Date: April 5, 2020 Distance: approx. 12 miles round trip Elevation Gain: 5,000 ‘ Trailhead: South Mt Elbert Trailhead Mark and I set out to ski the box couloirs on Mt Elbert on April 5th 2020. The springtime snowpack had begun to consolidate and we thought it a good time to try something steeper. We started hiking around 6 am, making our way up the well traveled to trail , only a 30 minute drive from Leadville. To start our hike, we headed up a frozen 4×4 road, that we didn’t want to drive on but were happy to enjoy READ MORE
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Skiing Quandary Peak: Everyone’s first 14er
Shortly after lockdown in March 2020, Mark, Matt and I had established ourselves, along with my roommate, as a small bubble in Leadville. We were lucky to be where we were with access to lots of time outside in a relatively rural area. We enjoyed a lot of luxury during this time that other people did not. For that I am extremely humbled. Date: March 16, 2020 Distance: 6 mi roundtrip Elevation Gain: 3400′ Trailhead: Quandary Trailhead On March 16, 2020, Matt Mark and I hiked and skied Quandary Peak. It’s just over three miles from the popular trailhead to READ MORE
No one told me it would be cold here!
Night two for Mark and I sleeping in the snow! Tucked inside our sleeping bags atop our mega sleeping pad (more on this later) inside our tent, Mark and I were certainly protected from the dangers of the cold clear night, but we were not entirely immune to it. At 3 am, we were both too uncomfortable chilly to sleep, so we boiled hot water bottles, added an extra and layer and got a few more hours of slumber before waking to a bitter cold morning. Sleeping at the base of a western facing slope, we were not greeted with READ MORE