-6 F is Too Cold for Grilling Bratwurst

With rumors of a slower and deeper than expected storm swirling, Scott E. and I made a plan to ski on Tuesday. We decided to wait until after the storm hit to pick a location so we could target the deepest snow.

Yesterday morning we met at the Park-n-Ride and reviewed snow totals and avalanche forecasts. The western half of Summit County (the Vail area) received the most snow but we ultimately decided on Berthoud Pass as a destination. It's closer, you don't have to pay to park, and we are both much more familiar with the terrain and where to find the goods.

We decided to shuttle my truck down to the Second Creek trailhead then drive back up to the Pass for a one way tour of Current and Second Creeks. We geared up and left the Pass around 9:00. The temperature was a balmy -6 F.

"AVALANCHE BLASTING AT ANY TIME USING LONG RANGE WEAPONRY"

After a quick 600 foot ascent up the West Side, we decided on a mellow run known as The Meadows. While transitioning from climbing to skiing...

Fail #1 - I broke a heel throw on one of my bindings

Luckily it was still mostly functional, although I could no longer disengage my binding without removing my mittens and subjecting my hands to deeply negative temperatures. We skied The Meadows and...

Fail #2 - Rangerdog came up limping during his descent

Luckily he just had ice built up in between his toes so we stopped on the Aqueduct and gave him time to chew it out, although this was a recurring problem all day. After a few minutes we skied The Flume down to the Current Creek drainage.

Scott pointing the way near the top of The Meadows

Me in The Flume

We found a spot to eat soup and drink tea in the sun, then continued up the Current Creek drainage heading toward the Upper 110s. We passed the Peter Rabbit Hut, intersected the Aqueduct further west, and...

Fail #3 - One of my climbing skins failed

I've skied over 100 days on these skins and they have never failed me, but the extreme cold rendered the glue useless so I improvised a fix by wrapping an orange ski strap around the ski/skin under my foot and continued on. We followed the Aqueduct north and east to the 110s, found an uptrack, and climbed a few hundred feet to the saddle above.

Peter Rabbit Hut

The original plan was to ski the south facing Upper 110s back to the Current Creek drainage, then skin back up the 110s and drop a north facing slope into the Second Creek drainage and ski out to my truck. However, on our way up the 110s we realized the snow conditions were not great (a few inches of storm snow on a concrete slab that had no doubt formed over the past few weeks of little snow and lots of wind and solar) so we changed plans and decided to lap the north facing stuff twice instead.

Scott looking north towards the Second Creek drainage and the Winter Park ski resort

Second Creek Headwall

The skiing was good. Really good for this season. The north facing aspect was shaded and wind loaded so the few inches of fresh actually skied like shin to knee deep powder. At the bottom of the run Scott mixed up a Pabst Blue Energy v2.0. The original version called for a Lemon-Lime 5 Hour Energy added to a 12 ounce can of PBR but we decided it was too sweet so we stepped up to a 16 ounce can instead. The current version was still too sweet so v3.0 will include a 24 ounce can...It was so cold out that the beer froze onto our mustaches, and I coined the term "Pabsicle."

Pabst Blue Energy v2.0

We transitioned again and began the climb back up to the top of Side Pocket/Narnia Woods. Unlike earlier in the day when we could follow a pre-existing skin track, this time we had to break trail since no one had skied this zone since the recent storm. The slope we were climbing was north facing (it gets very little sun in winter) so the snowpack was deep and faceted (faceted snow is angular with very poor bonding, aka "sugar snow"). This meant that even with our skis on we routinely sank knee deep into the snow, which made for a slow, tiring ascent back up the slope. We reached the top of the ridge and headed slightly east before transitioning for a NNE descent into the Second Creek drainage when...

Fail #4 - I broke the OTHER heel throw on my bindings

Scott led the way and I followed, but halfway down I made a left turn on a double fall line slope that fell off to my right and...

Fail #5 - I went down. Uninjured, but covered in snow.

