At River’s Edge

At first, somewhat forced to grumpily sit back, rest up and take it easy, now under the warm spring sunshine (60's!!!!), snoozing on river banks, strolling through the undergrowth and just relishing the surrounding scenery. In photos:

Sidelined

On Four Mile road up to Sunlight Mountain where I spend most of my mornings training, lies an old car, rusted out and up on blocks, bullet holes pepper its fenders creaking in the wind. 

I'm 0 for 2 on the Power of Four race. This time it was a DNS (Did Not Start) rather than the DNF we had last year. Although it was Scott, my race partner's sickness that caused us to call it off, I had the opportunity to find another race partner but something was holding me back - I wasn't feeling 100% either. In reality I couldn't have done it. The heavy chest and difficulty breathing I've experienced for a couple of weeks now got progressively worse this week. I finally went to the doc today, a place I haven't been for maybe three of four years as I *never* get sick. Until now. I have been diagnosed with acute bronchitis apparently brought on by breathing *excessive* (not by my standards) cold air. Got to rest up for at least a week.

But we wont let the training go to waste or the disappointment of not even starting the POF bring us down.  We have our eyes on the fairly burly Five Peaks race in Breckenridge in a months time. We'll be back at it real soon, cruising on by the rusted old car instead of identifying with it.

Lipstick

Well I'm in the home stretch - less than a week before my big goal of the season, the Power of Four skimountaineering race. The last week has not gone quite as planned as I have been struck down with a chest cold and not been able to get out much, least of all push it. It's been a little demoralizing but, as I need to keep reminding myself, the important training has been done over the past five months not the past five days. On the plus side I have been the very lucky beneficiary of a massive upgrade in equipment. Chad bought me some super light Dynafit TLT Mountain boots as a Valentine's gift and my friend Pete loaned me a pair of Atomic randonee race skis. The boots are top of the line, fit like a glove and are the best I have ever owned - I am so totally head over heels in love. The skis apparently are the same as those worn by the fleet goat who, along with Greg Hill, set the record for climbing 50,000 feet in 24 hours. Though Pete is quick to point out the skis have a little age on them, I find age is irrelevant in this case as these are a mega upgrade for me and, quite honestly, akin to putting lipstick on a pig. But this little piggie sure does like her new stuff - with a weight savings of over 2lbs per trotter when compared to last year. Multiply that by the number of steps I will have to make to cover 25 miles with 11,000 feet of climbing and there will surely be much less squealing and oinking. Thanks Pete and Chad!! 

Green lipstick:

Getting new equipment, especially boots, just a few weeks before a big race is not super advisable so I've been wearing the boots as much as I can. I can report they handle everything with aplomb. Powder days in the backcountry? Check. Bump runs and carving the 'roy inbounds? Check. Kite skiing? Check. Bar hopping? Of course!

Kite skiing on Ruedi Reservoir in stormy conditions:

Pete enjoying some mellow but great backcountry skiing on a glorious bluebird day in our local stash. A partial payment for the loan of the lipstick: 

Here Comes the Sun

For the last two months my pre-work dawn patrols have both started and finished in the dark. Just this past week I've had an inkling that I would soon see the sunrise, if it wasn't for the clouds and the snow (yay!). Yesterday the night sky was clear with stars winking and the crescent of the waning Snow Moon sliding downwards through the inky dawn as I climbed. On the summit of Sunlight Mountain I finally saw the first light warming the eastern sky.

There is no better way to start the work day than to watch the sunrise from the top of a mountain. Here Leonard's Lookout frames Mount Sopris with the mountains of the Continental Divide to the north east (left):

Welcome back Sun, good to see you again.

Meadow Skipping and Tree Threading

In the interests of staying alive, we are -- have had to -- dial it down more than a notch or two in the backcountry. Spooky cracks are everywhere. This one just on a very low angle slope, not going anywhere, but with a few more degrees.....

Whumpfing snow and racing heart beats are drowning out the distant memories of over the head, blower pow on steep faces and open bowls that we would expect to be enjoying at this time of year. Today the reality is something quite different. We are keeping it mellow. Meadow skipping and tree threading is the name of the game in our neck of the woods. As demonstrated by Pete Harris:

Going slow and taking in the surroundings also makes me really appreciate just being out, and alive, to be able to enjoy it.

Chad skins beneath the snow snake hanging in the tree:

Threading the trees again:

It's different, but still fun. I guess we are going to have to get used to it as our sketch snowpack is here to stay.