tseeb
Well-known member
This was day 7 for my season and is my first post here for 2013-14 season. I skied four days at Aspen (see Tony Crocker's reports) and had to return to Denver airport by early Friday morning. I could have skied one of the Aspen areas on my MCP pass for 1/2 price, but it would have meant crossing Vail Pass and both sides of the Eisenhower Tunnel in the dark with snow predicted. When I checked snow reports early Thursday morning, Aspen areas reported 1-3" new while Vail showed 3" on online snowplot (they later reported 5") while Beaver Creek and Breckenridge, both places where I only had one previous day lifetime, said 4". Since Beaver Creek is closer to I-70 and Aspen and has free parking that is where I went, leaving Aspen at 6:10. I stopped for bagels in El Jebel and gas in Glenwood and got to free Bear lot about 8:30. After stopping to connect credit card to my Tahoe Value Pass which gives me 1/2 price tickets (only $65), I was on the Centennial lift at 9:08 according to EpicMix.
I skied the untracked 4" to Rose Bowl lift where I got another untracked run down Cataract to the lift. On the lift ride, I heard that Stone Creek Chutes were supposed to be opening soon. I went by the closed gate the next couple of times down, skiing Ripsaw and Keller Glades, before finally going up slow Drink of Water lift which got me high enough to find open gate into Upper Stone Creek. I took the second entrance and found untracked, very steep, but too short pitch that skied much deeper than 4". The terrain reminded me of the side country NE of the top of Sierra Tahoe that I skied for the first time last March although without all the granite cliffs and uphill required to get out. Since most of the people in Stone Creek were on boards, I was able to get higher for more deep untracked in a couple of places on the way out. I went up Rose Creek one more time and saw (lower) entrance to Stone Creek closed as I did not realize only the upper entrance that required another lift was open.
I went up fast Cinch Express lift to top and planned to ski Men's Downill, but it was closed due to avalanche danger from new snow on top of firm course. I did find some untracked along both edges of Peregrine and Kestrel runs and lower down on Raven Ridge. I skied Birds of Prey again, finding a lot more untracked before going up Grouse Mountain. I followed a lot of people towards Royal Elk Glade, but on my way down kept moving right until I found an untracked gully that could have been in Black Bear Glades. I took a break in lodge a bottom of Downhill and three express lifts that has been greatly enlarged since my last visit six years ago.
After break, I went up Larkspur lift twice, finding lightly tracked areas in Yarrow and S-Star before going up Birds of Prey where I skied towards Centennial base into double-black diamond Get About It glades. I did not start the glades at the top as trees looked too tight, but found good snow and enough challenge from a lower entrance off Latigo. Next, instead of going back up Centennial, I skated past people riding conveyor belt to Strawberry Park lift. I saw boarders riding under snow guns on President Ford's and that is where I planned to go. But, after enduring a 10 minute lift stoppage - the longest, but not the only not brief stoppage I had this day - I found that run was closed so I took an alternate way down. I ducked into the trees and even though it was 1:30, I found a lot of lower-angle untracked in the tight aspens. I returned to Centennial lift and ended up in Stickline, a gladed run that still held lightly tracked snow. I went up Centennial again and skied Redtail and Goshawk to get back to Grouse lift. I saw a lot of lightly tracked snow going up the lift and skied it just skier's right of the lift on Raven's Ridge at the top, then moving left and finding more untracked on the left edge and getting into and on Ruffed Grouse.
At 2:30, I took Larkspur lift, assuming correctly that I could ski from there to Bachelor's Gulch, past which my vehicle was located. I skied a couple of runs there. First I made a mistake thinking I would save some time and get more skiing by not going all the way to the bottom and taking Upper Beaver Creek Mountain lift which turned out to not climb very much and took me 2/3 of the way back up Primose run that I had just come down. Then I rode Bachelor's Gulch with a patroller who did not discourage me from skiing lower-angle Coyote Glade where I found a couple of lightly tracked places. I passed the huge Ritz Carlton and skied down Leav The Beav from where I had a short shuttle to my car. I got there about 3:30, just in time to try to stop a girl in a Dodge Caravan from backing into my rental Yukon XL that stuck out further than most of the row. Neither I or the rental company saw any damage. EpicMix counted over 32K. I made it over snowy Vail Pass and through the tunnel by 5 pm.