We continued on and a few hundred feet later...

Fail #6 - I went down again. This time I fell face first and somehow landed on my back, with my head downhill and my skis buried and facing to the right. Luckily my head wasn't buried so I could breathe. I extricated my skis, struggled to flip them 180 degrees so they faced to the left, then manged to pull off a backward somersault to get my skis below me so I could try to stand up. I was ready to get back to my truck.

Fail #6 - Nice reflection in my goggles

Safely down to the flats adjacent to Second Creek, Scott skied ahead and I skied slowly so Rangerdog could keep up. A few minutes later we were back at the truck.

Pretty light in the Second Creek drainage

After reversing the truck about ten feet so we could sit in the sunlight, I pulled the portable kegerator out of the cab, connected the beer lines and poured us two pints of Vail Pale Ale. Half a pint later...

Fail #7 - We lost sun for good at the Second Creek TH

We decided to drive back up the the Pass where we hoped to find plenty of sun and fire up Scott's grill for some cheddar brats and another round of beers. There was plenty of sun, but we learned two things...

Fail #8 - Propane grills don't work at -6 F

Fail #9 - Kegerator taps freeze at -6 F

I put the kegerator in the truck, closed the doors, blasted the heat for a few minutes, and was able to pull two more pale ales through the tap.

The coldest beer I ever drank

After finishing our pints, we decided to pack up and drive down towards Empire, where we knew of a pullout that should have been warmer and less windy...

Fail #10 - The pullout was already in the shade

So we continued on and found a "scenic" pullout overlooking I-70. This time both the grill and the kegerator worked. 

Scott showing off his new grill

We were all set to enjoy cheddar brats and bacon wrapped serrano peppers with our pints of Centennial Blonde Ale but...

Fail #11 - Scott forgot the buns

Bunless cheddar brats are still delicious

Fed and rehydrated, it was time to go home. I turned my truck key and...

Fail #12 - I drained my battery listening to the Grateful Dead. Oops. I didn't even get to my favorite track on the album: Unbroken Chain (Studio Acoustic Demo).

We hooked up some jumper cables and got my truck to start on the first try.

On the way home, I reflected on how great a day I really had. We enjoyed a lengthy ski tour on a sunny (Tues)day(!) and we ate and drank well afterward. How many people can say they've grilled brats and drank keg beer at 11,307 feet?

What I Bring Backcountry Skiing

This is an overview of what I bring backcountry skiing. It might be interesting to alpine skiers who have never skied in the backcountry before.

Skis - K2 Work Stinx 174 cm
Bindings - Voile Switchback

Climbing Skins - Black Diamond GlideLite

Boots - Garmont Syner-G (mid-height cuff, three buckle, lighter weight and better for touring than four buckle boots)

Poles - Black Diamond Traverse poles

Ski Crampons - Voile (I like these "fixed" crampons versus the hinged, "floating" variety. When I need a ski crampon underfoot I much prefer them to be fully engaged at all times.)

Ice Axe (carried during ski mountaineering season) - Black Diamond Raven Pro 65 cm

Crampons (carried during ski mountaineering season) - Black Diamond Sabretooth (?)

Ski crampon detail

Avalanche equipment

Avalanche beacon - Pieps DSP

Shovel - Voile, METAL (no plastic shovels!), full size, "D" handle for mitten compliance

Avalanche probe - Voile Tourlight, 260 cm, aluminum

Upper body layers (I guess I have a thing for blue Patagonia stuff)

On my upper body, I wear a Patagonia Capilene 2 base layer (not pictured, not blue) under a Patagonia R1 Pullover (left). If it's very cold at the trailhead I wear a Patagonia Micro Puff Vest (middle) under a Patagonia Ready Mix jacket (right). Otherwise, the vest remains in my pack as spare insulation.

Backup insulation

At the bottom of my pack lives my Patagonia Micro Puff Hoody. I almost never wear it while moving (high altitude suffer-fests might require this hoody). It sees occasional use during extended lunch breaks and lengthy snow pit sessions.

