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We just started getting snow up here in Alma CO, excited to make some tours up in the Mosquito range soon. If anyone is local and feels like joining then hit me up, obviously when the snowpack/conditions allow!
Colorado backcountry skiers
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blazeonyia
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What's on your hit list? I'm game. I live in Evergreen but travel that way a fair bit to ski.
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Big goal for this season are the couloirs on the North Face of Mt Democrat, it’s a big slide zone though so I’d want to be super careful with the timing/forecast. There’s other good stuff around there too, couple of lines either side of Mt Bross and some nice ones on Mt Buckskin. I also hit up Mt Guyot’s NW face last season and that was a good ski. If you’re game let’s keep in touch for when stuff starts to come into condition
14557373:blazeonyia said:
blazeonyia
Member
14557429:Powstagram said:
Sounds good. Democrat looks fun. Found some trip reports:
https://www.exploringtherockies.com/2009/05/02/democrat-north-face-ski-descent/
https://14erskiers.com/blog/2019/07/tr-mount-democrat-north-face-6-30-19/
My friend and I hike up and ski down dead dogs on Torreys every May and have done some other lines in that zone. These two are on my to-do list if you are interested:
https://www.14ers.com/route.php?route=torr9
https://www.14ers.com/route.php?route=torr10
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Thanks for the sources. Emperor couloir on Torrey's looks like a good day out, I'd definitely be game for that and other lines in the area. I'm flexible with location it's not far of a drive to the 70 corridor
14557437:blazeonyia said:
SkiingNinja
Active member
Emperor couloir is fun. If you want a super tour, park a car at the bottom of the traditional Torrey’s exit and then another at the top of loveland pass. Hike from the summit of loveland to Grizzly peak and ski Grizzly Couloir. Then connect it to tuning forks booter and ski emperor down. Car shuttle to grab the second car. I did this last spring. I think it amounts to 7k vert of skiing and 5k of climbing.
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This sounds like a fantastic day out
14557568:SkiingNinja said:
blazeonyia
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14557568:SkiingNinja said:
Do you have any additional info on this? I have hiked this route in the summer - Loveland pass to Torreys summit through Grizzly Gulch. Where is Grizzly Couloir?
SkiingNinja
Active member
Off of Grizzly Peak. Here is a good resource. Any of these lines should be able to get you towards Torrey’s base. We were going for Grizzly Couloir but couldn’t find it from the top down approach, being our first time up there. We didn’t want to step out into a cornice to go look. We skied an unnamed Couloir closer to the saddle of Grizzly/Torrey’s. If doing it again, I’d probably go for one of the other Grizzly couloirs to get more sustained steep vertical.https://www.frontrangeskimo.com/grizzly/
14560563:blazeonyia said:
vermontana
Member
Yo I'm over in Leadville and looking to get out a lot starting March or so (currently recovering from shoulder surgery that will keep me off skis till Jan and out of steep stuff for a bit). Been looking at a lot of the lines in the Mosquito range, really want to do Moonshine couloir if the conditions line up.
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14562059:vermontana said:
Sounds great let’s keep in touch. A lot of the lines I’ve been looking at really come into the best/safest condition in the spring anyway so sounds like an ideal plan. Sorry to hear about your shoulder though
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14562059:vermontana said:
Also yeah the Moonshine colouir would be a day out to remember, would absolutely be game to hit this if it’s in good shape
SkiingNinja
Active member
I’m about to get shoulder surgery too, so hoping for a strong spring season. I’d be down for some Mosquito Range lines.
14562059:vermontana said:
blazeonyia
Member
14560564:SkiingNinja said:
That's a great site. Thanks! Good luck with your surgery/recovery. Stay in touch for some spring touring.
vermontana
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14562363:SkiingNinja said:
good luck with the op and recovery! What are you getting done? Depending on when the shoulder is cleared and financial situation I may try to buy a sled in the spring to cut out some access times, really want to get back into Hagerman pass area near Leadville. Apparently that zone gets dumped as the mtns funnel storms from Aspen
SkiingNinja
Active member
I detached my labrum in two places and tore a bicep muscle, so getting some reconstruction done in two weeks. I should be good by March so I’m stoked for a full spring. I’m likely delayed in getting a sled until next season; but it’s on the list! Would be psyched to sled-ski or tour in the spring.
