2022 has been a great year for me running-wise. I signed up for the Black Squirrel Half-Marathon over the winter, which has kept me motivated to train regularly and mix in longer trail runs here and there. Lory Valley Loop - For my first "long" run of the year, I ran around the East, West, … Continue reading Highlight Runs of 2022
The Winter Backcountry Guide
Season Recap (2021-22)
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 … Continue reading Season Recap (2021-22)
Iron Mountain Ridge Traverse
Trailhead: Cameron PassMiles: 7.7Vertical Gain: 2,500' Well, I guess it's summer! Unable to rally friends to go skiing when it was 100 degrees in Fort Collins, I got my coworker Ben to join me for an excellent outing on Cameron Pass. We parked at the Cameron Pass trailhead, and after briefly admiring the still snowy … Continue reading Iron Mountain Ridge Traverse
North Cameron Pass Traverse
The four peaks I skied from right to left (Montgomery Bowl, Point 11,588, N. Diamond Peak, S. Diamond Peak) Unable to find any friends to leave the warmth of summer to go skiing, I went up to Cameron Pass for a solo adventure. I schemed all week about crazy ski-camping options and massive traverses, but … Continue reading North Cameron Pass Traverse
Wonderful Weekend at Clark Peak Yurt
Day 1 - Emily and I headed to the Clark Peak Yurt with our Newfie Tippet for a weekend of skiing and fun with friends. After working a half-day we made the drive from Fort Collins to the Medicine Bows and we left the car around 5:30. We were carrying comically large and heavy backpacks … Continue reading Wonderful Weekend at Clark Peak Yurt
My First Colorado Couloir
Cody came down from Montana to visit and we headed out to Cameron Pass hoping to ski the Nokhu Couloirs. We were skinning by 8:30 and did the 3-mile approach at a relaxed pace. The approach is a bit long, but it felt easy until the last half-mile or so. Avalanche danger was suspect, so … Continue reading My First Colorado Couloir
Highlight Trail Runs of 2021
I’m discovering that Fort Collins has no shortage of fantastic trail running opportunities. The East side of Horsetooth Reservoir has excellent trails with moderate elevation gain, and the West side has endless options for more challenging runs. Reservoir Ridge Half-Marathon - I set a goal early in the year to run my first half-marathon before … Continue reading Highlight Trail Runs of 2021
Season Recap (2020-21)
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, … Continue reading Season Recap (2020-21)
Snow Science: A Snapshot of Snowpack
To better understand how snotels work and what a typical year looks like, we’ll look at historic snotel data at one site. Snotel site number 530, Hoodoo Basin, lies at 6,050 ft. on the Montana/Idaho border in the northern Bitterroot mountain range. I chose to demonstrate snowpack using this snotel because it has a particularly … Continue reading Snow Science: A Snapshot of Snowpack
Snow Science: The Basics
Fig. 1: 30-year average max. SWE at all lower 48 snotels. What questions do skiers ask when planning a ski trip? At the top of the list will always be the snow. We want to know how much snow there is, how much new snow there is, how reliable the snow is, how cold and … Continue reading Snow Science: The Basics
The Skientist 