Last week a series of storms dumped a much-needed 2-4 feet of snow in the San Juans! On Monday we enjoyed a day of knee-to-waist-deep snow at Durango Mountain ski area. On Thursday the storm broke and Claudia and I went up to the pass for a couple laps under the gorgeous bluebird sky.
Unfortunately the avy danger is still so bad that we can’t really do much with all that fresh powder… We’re still sticking to the low angle safer stuff for now.
This weekend is the Ouray Ice Festival, with lots of ice climbers and fun stuff going on! I walked up and took this vertical panorama today; I look forward to seeing the competitions tomorrow!
And, here’s a nice video “Ice” presented by the Ouray Ice Park from Outside Adventure Media on Vimeo.
[vimeo clip_id="57924628" width="700" height="394"]
I’m a couple days late, but HAPPY NEW YEAR! The photo above is actually from New Years in Mayrhofen, Austria a couple years ago. This year we had a rockin’ time with friends out on the town here in Ouray. Nice fireworks here too, but I was in no shape to be handling a camera at the time!
Speaking of fireworks, one thing I noticed during my stay in Europe was the different nature of fireworks shows over there. Instead of the big “official” city fireworks shows that we have here in the US, in Europe I think it’s more common (or at least in the smaller cities) that everybody in town shoots off their own “medium” sized fireworks. So while the fireworks there weren’t individually as large, I’ve never seen SO MANY at once! Pretty cool.
Anyhow, I wish you all the best in 2013! I know I’m looking forward to an adventure-filled year!
Winter Twilight over Ouray : Prints Available
Skies clear at twilight after several days of snow storms in Ouray, Colorado in the San Juan Mountains – December.
This evening Claudia and I tromped through the fresh powder up to our favorite “wine” spot above Ouray – but being winter, this time we brought a thermos of glühwein instead! Yum… Oh, and on the way up we passed a family of bighorn sheep… pretty cool!
As 2012 comes to a close, I thought I’d take a look back and post my personal favorite photos from the year. 2012 was a momentous year in my life since Claudia and I got married in August! But photographically speaking it’s been a relatively quiet year, unlike 2011 when I spent more time in foreign countries than I spent in the US. This year Claudia and I were happy to mostly just be “home” in Colorado, though we did manage several big road trips to Montana and the deserts of California, Arizona, and Utah. (None of the desert photos made the cut here… they just can’t compete with the mountains!)
It’s insanely difficult to whittle down a year’s worth of photos to only 12; a list of 16 or 20 would have been much easier! But “12 for ’12” was my theme here so I had to do it. Without further ado, here’s my 12 favorite photos from 2012.
Mt. Sneffels Summit Sunrise : Prints Available
Sunrise atop Mt. Sneffels (14,150 ft.) – May.
Solar Eclipse over the Sneffels Range : Prints Available
The peak of the May 2012 annular solar eclipse above Yankee Boy Basin. Potosi Peak is on the right, with Mt. Sneffels behind. At the bottom you can see the solar eclipse as refracted in the lens flare.
Fiery Dunes Sunset : Prints Available
A fiery sunset over the Great Sand Dunes with the Sangre de Cristo mountains behind – June.
Pyramid Peak Sunrise : Prints Available
Sunrise reflection of Pyramid Peak, in Glenns Lake – July.
Cracker Lake Dawn : Prints Available
A lone mountain goat surveys the scene at Cracker Lake at dawn – July.
Dark Sunrise in the Needles : Prints Available
A single beam of sunrise light illuminates the Needle Mountains on a stormy morning deep in the Weminuche Wilderness.
Grenadier Sunrise Reflection #2 : Prints Available
Reflection of Vestal Peak and Arrow Peak of the Grenadier Range during a fiery sunrise.
Aspen in the Fog : Prints Available
Aspen forest in the fog – September.
Fall Creek Sunrise : Prints Available
A stormy sunrise above Dolores Peak and the vast aspen groves of the Fall Creek valley near Telluride, Colorado – September.
