Knowing how little time I would have to ski, I set modest goals for the season, and was able (for the first time) to meet all of my ski season goals! I wanted to ski at least 10 days and skied 14, and to tour more than 15,000′ for the season (my biggest season ever was 135,000′, but last year I only toured 9,600′ so I’m happy with this year’s 24,000′). I also wanted to ski a couloir, do a big day somewhere I hadn’t been, and explore 2 new-to-me areas (all were achieved on the Nokhu Couloir trip with Cody). I also wanted to ski deep powder and ski in summer, both of which I achieved.
7 Days in Montana
I started the ski season in Montana over Christmas break very strong. I toured to the top of Montana Snowbowl with my dad, brother, and Cody, and then stayed in Powell, ID with Em’s family. While in Powell, I went to Lolo Pass and toured 5 days, including an incredible day of pillow lines at the Crystal Theater. I also got to ski with Tippet, Emily, and Sam in very deep powder!
Colorado Early Season
In classic fashion, the snowpack was unstable for January, February, and much of March. I only got out twice, and went to Bear Lake for my first time to ski Banana Bowl with Dan. The snow was miserably windblown, but it’s pretty up there. I also skied Hidden Valley solo in good hardpack snow.
Spring Adventures
This season stood out when spring rolled around. My best man Cody came to town in April and we had an epic day skiing the north Three Sisters couloir (link), I went on an incredible yurt trip near Clark Peak in early May (link), and I had an epic day linking up the major backcountry skiing zones north of Cameron Pass (link).
Recap
I will always wish I was skiing more than I am, and that is especially true in grad school, when a good year equals 14 days of skiing. However, I can’t help but be excited about how this season turned out! I skied great snow in Montana and skied with good friends throughout the season. Excitingly, explored more of Northern Colorado’s mountains, and had a blast doing it. Cameron Pass has some incredible mountains with incredible lines, and much better access than Montana passes.
I’ll need to think about how to set goals for next season. It’s exciting that I was able to achieve all of them this year, but they were broad and relatively simple to execute. It feels really good to meet the goals I set out in the fall, but there’s something I like about not quite completing them. For the most part, I just want to keep exploring the region and getting out as much as I can. I should be here for 3 more ski seasons, so I have to get everything out of them that I can!
The Skientist 