hey all,

couple new blogs for ya,

Like to see new people checking the site out. We are always looking for content, so if you have trip reports or pics you’d like to see on here, please let us know, shoot us an email.

T

Our third run to King A’s (now to be reffered to as Horton’s Line in honor of the man himself), was an eye opener. Wall to wall rip in the upper panel of Horton’s, about 18 inches deep and two hundred feet wide, apparently skier triggered by someone traversing over to Gwenivere’s, ran all the way through the lower choke and into the flats above the last water fall. The soft slab debris was piled high in the gully, and luckily the ski tracks of the group before us showed everyone to be on top of the debris. Did a couple cursory beacon checks through the run, happily with no hits. It is truly amazing the power of moving snow, and when EV sheds, it’s time to be cautious and take a mental note of the areas sliding.

Tuesday was much better stability as much of what could rip in EV Monday did. The new snow came with colder temps Monday night, and the six to eight of new fluff seemed much more stable, especially on the debris that slid yesterday. Able to get out to Old Man’s first and fresh. Always amazing to look through the notch and see a blank canvass in Old Man’s with good visibility. Gets the heart going, and you definitely want to stick the cornice entry in front of your friends.

DPS, Big John and I all managed to hit it. I went first, cut it to the right and skied the sparse trees. Able to watch those two tee up the middle. With nothing running from my cut, they took it. Awesome run.

We staged before the lower bonus aspens for a safety meeting. Pulled out the probe and found a 95cm storm total in the north

facing, fairly low trees and skied blower trees to the traverse out.

Our bus ride was packed, and we knew getting out early was the call. Rather than deal with the second lap madness, we got off at Columbine and headed for the Gore once again.

Oh the Gore, land of endless lines and lessons. Had the two o sevens for the skin, and quickly fell behind DPS and John as DPS Dave flew up the day old skin track and I tried to keep him in sight slogging the Caddies uphill. Had skin issues, culminating in a double skin fail face plant that had me covered head to toe in fluff. Tragically funny. As I was muttering hateful things at my skins and clearing my boot for another go, a voice behind me piped up. “You know, you really shouldn’t kick those AFD’s”

Behind me was flannel boss, not from our group, skinnys in tow flying up the trail, watching me flail like a wounded moose. Now being in Bighorn, having a skin moment in really no the time or place where I want advice raining down from the trees.

“I work in a shop” he says.

I just wanted a solo moment in the woods, covered in melting snow, hands filled with soggy, useless skins. I wandered to this side of the highway to get away from such third person interaction except for my friends. I told flannel boss to go ahead and that I as well work at a shop, but wasn’t really in need of Duke advice at the present time.

Lessoned learned, take care of you skins on a multiple skin day, even if you’re all jacked up about firsties in Old Mans.

Next lesson learned. If you come upon a large disgruntled man in the woods, don’t disturb him or offer upbeat advice. Stay calm and move along.

Caught up with my crew at the flats and offered apologies to my partners. Nothing more frustrating than failing skins. We followed Dave into the steep trees and were rewarded with deep shots all the way to the tree gully opening, about 750 feet below our entrance.

The gulley to our right, Dave lead the way through the trees, avoiding the gully and the new two feet sitting on top of the melt freeze crust from the previous week.

Dave shouted clear, and I delved in farther right, asking the Gore gods if I could, might I, test the open pockets.

After three turns on the tree spine wall, the answer was an emphatic no.

Big J yelled and I knew that the beast was at my heels. I hit the throttle, skiing towards Dave position. Coming over the last steep roll, I found myself, in mid turn, on the bed surface from Dave’s slide, railing toward a stand of baseball bat sized Aspens.

It was a strike, and I filtered through the stand, ending up sliding head first through an evergreen tree well, dodging my sluff as it rolled by.

Lessonr learned, If loaded lower tree faces have slid once, probably will again. Don’t get greedy like I did, stay in the trees.

Lesson part two. Small radios are a good idea in complicated terrain. Information such as “hey, I slid out the entire lower face, so watch out coming over the last roll” is valuable and can’t be communicated via shouting over wind gusts.

Big J rolled through cautiously to round out the group. We made our way out, scoping smaller tree chutes along the was. Again the Gore was chock full o lessons, good snow and dicey moments. Another great two days off, more pow, more lessons and painful comedy.