Chimney Rock Sunset : Prints Available
Sunset light on Chimney Rock and Courthouse Mountain in the Cimarron Range near Ridgway, Colorado – September.
Cimarron Sunset Panorama : Prints Available
The Cimarrons lit up by a spectacular sunset over Ridgway and Pleasant Valley, with the Sneffels Range in the background. Chimney Rock and Courthouse Mountain are the prominent peaks near the center. The West Fork Cimarron valley is at left.
Ice Lakes Icy Dawn : Prints Available
Dawn light in Ice Lakes Basin on a chilly October morning after the second snowfall of the season.
I wish you all the best in 2013!
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from Jack & Claudia here in Ouray, Colorado!
Chasing Ice Trailer from milkhaus on Vimeo.
To celebrate the Mayan apocalypse in proper fashion, last night we went to see Chasing Ice, the new documentary movie about acclaimed photographer James Balog and his monumental efforts to document the receding glaciers of Greenland and Alaska.
Anybody with their head out of the sand can clearly understand that our planet is in turmoil; nevertheless, it is still utterly shocking and sobering to actually SEE through Balog’s cameras and time-lapses how rapidly these enormous glaciers and ice sheets are melting away. We are witnessing a planetary transformation of stunning speed and scale, and it’s difficult to imagine “smooth sailing” for our civilization in the coming decades. How many wake-up-calls do we need as a society to realize that we need to get our sh-t together and move forward with more sustainable energy policies?!
I encourage you to go see this movie as soon as possible. Go SEE how our Earth is transforming while we all go about business as usual. Go SEE for yourself.
A wild sunset over Ouray on Tuesday evening, signaling the approaching storm that barreled through the San Juan Mountains and most of Colorado the last few days. This last series of storms dumped something like 5 feet of snow at Wolf Creek Pass on the south side of the San Juans, and we made sure to be there in the midst of it to score our first powder day of the season! And what a day it was on Wednesday, with bottomless powder and nuking snow all day long! Sorry, no pictures… I was too busy choking on snow! I’m glad that winter finally showed up around here.
Since I’m lacking any new recent photos to share, I dug into the “vault” and found a few unreleased photos from my 2009 trip to Norway to share. The first two are new drum scans from my stack of 4×5 film.
Otertind Reflection : Prints Available
Otertind reflects in a calm river.
Above is the beautiful mountain of Otertind, in northern Norway, reflected in a calm river on a gorgeous blue sky morning. Otertind’s striking profile is actually more attractive from a more distant perspective.
Hermannsdalstinden Summit : Prints Available
A rugged view over the Lofoten Islands, as seen from the summit of Hermannsdalstinden (1029m), the tallest mountain on Moskenesøya Island.
The scrambly climb up Hermannsdalstinden in the Lofoten Islands was one of the most challenging and fun hikes I did during my six weeks in Norway, and the view from the top remains one of the most rugged mountain vistas I’ve witnessed to date. This view here is only one slice of the incredible 360º panorama encompassing granite peaks, deep fjords, alpine lakes, and of course the endless ocean beyond.
Vindstad Peaks : Prints Available
This 732m peak on Moskenesøya Island looks like a Norwegian version of Half Dome in Yosemite. Kjerkfjorden and the little settlement of Vindstad are below the clouds.
Just phenomenal scenery over there in Norway! I hope to return someday.
Red Mountain Dusk : Prints Available
Dusk light atop Red Mountain 3, between Ouray and Silverton.
On Wednesday evening we hiked up to the 12,890 ft. summit of Red Mountain No. 3 to watch the sunset and the full moon rise.
Red Mountain Moonrise : Prints Available
A full moon rises over Brown Mountain, as seen from the summit of Red 3, November.
As you can see we’re hurting for snow out here in the San Juans. But, the lack of snow made for a fairly easy hike up there in just our regular hiking boots and gaiters. No snowshoes necessary!
McMillan Moonlight : Prints Available
Moonlight illuminates McMillan Peak above Red Mountain Pass, November.
It felt good to pull the camera out again and scratch that photo itch!
