Written by Mark Johnson Do you ever wonder what your face would look like under the pressure of certain life threatening danger that can only be prevented by vigorously heeding the commands of your fearless leader while simultaneously trying to squeeze out a fearful little toot? I do not, thankfully, because I have a photo of myself making that face. Disregard the my boatmates who appear to be simply having fun splashing their way down the rapids. This photo perfectly captures the dualistic nature of paddling on whitewater; it is quite fun, and quite scary. And it’s fun to be READ MORE
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Riding the Monarch Crest
The mountain biking on the Monarch Crest is well known, but the first I heard of it was from Mark. Almost as soon as I got my mountain bike he was talking about riding it, and I heard a lot about what a great ride it was before I ever made it out there. In fact, I think every time Mark talked to me about the Crest the riding got better: first it was the best riding in the area, then in the state, then the country, it’s best ride in the world! Mark’s contagious excitement finally found us with READ MORE
Sewing Bicycle Bags
When Mark and I bought our tandem we briefly consider purchasing custom frame bags to use the bike’s double sized frame as storage. After a little thought and reflection on cost we realized that we would be better off sewing the bags ourselves. I had sewn my own tarp for backpacking and had a little bit of sewing experience. Mark had no sewing experience, but I was confident that he would be a quick learner. I was first inspired to sew my own gear when I read Ray Jardine’s Trail Life, an informational book about long distance hiking. Jenny and READ MORE
Why Tandem?
When I was hiking the CDT, Mark got the idea that we should plan a bike trip together. Maybe, he thought we should do it on a tandem. I had never ridden a tandem before, but I was on board with the idea. We talked to many of our friends about the idea and received a fair amount of skepticism along with some outright abhorrence at the idea. From the dramatic to the mundane, we heard and read all sorts of reasons not to buy a tandem bicycle: “it’ll ruin your relationship,” “won’t you get bored staring at his sweaty READ MORE
Oh What Big Eyes You Have Couloir
Mark, Parker and I set out to do an aesthetic line that had peaked our attention last season. The “Oh What Big Eyes You Have” Couloir sits off of East East Red peak. It consists of a steep continuous ski, down a 20 ft hallway made up of tall cliffs on either side. Date: May 7, 2021 Distance: approx. 9.5 miles round trip Elevation Gain: 3700‘ Trailhead: Gore Range Trail We got up early for another ski, but after our adventure on La Plata, this start felt fairly mild. We started up the Gore Range trail in the dark, enjoying the READ MORE
Skiing La Plata Peak
Date: April 29, 2021 Distance: 8 miles round trip Elevation Gain: approx 4,200′ Trailhead: La Plata trailhead La Plata peak had been on Parker’s ski list for a while and when we viewed the north face at the break of day, Mark and I could see why. The face boasts a beautiful web of snowfields, couloirs and rock outcroppings. The early spring skiing start was especially challenging for me. I had gone to a pool session (to learn to roll a kayak) the night before in Alamosa. I didn’t get back to Leadville, and bed, until 11 pm with my READ MORE
Twelve hours and a midnight start: Skiing Mt. Daly
Date: May 23, 2020 Distance: approx. 14 miles round trip Elevation Gain: approx. 5000′ Trailhead: Snowmass Creek Mark had set his sights on mountain biking and all but put away his ski boots when Parker called us with a flash of inspiration: ski Mt. Daly. I was working in Aspen for a couple months before I started thru-hiking the CDT, so all of us were in the Roaring Fork valley making the adjacent peak a perfect objective. Mark and Parker had surely spent many a day gazing at the face of Mt. Daly which stands out even against the backdrop READ MORE
A Little Line off of Woods Peak
Date: April 18, 2021 Distance: 4.8 miles round trip Elevation Gain: 2,600′ Trailhead: Watrous Gulch As the spring snowpack consolidated, Mark and I found our first day to take advantage of it this season. With a fairly restrained time window, we decided to ski something with a short approach that allowed for easy skiing. We decided on Woods peak which sits just North of I-70, not an hour drive from Denver where Mark is currently living. There were several other groups leaving from the trailhead when we parked around 7 am. Different groups were choosing different strategies to navigate the READ MORE
Skiing Torrey’s Peak: Emperor Couloir
This was another ski line we were lucky enough to undertake during the initial COVID-19 lock down. Mark, Parker and I skied this line only two days after Mark and I had skied the Dead Dog couloir on the East facing side of Torrey’s peak. Usually a popular peak for spring skiing, we were lucky to be the only party out there for both outings. Emperor couloir is located on the North face of the peak and we now enjoy the pleasure of seeing the line we skied every time we drive by on I-70. Date: April 9, 2020 Distance: READ MORE
Skiing Torrey’s Peak: Dead Dog Couloir
Date: April 7, 2020 Distance: approx. 11 miles round trip Elevation Gain: 4,500 ‘ Trailhead: Bakerville exit Dead Dog Couloir is a prominent feature on the East face of Torrey’s peak. Easy access from I-70 makes this steep aesthetic line a popular ski. Mark and I used the stable spring snow as an opportunity to try it out ourselves. Starting at the Bakersville exit, we hiked up the dirt road, now snowed in, for about three miles before reaching the summer trailhead. We turned off onto the trail and followed the valley up towards Gray’s and Torrey’s peaks. Once we READ MORE