14562642:vermontana said:
blazeonyia
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14562642:vermontana said:
Hagerman Pass sounds like a great zone. Pretty easy for us all to meet in Leadville too. Good luck with your shoulder!
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Hey all, this is a pretty useful resource for some Mosquito ski lines, you can see the shaded areas on the map and click on them for info on the descent. It definitely does not have all possible lines listed (there's so many possible lines in the range) but I'm finding it to be a useful reference tool. Has some useful videos/external links on a few of the routes. Link:
https://www.backcountryrecon.com/colorado/mosquito-range/
Also we have Mount Silverheels just on the other side of the Placer Valley. There's some NNW facing chutes just on the other side of the saddle at upper Beaver Creek by an old mine working, if you've been up there you'll know where I mean. It's skiable in a day from Hoosier Pass. I've been doing some recon up there and it looks very technical but on the right day it will go. This is also in the book "Making Turns in Colorado's Front Range Vol. 1" if you have it. Link:
https://www.backcountryrecon.com/colorado/front-range/summit-front-range/mt-silverheels-north-face/
https://www.backcountryrecon.com/colorado/mosquito-range/
Also we have Mount Silverheels just on the other side of the Placer Valley. There's some NNW facing chutes just on the other side of the saddle at upper Beaver Creek by an old mine working, if you've been up there you'll know where I mean. It's skiable in a day from Hoosier Pass. I've been doing some recon up there and it looks very technical but on the right day it will go. This is also in the book "Making Turns in Colorado's Front Range Vol. 1" if you have it. Link:
https://www.backcountryrecon.com/colorado/front-range/summit-front-range/mt-silverheels-north-face/
vermontana
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14563530:Powstagram said:
Nice find - that backcountry recon site is really interesting, cool to see some names put to zones and lines I've seen in the Eastside of Leadville. Hoodoo bowl holds snow a real long time and in stable conditions looks like it'd be some awesome terrain.
blazeonyia
Member
Hey guys. Hope you all had a good holiday season and New Year. I went up Bakersville road on Tuesday to check out Grays and Torreys. You can still drive all the way up to the summer trailhead. Torreys looks good.
Is anyone interested in a tour this weekend? I want to ski Southpaw - Dead Dogs is a bit rocky at the bottom. Southpaw is on the left and also the closeup pic. Let me know if you can make it!
Is anyone interested in a tour this weekend? I want to ski Southpaw - Dead Dogs is a bit rocky at the bottom. Southpaw is on the left and also the closeup pic. Let me know if you can make it!
vermontana
Member
Spooky snowpack out there, anyone have some fun meadow-skipping, low angle trip reports? living vicariously for a bit longer, my shoulder doc cleared me to nordic and do mellow resort uphill but another month before any variable snow and two months before steep skiing
blazeonyia
Member
Had a spicy one on Sunday the 14th. We were up on Berthoud Pass when the slide happened. Skied High Trail Trees (14) from treeline:
https://www.frontrangeskimo.com/berthoud-pass-hells-half-acre-and-east-side
It was over knee deep in spots. Real nice. Slight sluff movement in the open areas but we stayed in the trees for the most part and didn't have any problems. While lapping the zone there were barely any cars driving by when normally its a traffic jam from Empire to Winter park.
Says the bank slid at 11:20 and we were driving down at 11:30. I counted four different CAIC crews heading up the pass though at the time we didn't know what was going on. They had it closed down and opened the gate to let us out at the bottom. Read about it here after:
https://coloradosun.com/2024/01/14/colorado-avalanche-berthoud-pass-sunday-morning/
Little on the spooky side because we may have driven past buried cars and not known it. Overall, no injuries reported and had a great morning out. Count it as a win but wow - what a change in snowpack from my last post.
https://www.frontrangeskimo.com/berthoud-pass-hells-half-acre-and-east-side
It was over knee deep in spots. Real nice. Slight sluff movement in the open areas but we stayed in the trees for the most part and didn't have any problems. While lapping the zone there were barely any cars driving by when normally its a traffic jam from Empire to Winter park.
