow, this opinion is totally wrong. During the summer time Alaska has one of the best growing seasons around (it's light all the time!) and is absolutly loaded with moisture. Plants that seem like they've been dead for months grow to exponential sizes. We ended up bushwacking through about 200 yards of alder to see the vantage points of the glaciers above.


Having grown up spending time in Denmark at the northern parts of the world, I've always known the beauty of the lighting as you get towards the poles. I don't think I've ever seen as good an example as when we were leaving Girdwood and heading along the Seward highway towards Beluga Bay and Anchorage. The shots below simply don't do the golden color that highlighted the ocean and the mountains justice.





Next up, Talkeetna and Denali State Park and some very typical Alaskan weather!

Monday, October 5, 2009

Still in Denver, and a new passion and a review!

So, no, I haven't finished the Alaska photos yet. I swear I'll get to them and it will be a total photog TR and it'll be awesome, but as for the last few weeks I A)haven't had the time, and B) have been way too exhausted to do much else but relax when I wasn't out blowing off some steam.
Super long story short, I'm starting a new job in a few hours which I am stoked about. I'm going to be working up at Bent Gate Mountaineering in Golden, which should, while providing me with a killer ski season unlike moving to LA would have, also be a pretty fun job. Advice from various people about how to fully take advantage of my gear situation has already been rolling in. I figure I'm going to work at doing a good job before I start milking the benefits (not that that won't come).
Other than that, I managed to pick up a new (read:expensive) hobby recently. SINGLETRACKS! This all stems from me finding a smoking deal on an awesome full suspension Mountain Bike. Salvagetti(phenomenal cycling shop, highly reccomended to anyone in the Denver metro area) was selling off their demo fleet and I managed to pick up a Giant Trance X2.


I've had some time to make my aquaintance of this bike so I figured I'd do a review of it. The bike comes with 5" of travel, clocks in at 29 pounds, comes with a full rear and front Fox suspension system and a shimano drive train. I've attached Shimano SPD clipless pedals to it, and have a set of WTB Trail 27 mm tires on it but other than that am using the kit as it comes new. This bike rips. It's just light enough that it climbs well, but just heavy enough that it wants to crush anything on the downhill in it's path. For a relatively novice mountain biker, this bike is confidence inspiring on downhills in a way that make speed feel much more comfortable. Which is a good thing because this bike wants to go fast. Taking rock drops, the suspension is good enough that it tends to cushion almost anything but the worst blows, and I've never had an issue with the tail washing out on tight turns or rocks except when I was off balance (once again, novice biker).
The disc brakes have phenomenal control and tightness, even though the back brake has a tendency to be a little noisy on some steeper stuff. The travel in the suspension makes it want to grind up larger obstacles with ease, even though myself as the rider might not have the ability to take it just right yet. I went to Lair O' The Bear yesterday and coming down a section with a serious of drops, the bike just stomped it. Straight over, no balance issue, yeehaw. On gliding rolling terrain, the best way I can describe how this bike navigates, is float. It wants to go fast and it takes curves like a formula 1 racer. All and all I am stoked about this bike and it comes with the highest of reccomendations especially for someone just starting out on the trail. This bike inspires the confidence you need to make you want to push yourself and grow
Stereo: Pete Kartsounes- Old Bluegrass home