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 Christy, finding the old facets skied like a big pile of granulated sugar. When Kir’s email came through asking if Christy and I would like to join her and Anda at her Chair Mountain cabin for the weekend, you could hardly describe the thought process as a decision– I knew instantly we were going. Having spent nearly every day of the past three weeks working/skiing the thin coverage of Aspen Mountain, I really wanted to getaway and go somewhere. And after our ski experience on Chair last spring (see post here), I also knew Christy would be game, even if the big snows that typically bury this area hadn’t yet arrived.
It was a great weekend for all sorts of reasons– to finally see Penn and Kir’s cabin, to log some hut quiet-time and skinning miles, and even for the skiing. The snow, though heavily faceted and only about a foot and a half to two feet deep, proved to be pretty good in parts, at least in a consistent, sugary sense. read more>>>
 A photo from the start. [Christy here, again] It’s not a good sign when things look like this in January.
Sure, we need more snow, but it could always be worse. Even with a not-so-great start to the season, we’re still pretty lucky that we can get out on a nice, long tour and enjoy the gorgeous scenery.
With a random Monday off, and a need to unwind from the holidays, I took my cross-country ski set up out on the Express Creek to Richmond Ridge loop, and got in a little solo training for the upcoming Elk Mountains Grand Traverse. Since Ted had to work, he kindly offered to drop me off at the Express Creek trailhead up by Ashcroft, so that I could get out for this classic 20-mile loop back to town. read more>>>
 It was far from a "White Christmas" around Aspen this year, but we did manage to find a little bit of powder up in the Pearl Pass area. (Christy here) For the second year in a row, we escaped the hustle-and-bustle of the holidays in Aspen to meet friends at the Green-Wilson hut for Christmas. Starting from Ashcroft on Christmas Eve afternoon, we skinned the five-plus miles to the hut under starry skies. Around 6:30pm we saw the lights of our cozy mountain cabin and were instantly greeted with holiday drinks and creative hors d’oeuvres. read more>>>
 Is the "tough" part of the slogan meant to describe the lottery? The lottery for the 2012 Hardrock 100 was on Sunday, and I’m thrilled to report that I got in again.
Some say the lottery process is the hardest part of the race. While that’s definitely an exaggeration, if you’re not given a chance to run because you can’t get a number, well then it’s sort of true. This year, there were 658 people vying for 140 slots, so some 79% of applicants didn’t get in. That’s pretty tough odds.
I can’t help but feel kind of lucky, not just for Sunday’s good draw, but for my luck and timing over the past few years.
When the race was first held in 1992, and for the first ten years that followed, it never even filled up. When I arrived to the scene in 2007, there was a waitlist, but if you qualified and applied for entry, your chances of running were pretty reasonable. In the years since then, its popularity surged, but with a bit of lottery luck, I managed to get in and finish every year, with the exception of 2008 when I was waitlisted. (My 2008 number was actually called on race day, and had I been there and ready, I could have run, so I’ve actually made it in every year.) read more>>>
 What better way to kick off the season than to debut a new outfit. Looking good, Fry. Our season has begun.
Not wanting to wait another month for the lifts start running here, Christy, Kathy, Joey, and I headed up to Montezuma Basin yesterday. It’s a haul to get up there, but when the snow is good, it’s definitely worth the effort. For anyone considering heading up that way, the road isn’t too slick or snowy for driving, yet. There’s weather in the forecast next week though, and it won’t take much before the road is impassable to cars, so get up there while you can. read more>>>
 Christy follows the route pioneered by Albert Ellingwood, ninety years ago. Often there was only one way to go along the ridge, which meant we were likely following in his exact footsteps. “…perhaps two miles of interminable pinnacles, sheer on both sides. It was worse than it had looked. Many could be circled on the east side, but many must be taken straight on. Up and down, up and down, over rock that was very slow and called for much care. I got liberal samples of about all the varieties of rock-climbing known– smooth faces, cracks, chimneys, ledges, noses, razor edges and what not. Two or three real nasty stretches held me up for from 5 to 10 minutes each. I pushed steadily and as fast as I could, but slowed up from the weariness as I neared the ridge at the head of the Basin.”
-Albert Ellingwood, as recounted in his notes and published in Jeff Arnold’s book, Albert Ellingwood – Scholar of Summits. read more>>>
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