A frosty May 23rd morning that looks more like February or March!
Skier: Claudia Brauer.
During most of May, storms from the southwest have been lining up back to back pushing moisture into Colorado. Though it’s been raining quite a bit in the valleys, all that moisture has fallen as snow in the mountains, where it has often felt more like February than May in the mountains! We’ve been enjoying some great powder lines during the last few weeks; see more ski photos below! Continue reading “Mayuary”→
A spring storm rolled through Colorado over the weekend, dumping a foot of fresh powder on the mountains! We skied/snowboarded two very nice lines in a row on Monday; the first one (shown below) was from the high point in the photo above.
Skier: Don Moden.
And more storms are in the forecast! Winter’s not finished yet here in the San Juans!
“Sneffels Summit Sunset Panorama” (27″ x 80″) — one of seven prints on display in the Bradford Washburn American Mountaineering Museum in Golden, Colorado
I am honored to announce that the Bradford Washburn American Mountaineering Museum in Golden, Colorado is currently displaying an exhibit of my photography in the entrance hall of the museum through the end of July.
A joint venture of the American Alpine Club, the Colorado Mountain Club, and the National Geographic Society, the 3,500-square-foot museum is the centerpiece of the American Mountaineering Center in Golden, Colorado. The museum is the only one in the United States exclusively dedicated to rock climbing and mountaineering, with exhibits on history, mountain cultures, safety and equipment, and more.
Considering the nature of the venue, I selected seven “high altitude” photos to display, from locations including Colorado, Nepal, Peru, Patagonia, and Switzerland.
The museum is located at 710 10th Street, Golden, CO 80401. Keep an eye out for their once-a-month “Thirsty Thursday” event each month offering gear, beer, live music, and free museum admission!
Special thanks to Katie Sauter and the museum for inviting me to exhibit my work!
Despite a relatively low snowpack this year here in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado, the spring skiing/snowboarding has been fantastic lately — in large part due to the pristine snowpack free of the dust pollution that typically blows into the mountains from the desert southwest every spring. So far this year the dust storms haven’t hit the San Juans (knock on wood), so the snow remains smooth, white, and shreddable!
After our Grand Canyon trek, we had plans to backpack through the famous Buckskin Gulch and Paria Canyon, but for the second year in a row we decided to cancel those plans due to a less-than-promising weather forecast. The world’s longest slot canyon is probably not the best place to be with any chance of rain! So instead we spent a few days car camping and hiking in The Cockscomb area between the towns of Kanab and Page and Cannonville. This is an area I’ve never visited before and it was quite an interesting place! More photos below. Continue reading “Cavorting in the Cockscomb”→
Thunder Spring is an incredible spring that emerges from a cliff wall of the Grand Canyon nearly 4000 feet below the canyon rim with the force of a roaring river.
Last week we repeated a backpacking trip down into the Grand Canyon which we had done several years ago — a “lollipop” loop from the north rim down to Thunder River and Tapeats Creek, along the Colorado River, and up Deer Creek. When we hiked this route the first time back in November 2012, we did it in three days and it felt much too rushed and strenuous. But it was so impressive that we’ve been excited to return — this time with five days to relax and soak in the scenery.
April sunset behind Wetterhorn Peak (14015 ft / 4272 m), as seen from the summit of Matterhorn Peak in the Uncompahgre Wilderness of Colorado.
Wetterhorn Peak stands above its surrounding basins like an ancient crumbling volcano. Rising to 14,015 feet, the pyramidal fourteener is not only one of the most photogenic mountains in Colorado, but its steep eastern face holds a classic ski descent that I’ve been wanting to snowboard for years. This last weekend I ventured out into the Uncompahgre Wilderness with a friend to hopefully ride and photograph this beautiful mountain. Continue reading “Wetterhorn Ski Mission”→
