TR: CO Ruby Range, Owen and Purple 4.19/20.07

[goldenboy]

We had some fun days last week skiing locally in between the storm systems that keep throwing weak punches at the Crested Butte mountains. The Ruby range is a small sub-range of the Elk mountains west of Crested Butte, and are most easily accessed via snowmobile. Thursday, Luke and I had a few options in mind, and ended up deciding on a line on Mt Owen that we had skied before and tends to hold powder longer than most faces. We climbed up a fun ridge:



While we were climbing, we spotted our friends Sean and Woody over on neighboring Purple Pk. See if you can spot them.



The next thing we know, we see people skiing down Owen, although thankfully not down our line. They had climbed the S ridge, whereas we were ascending the E ridge. We found out the next day that this is our mayor, "diamond" Alan Bernholz. I wouldn't be surprised if some of you have taken an avie course with him. 'Da mayor:



Guess I need to find some solitude on those fourteeners we're always talking about, this thirteener is crowded You don't see people on these peaks very often:



I handed the camera to Luke, but somehow he managed to take blurry photos with my point n shoot But, here's a photo of our tracks from Purple , the following day.



The next day we went back to ski off Purple peak (right), Owen left.


Jeremy joined Luke and I on this one, here he is leading up the ridge.



This ridge was a really fun climb:









The Raggeds:



Jeremy getting ready on the summit. On a clearer day, you can see the La Sals in Utah from here.



A cup 'O tea, with Owen in the background.



Jeremy, dropping in. You can see our bootpack on the ridge, as well as the dirty snow. One of last week's storms dropped as much dust as snow, and soon we will be screwed by that dust layer












The route:


This one's just for sledJef. L-R Ruby-Owen-Purple. We were skiing the opposite sides of Owen and Purple. Those were some fun days, but that dust layer is really not making for good skiing locally. Hopefully tonight's storm covers up the dust for at least a little while.

[Joey Joe Joe Junior Shabadoo]

Nice shots, I was wondering if it was just our area that got all that dust. Kind of one last little fuck you from Mother nature. A dry March and some dust in April to help melt what snow we have left, I love it.

[mtnbikerskierchick]

Super pics! I like the looks of that Owen line!!!!!!

[Trackhead]

Beautiful perspective. Most excellent time you had.

[iskibc]

That ridge climb looks like a lot of fun.

Nice lines.

The dust storm hit the Gore Range pretty good too. Haven't seen any evidence along the front range though.

[summit]

sick stuff there!

yea dust in the tenmile

[Lone Star]

quality, as always

[Squirrel99]

awesome line! Love the POV perspective.
good spot for TH's 'hovercraft' next time

[goldenboy]

CO dust report: No dust in the Sangres

[pointedem]

excuse my ruby jongness- Is that up lamolie canyon?

[KillingCokes]

Nope rubies in colorado. Sweet TR. I like the Purple pics. Bringing back so many memories with your TRs lately.

[powdherb]

Sick Area, good tr. I guess its mountains that are under 14k that actually are worth skiing.

[Rontele]

Nice TR,

Alan was my instructor for my level 1 course. He is the mayor, now?!

[Kya]

Nice mountains!

[Z]

Very cool!

Pretty sure the dust was somewhat widespread around CO. Loveland area definitely got a decent dose...

[FrankZappa]

Nice lines you're gettin there GB and crew. You guys sure know how to make the most of what could be considered a lame year over in that neck of the woods.

I'm sure sledjef appreciates that grande finale.

[P_McPoser]

excuse my ruby jongness- Is that up lamolie canyon?

No that's the real rubies in Nevada you're thinking of.

[goldenboy]

Nice TR,

Alan was my instructor for my level 1 course. He is the mayor, now?!

He's been mayor for number of years now. You should see the ski jump he builds on a trailer, and then jumps over fire at the mardi gras parade.

[pointedem]

dood. I was gonna say... time for a trip to NV.

Anyway-- nice getting.

[Rontele]

He's been mayor for number of years now. You should see the ski jump he builds on a trailer, and then jumps over fire at the mardi gras parade.

He also taught a great Level I. But I was such a JONG when I took it, but his teachings about terrain selection and route finding was $$$.

I like the picture facing north towards the Bells and Castle. You can see where the 401 trail is (under feet of snow)

[goldenboy]

He also taught a great Level I. But I was such a JONG when I took it, but his teachings about terrain selection and route finding was $$$.

I like the picture facing north towards the Bells and Castle. You can see where the 401 trail is (under feet of snow)

'cept it's the bells and Pyramid

And I gotta say, even though everyone's been saying that the riding in Gunny is really good right now, I haven't even thought about getting on a bike yet.

[mtnbikerskierchick]

And I gotta say, even though everyone's been saying that the riding in Gunny is really good right now, I haven't even thought about getting on a bike yet.

And I quote goldenboy from this weekend, "Getting on a bike doesn't sound like ANY fun right now!"

[Rontele]

'cept it's the bells and Pyramid

And I gotta say, even though everyone's been saying that the riding in Gunny is really good right now, I haven't even thought about getting on a bike yet.

Touche! So Castle would be further to the East of Pyramid out of the righthand side of the photo?

By the time I come knocking on your door this summer, you will be all kinds of amped on riding bikes Especially if this dust layer fubars things

[goldenboy]

Touche! So Castle would be further to the East of Pyramid out of the righthand side of the photo?

Correct, Castle is off to the right. The bells, Pyramid, and Castle do look remarkably similar from some angles, I think.

[Rontele]

Correct, Castle is off to the right. The bells, Pyramid, and Castle do look remarkably similar from some angles, I think.

They do. Although the Bells are easy to recognize due to the hudge couloir on S. Maroon. Have you skied that? I can't imagine how to access that unless up Schoefield Pass from Marble into W. Maroon Creek? Or can you poach the road from the Gothic side on a sled?