After a winter seasons work Mark and I were ready for some time off to play outside and see some friends. I spent another winter as a ski instructor in Leadville, while Mark helped his mom and niece move into a new house, buy a new van and adjust to some other changes in their READ MORE
Author: nicolettejones13
Skiing the Box couloirs: Mt Elbert
The first winter I moved to Leadville (2019-20) Matt White and I were one another’s main ski partners, logging many early mornings on Chicago ridge near Ski Cooper and exploring Leadville east. That was my first winter backcountry skiing, and Matt and I learned a lot together. After a few winter’s away, Matt moved back READ MORE
Podcast Release!
About a month ago, Mark and I did an interview with Mason Gravely from “The Adventure Sports Podcast” about our ski traverse of the Colorado trail. The episode was just published and you can listen to it on the podcast website, adventuresportspodcast.com, or find episode 882 The First Ski Traverse of the Colorado Trail – READ MORE
A Bike Ride Through New Mexico
The past couple years, as I have gotten into a routine of the seasonal work schedule, I find myself missing many of my close friends and family during the work season and doing my best to play catchup in the off season. This year is no different, and I am thankful to be able to READ MORE
A Big Effort on the Colorado Trail
I usually start my mornings slow when I’m backpacking: waking up whenever my body chooses and letting the sun warm the air before I start moving. When I started hiking the Colorado Trail this time around, I knew that would not be the case, I was trying to cover more miles than I usually do READ MORE
A Spring Ski Traverse of the Colorado Trail
On April 9th Mark and I set off from the Waterton Canyon trailhead to attempt a spring ski traverse of the Colorado trail. Less than a month later on May 6th, we arrived at the southern terminus of the 486 mile trail in Durango! The most remarkable part of this experience is that there is READ MORE
Let’s go for a walk in the snow: Mark and I set out to ski (and hike) the Colorado Trail
Mark and I are setting out to do a ski traverse of the Colorado trail: a 486 mile trail that stretches from Durango to Denver. We will resupply every 3-5 days with the help of some friends who have graciously agreed to help us out. We are planning about 25 days total from start to READ MORE
Sleeping in the Snow: Some More Experiences Learning to Winter Camp
Mark and I have spent a couple more nights in the snow as we continue to refine our winter camping system. While we won’t say winter camping is easy for us just yet, every time we go out it feels more manageable. Right now, the biggest challenge that we have been encountering is balancing comfort READ MORE
Back to blogging!
After a longer break than I expected, I am restarting my blog. I have even put a little more attention into my site this time! If you followed my Continental Divide Trail blog, I hope you’ll enjoy what I have to offer here too! I also hope you continue to read along as I grow READ MORE
Raft guiding Browns Canyon
Last summer I worked as a raft guide on the Upper Arkansas river in Salida, Colorado. While I had been introduced to whitewater in college, I came into the job with very little experience rafting. I started working after two weeks of guide training, but the training never ended. Like many things, the more I READ MORE