The TR that didn't (Colorado snowpack)...

[levistewart]

Well this past Saturday started off with me and skibum193 in search of some of of the recently deposited powder snow from this past storm in Co. After scoping the wind-scraped Indian Peaks we decided to move on to the Trail head for Greys and Torys arriving there at around 10:00 after trudging up to the summer time trailhead we spotted what we felt would be out line.
Sweet old miners bunk house

our line


after some more trudging we reached the base of our line and considered the recent Avy happenings, so we decided to dig a pit. The pit showed most of what we expected, 4inch recent wind soft slab, about a 15inch layer of soft windslab and then a nasty layer icey crud that has been noted in past tr's. seeing this we both became wary but wnated to further test the snow, first we did a compression test which caused a fail in the first layer and no other effects. But we still didn't trust the snow so we dug a wider trench and did a rutshblock test which indeed proved that this bottom layer is something to worry about.
Skibum193 caused this layer to fail with a load level of 2 (gently stepped on to the block)


as you can see we didn't perform the test perfectly but it proved valid none-the-less. with this evident failure we decide to not hike up our planned route and instead headed home. a long day and shitty skiing but a good experience no doubt.

[Summit]

good report

[KansasBoarder]

Good to know whose tracks I followed up to the Summer TH today!

I too, turned away from my initial line on Kelso. Wanted to get out and stretch the legs; destination Kelso's N gully/avy chute. The snowshoe in was pretty fast due to the heavy foot traffic the area has seen. Breaking trail in the manky snow above the Summer TH was less pleasurable, but still manageable.

Reached the awesomely calm and warm summit just after noon - the views were as gorgeous as ever:





After looking down the "north line" (which was in from the summit, if one doesn't mind a little billygoating approx 200ft down) I opted to ride the SE face. My rationale was that solo-ing a N facing super-terrain trap, even on bullet-proof wind effect, wasn't and isn't the brightest idea.

Also, the fact that the SE face offered playful chalky to corn conditions helped to make the decision easier:




Little thin down low on the line ~11,600, but the trail and road out was entirely ridable, save 100 yards.

Nothing like a six mile ride to kick off November!


The sunset was pretty nice too:

[Crystal_Mt_Dreamin]

nice TR levistewart, the mountains will always be there another day

[Pancakes]

This is one of the best TRs I have read on this site. Damn Straight.

[the vor]

really dug this TR. The stars don't always align and it pays to notice when that is happening. Thanks for sharing.

[akokskis]

Originally Posted by KansasBoarder

The sunset was pretty nice too:

Talk about understatement!

That's incredibly beautiful. (Is there any photoshopping to pop out the colors, or totally natural? Either way, wow. )

[levistewart]

damn that black and white is incredible... looks like a nice trip all around in fact

[F.D.V.]

Great decision making!

Way to recognize!

[KansasBoarder]

Originally Posted by akokskis

Talk about understatement!

That's incredibly beautiful. (Is there any photoshopping to pop out the colors, or totally natural? Either way, wow. )

Cropped, unsharp mask, border.

Nothing done with levels or contrast - just that damn beautiful in real life. Wish I could have been out on the shores of Lake Dillon to capture that one, 15 minutes of a mesmerizing kaleidoscope..still nice from the shoulder of I-70.

[KansasBoarder]

Originally Posted by levistewart

damn that black and white is incredible... looks like a nice trip all around in fact

Seriously fun outing. Made me wish that I could have shared it with someone. Then again, maybe the impact of standing on the top of that peak was enhanced by the fact that I was alone in the hills. Either way, felt so damn good to get out, sweat a little, and ride a super enjoyable "mellow" line.

[tone capone]

Good work, y'all.

[freeheel80731]

Great photo of Greys and Torreys
not the usual perspective on those peaks

those were the first 14ers i hiked and skiied in CO so I always love seeing pics of them

[DAFTC]

Awesome pics KB and way to put the good call out there levistewart...

[Kya]

Way to use your head.

[Hacksaw]

Originally Posted by Kya

Way to use your head.

I'll second that comment!!

Its going to be a long winter, and there will be a lot of great skiing in the spring...

