Last week I went to Winter Park, primarily to ski moguls at Mary Jane. Although it hasn't been the greatest snow year in Colorado, what they have sure beats what we have in New England. Nights were cold, but decent corn developed by late morning. This is one of Mary Jane's signature trails, Outhouse, with an impressive view to add to the aesthetic appeal of the run.
On a "day off" I went to Berthoud Pass, which affords huge expanses of terrain very close to U.S. 40.
I targeted an east-facing slope that developed very friendly snow by 9:00 AM. The headwall approaches about 45 degrees, then flattens out to a mini-summit, from which there are great views and even more endless terrain.
At the top, I encountered several AT and tele skiers who were apparently coming up a more gradual ridge from the south. One was originally from North Conway, but now he lives in Denver.
Then I dropped over onto the headwall.
There were a number of rock formations on either side, which let to some interesting options.
After a great excursion, I headed back to Winter Park. On the morning of my drive back to the Denver airport, I awoke at 3:00 AM to find 3 inches of fresh snow on the ground. While approaching Burlington from LaGuardia, I got a nice view of Camel's Hump, which had minimal patches of visible snow. Mount Mansfield was covered by a dark cloud, but it certainly wasn't snowing.
TR: Berthoud Pass, CO - March 15, 2012
Hybrid Mode
