A weekend of skiing, eating, some adult libations, and winter scenery while catching up with another friend. Read More ...

Continue reading Benedict Hut – Another ski weekend at PMags.com.

A trip to Harry Gates Hut with spring-like conditions. Read More ...

Continue reading Harry Gates Hut – Spring in February at PMags.com.

An old favorite is skied for the first time. Read More ...

Continue reading Exploratory Ski – Golden Gate Canyon State Park at PMags.com.

A holiday weekend spent at the Sangree M. Froelicher Hut outside of Leadville. Read More ...

Continue reading Chrismukkah in the mountains : Sangree Hut at PMags.com.

A backpacking trip for May 1st weekend. Fresh powder, winter-like conditions and beautiful terrain. Read More ...

Continue reading May Day Weekend Backpacking…on skis! at PMags.com.

Just some tours over New Year’s weekend. Anxious to get out overnight, but the day trips will do for now.

” I know of no form of sport which so evenly develops the muscles, which renders the body so strong and elastic, which teaches so well the qualities of dexterity and resource, which in an equal degree calls for decision and resolution, and which gives the same vigour and exhilaration to mind and body alike… There is something in the whole which develops soul and not body alone..” -Fridtjof Nansen

I love ski tours. It is about distance, exploring and being out there. Much like hiking.

Less gear intensive and focused than the “let’s skin up a mountain and ski down a mountain” skiing and definitely more of an outdoor experience than lift-served skiing.  And, unlike snowshoeing, I am not plodding. I am flying.

Most of my trips between mid-Dec to March will be on two planks.

Continue reading New Year’s weekend ski tours at PMags.com.

Holes in 3-pin 75mm Nordic boots can get beat up. Here’s a fairly simple and inexpensive fix and/or preventive measure.

Nordic 75mm 3 pin boots are still the standard for backcountry Nordic touring.

There are other boots that may be lighter, faster, warmer,etc. but these old war-horses still provide an amazing combo of weight, versatility, simplicity and ruggedness. They work.

Over time, however, three-pin boots can get beat up. The holes in the duck-bill for locking in the boots to the bindings can get warped. And if you tend to beat on your gear even a little bit (guilty as charged), eventually the boots do not stay in place as easily.

A simple fix, and a good preventative measure in the first place, is the simple addition of Smile Plates

For only $20,and  a small amount of elbow-grease, this simple item rehabs boots quite easily.

I wish I knew about these plates in the first place as I would have put them on my boots when I first bought them!

Continue reading Gear review: Smile Plates at PMags.com.

A three-day trip to Skinner Hut near Leadville, CO.

I love hut trips.  They combine several things I enjoy in life: Great scenery, good friends, an enjoyable meal…“A dinner party with a ski trip attached” is how I always think of hut trips.

A bit more of a European-like experience in the Colorado backcountry during winter.

For those not familiar with the 10th Mtn hut system, they are backcountry huts accessible by skis or snowshoes in the Colorado Rockies.

Perhaps a bit decadent, but immensely enjoyable.

The hut of choice would be Skinner Hut. At 10.5 miles and almost 2600′ elevation gain (1500′ of it in the last three miles), the hut is a challenging one to reach but, like every hut, so worth it.

We started at the Turquoise Lake winter trailhead at Leadville, CO and made our way up Hagerman Pass Road.

Continue reading Ski to the Divide – Skinner Hut at PMags.com.

someone and I had planned a ski trip to the Teton Valley and nearby areas in later March. Some Nordic backcountry in Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks and the surrounding area was the idea.. An early spring altered our plans. But it was still a fun and relaxing trip.

The trip started off with an evening drive up to Wyoming after work.  A coffee-fueled drive that brought us to Rawlins, WY.

From there, we took 287 and made our way along the Great Divide Basin, through small towns I remember from my CDT hike of 2006 and along the Wind River Range before making our way to the final destination of Victor, ID.

In Victor, we would be staying with friends of someone's who have a cabin in the foothills.

When we planned the trip, visions of skiing were on our mind.  Fluffy powder, long tours and all framed by geysers and mountains.

Continue reading Teton Valley – Winter Becoming Spring at PMags.com.

A few ambles and rambles in the month of January

Janaury was fun for outside wanderings, too. I missed three ski weekends (wah!) due to Germany (yay!) .

It was a great trip full of much culture, history and FOOD.

All I can say is that I love my future in-laws..wonderful nice people. 🙂

The future mother-in-law in particular spoiled the heck out of me. I don't speak German or Polish, she does not speak English. We still communicated. How? By food of course! All homemade food from scratch. Mmmm mmm  The international language:Fill up your loved ones with food until they burst. 😉

In any case, I did get two weekends of skiing. Here's a few photos:

Just below the divide near Roger's Pass

A 'bit' windy at 11000 or so feet

The Continental Divide looks awesome in winter however!

Continue reading January Ski Jaunts at PMags.com.