Says the bank slid at 11:20 and we were driving down at 11:30. I counted four different CAIC crews heading up the pass though at the time we didn't know what was going on. They had it closed down and opened the gate to let us out at the bottom. Read about it here after:
https://coloradosun.com/2024/01/14/colorado-avalanche-berthoud-pass-sunday-morning/
Little on the spooky side because we may have driven past buried cars and not known it. Overall, no injuries reported and had a great morning out. Count it as a win but wow - what a change in snowpack from my last post.
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14577433:blazeonyia said:
Sorry I missed this- would've been game to join. And right on re snowpack... I've been out quite a bit (just low level in the gulches with the dog on xc skis) and the past few days had some proper woomphing and a few shooting cracks when heading up into higher/steeper terrain. Curious to see how the next few days' sun and then more possible snow will impact the pack
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14583215:vermontana said:
Planning to ski the north glades on Red Mountain (nr Blue River) hopefully tomorrow or next few days. Pretty low angle through the trees, will post here whenever I manage to get up there
blazeonyia
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14585832:Powstagram said:
No worries. I am free on Sundays until mid-April. Working Mon-Sat. Hit me up I am game to get out there. I have been taking my dog out a bunch as well. That woomphing has to be worst sound ever. Hoping the hotter temps will settle the snowpack a bit
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14586139:blazeonyia said:
Sounds good- my weekends are Mon Tues because i work at the ski school but I can easily change my days off week to week. Lemme message you my phone number, I forget to check NS a lot.
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14585833:Powstagram said:
And also I tried to do this last weekend... my wife forgot her skins and all of her avy gear. Figured that out at the trailhead... planning to try again on Thursday with my friend from work. If successful this time we'll try and get a handle on what the snowpack is like and post some photos here. If anyone is free and wants to join then hit me up
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Trip report- skied Quandary with blazeonyia last Sunday
blazeonyia
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14594884:Powstagram said:
Good up and a great time! It was great to meet [tag=223631]@Powstagram[/tag] - awesome guy and solid skier. He showed me some lines he has been eying in the area. Definitely on the spring hit list.
blazeonyia
Member
Hey guys. Hope all is well on your end. Wanted to throw this in here. This is one I have always wanted to ski. The trailhead is off a neighborhood in Silverthorne on the north side of I25.
[tag=223631]@Powstagram[/tag] - this is the line that lady was talking about during our tour.
Silver Couloir:
https://www.powderproject.com/index.php/trail/7000493/silver-couloir
[tag=223631]@Powstagram[/tag] - this is the line that lady was talking about during our tour.
Silver Couloir:
https://www.powderproject.com/index.php/trail/7000493/silver-couloir
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14596922:blazeonyia said:
So i've actually been out in the BC with her a couple of times then, she's pretty solid. We actually were in the vicinity of Red Peak B a few weeks ago and got eyes on the Silver- filled in really nicely and I think it would ski well. I think definitely worth us considering. Hoping that after this storm we'll have some solid sun to start thinking about bigger lines. Let me know when your schedule opens up I'd like to get out again
blazeonyia
Member
14600952:Powstagram said:
My deadline for work is April 15th. After that I will have flexibility in my off days. Until then I will only have Sundays off. I'll check back with you guys closer to mid-April.
Throwing a few more in the mix. This zone is the next one over from Abasin. You guys may be familiar with these lines - definitely some good ones.
Shit for brains:
https://www.backcountryrecon.com/colorado/front-range/loveland-pass/shit-for-brains/
Dogleg:
https://www.backcountryrecon.com/colorado/front-range/loveland-pass/dogleg/
Heimes - this one we can skin up an Abasin groomer then peel off to the ridgeline. Also this whole face is real fun no matter what line you go with. After a while that cornice dies down. We have skied this mid-June and it is still in good condition:
https://www.backcountryrecon.com/colorado/front-range/loveland-pass/heimes/
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14601283:blazeonyia said:
Looks like some great options. Gonna drop you a line and let’s get something planned
blazeonyia
Member
Hit Southpaw Saturday morning. Amazing how quick the snow has melted. Dead Dogs seemed a bit thin at the top. It was a good up and some great turns for late June. Arlo killed it! I take him skiing often though this was his first time on a steep face.
Pics:
1. Arlo
2. Torreys
3. Southpaw
Pics:
1. Arlo
2. Torreys
3. Southpaw