[spindrift]

Originally Posted by Hacksaw

I'll second that comment!!

Thirded.

Thanks for posting.

[smitchell333]

Glad you backed off - shows good skills.

I was out noodling low angle super soft 1100' tree shots yesterday b/c shit has gone bad for the time being above Treeline in particular.

[Julie_W]

Good call, boys. Nice pics and great report!

[Marius]

nice. hope you enjoyed the days in the mountains.

try the line the next time, the mountain will still be there

[doumall]

REFRESHING humility

[Bean]

Way to back off when it's not safe. Sick.

Seriously, bravo on not being part of the next avy report. It's not an easy decision to make but screwing up that choice could kill you.

[skibum193]

definitely not the decision you want to make, but it was a pretty obvious one once we got up there. at least we got to scope a sick area that has tons of potential once it fills in!

[Summit]

I had a discussion another mag today and we thought some additional words could be offered here. My amateurish words should NOT be taken as a berating or saying that something was done wrong, just food for thought about the philosophy of making good snow safety decisions:

We go to lines because we want to ski them (unless we truly enjoy long walks with extra gear we don't use simply for the sake of exercising with a heavy load). When we choose a line, we SHOULD have a good idea that the conditions will allow us to ski it based upon our existing knowledge of the snow, weather, and conditions. Many of us get this from avalanche center's report. We ought to be boosting it with our own observations and those of others.

Having a good idea beforehand isn't just to save time and effort. It is to avoid the traps of our own minds. Most avalanche accidents are caused by poor choices, that is, failure to apply our knowledge rather than random happenings or pure ignorance. Sometimes that failure is are due to a failure to integrate information we know or by acting against what we know, or by failing to acquire needed information.

What's worse, our desires alter our rational decisions, at least a little bit (sometimes a lot). One way this occurs is that the more we put ourselves in situations where we shouldn't go, the higher the chance that one of those times, especially if it is a close decision, we will push ourselves to the less smart choice because of desire and effort already invested (summit fever, powder fever, etc). If we can minimize those situations by thinking ahead, we improve our chances. And we can help do that by having an idea before we decide to head out.

Of course we should not be sold on our assumptions. We check against these assumptions of a good line (and against the desire for it) by collecting good information, observing and testing the snow when we are out there. Of course, when we look at the snow, we are taking a very small sample(s), too small to confirm that an idea is good. WHEN WE LOOK AT THE SNOW PIT, WE ARE ACTUALLY LOOKING FOR THINGS WE DIDN'T ANTICIPATE. WE ARE LOOKING FOR REASONS NOT TO SKI.

And, of course, we use our eyes and ears and look at more than the holes we dig and poke in the snow (seriously, an avalanche professional opened my mind to use my probe pole for spot checks... carry it out!)

I don't know if the parties thought their lines were going to likely allow a ski (and if so, why?), or whether they simply went to look and see. I don't know if they looked only for reasons not to ski, or also for reasons to ski.

I do know they clearly recognized reasons not to ski and made smart choices with that information.

[levistewart]

Originally Posted by Summit

We go to lines because we want to ski them (unless we truly enjoy long walks with extra gear we don't use simply for the sake of exercising with a heavy load). When we choose a line, we SHOULD have a good idea that the conditions will allow us to ski it based upon our existing knowledge of the snow, weather, and conditions. Many of us get this from avalanche center's report. We ought to be boosting it with our own observations and those of others.

i think that whole quote is spot on. in this instance we knew that there was a funky layer at depth and that many of the recent sides had been on east aspects, which this route was, so clearly we felt there was a potential that we would have to turn around, not having plans for any other routes that would have been more feasible given the current conditions is why in the end we had a shit ski (or lack there of). I don't want to speak for Erik, but as a newb in the back-country, from the beginning this trip was looked at as a way to get a feel for the snow-pack we'll be dealing with this season, get aquatinted with new mountain terrain, and have a solid and safe learning experience on the whole. While we failed in a several aspects; picking an appropriate line, giving ourselves enough time to change plans, and a couple other small yet significant mistakes; I would say that we achieved a safe learning experience that we will both take a lot away from.