Winter, Dropping in for More

I dragged my feet with this week's entry.

I knew the pattern was going to change back to winter. I didn’t want to boast more about springtime goodness while a large storm favoring a northwest flow was forecast to hit the North San Juans hard. The best laid plans rarely survive contact with the enemy.

And sitting here this morning, the weather appears to have delivered in earnest. As of 0500, Swamp Angel is registering 10 “ and Putney is blowing steady in the upper 20s with a peak gust of 53 overnight. That’s a lot of snow and high winds in a short period of time- Nothing that happens quickly in the backcountry is ever good! We'll see storm slabs and wind slabs back in the bulletin- it's all so Februaryesque.

So welcome back winter. Our recent days of warm sun and locker corn which have had us dropping from high, steep places with reckless abandon are over, at least for a bit. Kind of a bummer for returning clients who waited until April to book with me to ski Knar Peak and the Witch’s Cauldron. But Mother Nature bats last and she’s often fond of hitting a walk off in the 9th inning. Just when you think you got the game all sewed up, it all comes apart at the seams.

Looks like we’re back to skiing lower angle powder for a bit. Poor us. Check out the action from last week below. The San Juans continue to blow my mind and provide me with a life full of amazing adventures. Stay safe out there, friends. Dropping…