I came to Colorado with big dreams and quickly realized how time-consuming grad school is. Before each ski season I like to write down a few goals for the year and reading them now it’s clear how unaware I was of how little time I would have to ski .Of my list of 7 goals, I completed the two easiest ones – skiing with Emily and skiing on-area. The loftier goals of skiing Dragontail Couloir, skiing a 14er, or skiing a 5k-day all fell by the wayside, and I was only able to ski 8 days all season.
Though I didn’t ski as much as I would have liked, I’m proud I was able to get out at all, and I still had a few fun days that I’ll share. Because I’m so new to the area, it was my first time skiing Cameron Pass or Rocky Mountain National Park. They’re epic areas with much to explore!
First day out – Early season at Cameron Pass
- Trailhead: Lake Agnes (Winter)
- Vertical Gain: 2,000′
- Snow: Rated Moderate, 20″ at Joe Wright Snotel, 7″ recent snowfall
I started the season with a fun day on Cameron Pass. I left FoCo with Jake at 6:30 and made it to the trailhead 5 minutes before the sun came up over the crags. We made good time to the summer trailhead and headed towards the north avalanche path on Braddock Peak. The skinning through the thick trees was a bit difficult, as coverage was a little slim. We left an existing skin track and made it to tree line. We topped out way below the ridge and dropped into the northernmost avalanche path and skied about 400 verts of exceptional powder with no base. There was lots of downfall to dodge, and turns were made carefully.
We then skinned up to the same point (~11,100’) and dropped into the southern avalanche path. The skiing was much more open and made for epic turns. We skied all the way down to the meadow, pushed to the road, then skied out and skinned up to the trailhead.
Diamond Peaks Solo Tour
- Trailhead: Cameron Pass
- Vertical Gain: 1,500′
- Snow: 25″ at Joe Wright Snotel, 6″ fresh
I got away for an afternoon to ski a couple quick laps at Cameron Pass. The parking lot at Diamond Peaks was packed but it didn’t feel crowded on the mountain. I skinned up the newly cut fire line and topped out at tree-line. I skied down the toe of the main avalanche path but it was full of young trees, so I dipped into the bigger trees. It was a great ski run but a bit tight. I transferred at the base and made quick time back to tree-line. I then skied further SW and ended up tree skiing most of the way down. The skiing above tree-line looked phenomenal but I was skiing alone, and I didn’t want to venture into avalanche terrain. It was a great day though!
Three Days at Hidden Valley
RMNP finally got enough snow to ski (Jan. 24th), so I took Jim out for his first time split boarding. We left early and passed elk, coyotes, and foxes driving to the trailhead. We warmed up on the long flat, did a quick practice rescue, and headed up to the skiing. We stopped halfway up and considered dropping in, but then pushed on to the top. We skied down slowly, hitting occasional rocks but getting some really good turns in here and there. 2,100′ vertical gain.
My lab had weird hours due to COVID and I didn’t need to get in until 4pm in April. I took advantage of the situation and skied Hidden Valley twice solo, both times in variable wind-blown powder. 2,000′ vertical gain both days.
The Skientist 