I have six more pictures to post, all are 1024 X 768, but I get "Filename.jpg => The file is too big, maximum allowed size is 200 KiB." Files are from 256 to 338 KB.
Both of these pictures were cut out of the same iPhone shot of Stone Creek Chutes.
I skied the untracked 4" to Rose Bowl lift where I got another untracked run down Cataract to the lift. On the lift ride, I heard that Stone Creek Chutes were supposed to be opening soon. I went by the closed gate the next couple of times down, skiing Ripsaw and Keller Glades, before finally going up slow Drink of Water lift which got me high enough to find open gate into Upper Stone Creek. I took the second entrance and found untracked, very steep, but too short pitch that skied much deeper than 4". The terrain reminded me of the side country NE of the top of Sierra Tahoe that I skied for the first time last March although without all the granite cliffs and uphill required to get out. Since most of the people in Stone Creek were on boards, I was able to get higher for more deep untracked in a couple of places on the way out. I went up Rose Creek one more time and saw (lower) entrance to Stone Creek closed as I did not realize only the upper entrance that required another lift was open.
I went up fast Cinch Express lift to top and planned to ski Men's Downill, but it was closed due to avalanche danger from new snow on top of firm course. I did find some untracked along both edges of Peregrine and Kestrel runs and lower down on Raven Ridge. I skied Birds of Prey again, finding a lot more untracked before going up Grouse Mountain. I followed a lot of people towards Royal Elk Glade, but on my way down kept moving right until I found an untracked gully that could have been in Black Bear Glades. I took a break in lodge a bottom of Downhill and three express lifts that has been greatly enlarged since my last visit six years ago.
After break, I went up Larkspur lift twice, finding lightly tracked areas in Yarrow and S-Star before going up Birds of Prey where I skied towards Centennial base into double-black diamond Get About It glades. I did not start the glades at the top as trees looked too tight, but found good snow and enough challenge from a lower entrance off Latigo. Next, instead of going back up Centennial, I skated past people riding conveyor belt to Strawberry Park lift. I saw boarders riding under snow guns on President Ford's and that is where I planned to go. But, after enduring a 10 minute lift stoppage - the longest, but not the only not brief stoppage I had this day - I found that run was closed so I took an alternate way down. I ducked into the trees and even though it was 1:30, I found a lot of lower-angle untracked in the tight aspens. I returned to Centennial lift and ended up in Stickline, a gladed run that still held lightly tracked snow. I went up Centennial again and skied Redtail and Goshawk to get back to Grouse lift. I saw a lot of lightly tracked snow going up the lift and skied it just skier's right of the lift on Raven's Ridge at the top, then moving left and finding more untracked on the left edge and getting into and on Ruffed Grouse.
At 2:30, I took Larkspur lift, assuming correctly that I could ski from there to Bachelor's Gulch, past which my vehicle was located. I skied a couple of runs there. First I made a mistake thinking I would save some time and get more skiing by not going all the way to the bottom and taking Upper Beaver Creek Mountain lift which turned out to not climb very much and took me 2/3 of the way back up Primose run that I had just come down. Then I rode Bachelor's Gulch with a patroller who did not discourage me from skiing lower-angle Coyote Glade where I found a couple of lightly tracked places. I passed the huge Ritz Carlton and skied down Leav The Beav from where I had a short shuttle to my car. I got there about 3:30, just in time to try to stop a girl in a Dodge Caravan from backing into my rental Yukon XL that stuck out further than most of the row. Neither I or the rental company saw any damage. EpicMix counted over 32K. I made it over snowy Vail Pass and through the tunnel by 5 pm.
I have six more pictures to post, all are 1024 X 768, but I get "Filename.jpg => The file is too big, maximum allowed size is 200 KiB." Files are from 256 to 338 KB.
Both of these pictures were cut out of the same iPhone shot of Stone Creek Chutes.
