Black Iron Bowl
Checking in here from Telluride, Colorado. This was a last-minute trip, but opportunity came knocking, so I thought I'd shirk my Sierra responsibilities and head east to the Rockies. Funny thing: it just never crossed my mind that I'd see anything other than spring skiing over here.
Because I was flying, I stripped out all my winter gear to get down to one bag. Ha! says Old Man Winter.
This morning I was riding up the Village Express in little more than a sweatshirt and a windbreaker with the weather doing a very respectable impersonation of January: temps in the single digits, winds and blowing snow—your basic blizzard scenario. I didn't even get one run in before I realized I was ridiculously under-dressed. Headed straight for the nearest ski shop and no doubt did some good work for the local economy by going on a clothes-buying frenzy.
Cold! Forecast looks like snow all week. I suppose there's some sort of be-prepared lesson here for mountain travelers, but come on! It's April! Where's my slush and sunshine? :)
On the other hand, the upside of April showers is...fresh tracks on the hike-to terrain. Did the walk up the ridge to the top of Black Iron Bowl's Mountain Quail Chute. This is just such a fun, classic line, and getting it with untracked powder was oh-so-nice.
What a beautiful day this was! There's hardly anybody on the mountain right now, so there was no rush to get untracked snow even on the lift-served stuff. New storm supposed to be blowing in tonight, so likely more fresh snow on the way.
— March 31, 2009
My family and I are deeply grateful to all of you for your kind words, encouragement, and offers of support. Every message and every gesture—big or small—has meant a lot to us. We're doing the best we can ❤️
ken white April 1, 2009 at 7:07 am
great article.