For this quick in-and-out visit to Colorado, I decided to go back to a few ski areas that impressed me many moons ago but are just far enough from the Front Range to deter most fly-in visitors. Monarch, located right along the high mountain pass with the same name, is a classic non-resort with comparatively modest stats (1,170 vertical feet, about the same as Plattekill back east) and has no high-speed lifts, snowmaking, or lodging. It's mainly a locals hill for Colorado Springs and Pueblo, the nearby towns of Salida and Gunnison, along with drive-up skiers from neighboring western Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas.
On the three-hour drive from Denver on Route 285, it was a bit brisk in the valleys. Some were reporting ambient temps as low as -35F:
The region had gotten a nice dump midweek that actually closed Route 50 (something that happens very rarely) so CDOT could perform avalanche control alongside the road,. Monarch didn't open on Thursday so people who came on Friday feasted on a three-foot powder day -- and I got there Saturday.
After a slow start to the season, Monarch has gotten 173 inches YTD and everything was covered nicely. Despite its short vertical, there's some nice variety in the terrain. I had fun tracking through the sloppy seconds on the lift-served part of the mountain during the first couple hours:
Stopping for an early lunch at the Sidewinder Saloon:
Finally, I was ready to tackle the hike-to Mirkwood Basin, which is, for lack of a better analogy, Monarch's version of Solitude's Honeycomb Canyon, except it has a more consistent drop. For people who are in decent shape and accustomed to the altitude, it's a 15- maybe 20-minute hike. For me, fresh from sea level, it took a good 40 minutes to get to the 12K summit. More than 30 people must have passed me on the way up.
At the top:
Looking over the edge into the Basin:
Further down, heading into the trees:
In short: a great community feel (people there talk about the ski area like a family member), 350 inches average snowfall, a nice hike-to sector, and a cat-ski operation.
On the three-hour drive from Denver on Route 285, it was a bit brisk in the valleys. Some were reporting ambient temps as low as -35F:
The region had gotten a nice dump midweek that actually closed Route 50 (something that happens very rarely) so CDOT could perform avalanche control alongside the road,. Monarch didn't open on Thursday so people who came on Friday feasted on a three-foot powder day -- and I got there Saturday.
After a slow start to the season, Monarch has gotten 173 inches YTD and everything was covered nicely. Despite its short vertical, there's some nice variety in the terrain. I had fun tracking through the sloppy seconds on the lift-served part of the mountain during the first couple hours:
Stopping for an early lunch at the Sidewinder Saloon:
Finally, I was ready to tackle the hike-to Mirkwood Basin, which is, for lack of a better analogy, Monarch's version of Solitude's Honeycomb Canyon, except it has a more consistent drop. For people who are in decent shape and accustomed to the altitude, it's a 15- maybe 20-minute hike. For me, fresh from sea level, it took a good 40 minutes to get to the 12K summit. More than 30 people must have passed me on the way up.
At the top:
Looking over the edge into the Basin:
Further down, heading into the trees:
In short: a great community feel (people there talk about the ski area like a family member), 350 inches average snowfall, a nice hike-to sector, and a cat-ski operation.