Lower body layers

On my lower body I wear a Patagonia Capilene 2 base layer (not pictured) under a pair of Mammut soft shell pants I got for free several years ago (left, not washed in hundreds of miles). I keep a lightweight pair of fleece gloves in the front left pocket, a fleece hat (if not on my head) in the front right pocket, and a balaclava (if not on my head) in the right knee pocket. Almost always in the winter I wear a pair of Montbell hard shell pants over the soft shells. They are windproof (the soft shells are not) and have gaiters for keeping snow out of my boots and full length zippers for ventilation/access to the pockets in my soft shells. I rarely wear these pants during ski mountaineering season.

Glove system

I carry three pairs of gloves when venturing outdoors in the winter. A thin pair of fleece gloves live in my front left pocket. The gloves I most often wear are the Black Diamond Kingpin goat leather gloves (middle). They provide adequate warmth and breath reasonably well. I also always carry a pair of super warm mittens in case it's super cold or I'm standing around for a long time.

Almost everything else

I attempted to capture "almost everything else" in this picture. My red fleece hat is usually on my head, although I can easily regulate my body temperature on the fly by taking off my hat and putting it in my front right pocket without stopping or futzing around with my pack. I prefer to climb in sunglasses instead of goggles unless it is really windy, so the goggles usually stay in my pack. I wear a Suunto Vector altimeter watch to keep track of time and elevation. There is always a bar of Black Diamond Glop Stopper skin wax in my pack (it's a rub-on wax that helps prevent snow/ice accumulation on climbing skins). In the winter I carry two 0.5L thermoses - one for hot soup (exclusively Campbell's Chunky Grilled Chicken & Sausage Gumbo) and one for hot tea (whatever I have in the pantry). I can not stress enough how important/delicious Campbell's Chunky Grilled Chicken & Sausage Gumbo is when I'm out backcountry skiing. I also stash a widemouth 1L Nalgene (the same one I've owned since September 2001, which qualifies as the oldest piece of gear in my collection) filled with water deep in my pack to prevent freezing. As for "lunch," I prefer to eat lots of snacks throughout the day, and stuff that I can eat on the move is even better. Doing this means I don't have to sit around (on cold snow) for an extended break and get cold or be forced to pull out my hoody to stay warm. Most anything will do, although fatty food is delicious and packed with calories. Examples include cold pizza, "Reese's Bar" (600 calories of crazy deliciousness), Cadbury Dairy Milk, Little Debbie Fudge Brownies, etc. There is really no such thing as too much chocolate. I also always carry a compass with clinometer (for measuring slope angles, not pictured), camera (Canon Powershot S95, front left pocket), chapstick (front left pocket), sunscreen, a headlamp, a small first aid kit and a small repair kit (not pictured). If I expect to be spending a significant amount of time digging snow pits and performing snow stability tests I will throw a snow saw into my pack as well.

All of this somehow fits in my pockets and my BCA Stash BC pack!

Rangerdog usually tags along and there is almost always cold beer waiting back at the truck...

2012 Adventure Plans

It's New Year's Resolution Season. Every year I seem to resolve to sleep outside more often. In 2011 I'm happy to report that I spent more nights outside than any other year of my life except 2009 when I thru-hiked the Colorado Trail and spent four straight weeks sleeping outside. For 2012 I have some more concrete outdoor goals. I'm laying them out here in public to provide additional motivation to make these trips happen. In chronological order:

AIARE Level 2 Course

I moved to Colorado in September 2007. During the 2007/2008 ski season I started backcountry skiing. I took a two week NOLS Backcountry Skiing course in February, an AIARE Level 1 avalanche course in April, and the Colorado Mountain Club's Ski Mountaineering School in March/April/May. I went from a total noob to a proficient backcountry skier in a few short months. Since then, I've backcountry skied dozens of days each season (my season typically runs from October to June or early July) and have continued to volunteer as an assistant instructor with SMS. This winter I will be taking an AIARE Level 2 avalanche course, which I'm super excited about. The Level 1 covered the basics: understanding avalanches, recognizing avalanche terrain, creating a framework for decision making in avalanche terrain, and companion rescue. The Level 2 builds on this introduction and adds to it "the evaluation of factors critical to stability evaluation." In other words, snowpack development and metamorphosis, snowpack observation guidelines and recording formats, avalanche release and triggering mechanisms, and snow stability analysis. Even better, I got a scholarship from SMS that pays for half of the four day, $400 course. Thanks SMS! This course will come in handy in May when I attempt the...

Trooper Traverse

In February 1944, 33 10th Mountain Division soldiers participated in a World War II training mission from Leadville to Aspen, tackling a direct 40 mile ski mountaineering route through the dead of winter in the Colorado Rockies. The soldiers were undoubtedly preoccupied with the thought of being shipped off to war (the 10th saw combat in Northern Italy in 1945, suffering 992 killed in action and 4,154 wounded in action in 114 days of combat) but this route "ended up being one of the most forward-thinking and aggressive ski traverses ever done in North American mountaineering."

Map from www.wildsnow.com. Click to enlarge.

Lou Dawson painstakingly researched the exact route the soldiers followed in 1944 and in May 2001 Lou, Brian Litz, and Chris Clarke successfully completed the Trooper Traverse and celebrated just like the soldiers did, by drinking Aspen Cruds (a vanilla milkshake spiked with three shots of bourbon) at the famous J-Bar at the Hotel Jerome in downtown Aspen.

Following Dawson's lead, a handful of other ski mountaineers have completed the route since 2001. In May of 2012 I (along with a few to be determined partners) hope to do the same. This will be great training for...

The Bob Marshall Wilderness Open

My friend Dave C. and partner Paige Brady raced the Alaska Mountain Wilderness Classic in the summer of 2011, finishing the approximately 150 mile race in 84 hours, good enough for second place. Dave decided to organize a similar wilderness race in the lower 48 and the Bob Marshall Wilderness Open was born.

The "Open" is an unsupported east to west traverse of the Bob Marshall Wilderness, starting at 9:00 MDT on Saturday May 26th at the Bellview-Teton road bridge over the Teton River, 20 miles west of Choteau and finishing at the parking lot of the Hungry Bear Steak House approximately three miles south of Condon on Highway 83. The distance is 57 straight line miles, but my preliminary route (a mix of hiking and packrafting) is closer to 90 miles. Dave sums it up best:

- Be prepared, psychologically, physically, logistically. The Open will take you through big wilderness during a time which will provide perhaps the most challenging conditions of the whole year. If you're not prepared, your chances of dying are decent.

- There is no required equipment. Suggested equipment would include, but is not limited to, gear (and knowledge) to deal with flooding rivers, bad weather, over-snow travel, avalanche danger, hungry Grizzlies not long out of the den, and the unexpected (i.e. a broken ankle).

This trip will test me in ways I haven't been tested before. I'm nervous and excited. Look for a post-race report in late May.

Bob-Glacier Grand Tour

I'm planning a return to the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex in August for the Bob-Glacier Grand Tour, a (warmer and less scary than the Open) 13 day south to north backpacking and packrafting trip through the Bob and Glacier National Park. I spent several summers in Glacier while in college and have returned for a visit almost every summer since that first one in 2002, but I've never undertaken a trip of this magnitude there. I can't wait!

Of course, there will be other trips. Hopefully lots more. Schedule permitting, I'd love to return to the Wind River Range in Wyoming for another adventure. I've been contemplating a route that would require an ice axe, crampons, and a packraft! I also hope to find the time to backpack into Chicago Basin in the San Juans in southwestern Colorado to climb a remote group of fourteeners (Eolus, North Eolus, Windom and Sunlight).

Any other suggestions?