Stardate 2015.425

Where Eagles Dare

No, not the old WWII Burton and Eastwood movie (although that is a movie I enjoy). Rather, Vail Pass (10,666 ft), Colorado, which is suspended just below the Eagles Nest Wilderness Area's south side within the Gore Range. The high country is slowly thawing and beginning to open up for access. Snowcatcher and I recently went road riding in the Vail Pass area.


We began our journey in East Vail, on old U.S. Route 6. This two-lane highway used to be a major east/west route across the state prior to the completion of Interstate-70. As a kid, I remember U.S. 6 taking 6- to 7-hours to drive the 250 miles between Denver and my hometown of Grand Junction. Driving I-70 cuts the time down to 4- to 4.5-hours.

Once through East Vail, Route 6 is closed to vehicular travel at Gore Creek. The old highway now becomes a bike path for several miles, and in several different segments, to the summit of Vail Pass.



Everything is melting out fairly quickly. Black Gore Creek is still entertaining snow a little above the 10,000-foot level. During April and May, powerful spring storms cloaked the high country in heavy, moisture laden snow. The high peaks are still wearing much of this blanket of cohesive snow.



An Icy Black Lake Number Two is slowly thawing at about 10,433-feet in elevation. The background peak is 13,205-foot Jacque Peak (state rank #482).



From Vail Pass, Pacific Peak rises to 13,950 feet (state rank #61) behind the melting ski trails of Copper Mountain.



This cornice-prone alpine ridge will soon lose its wind-sculpted snow. As can be seen, there is a lot of wet slide activity mining below the cornices as well. These are fairly big cornices. It would be a hoot to watch their collapse.



Rising high above Copper Mountain Ski Resort, Jacque Peak (13,205 ft, state rank #482) dominates the view from the summit of Vail Pass. Beyond and below lies some of Copper Mountain's back ski bowls.



12,522-foot Uneva Peak (upper left) is taking a peek toward Vail Pass from within the Eagles Nest Wilderness Area.



The Vail Pass bike path has a nice new surface. The path also succumbs to extreme climatic conditions. Hence, a lot of money is spent on maintaining this path. There are a lot of wood bridges spanning creeks as well. The path gets used a lot, being a very popular ride. The Colorado Department of Transportation even tries to plow it by Memorial Weekend. There is no toll to use this bike path, which is very generous, considering what the cost of maintaining it must be. The views don't disappoint either; rising in the background is the Gore Range.



The Vail Valley is very lush. Lots of meadows are interspersed amongst the trees. Moreover, moose have taken up in the valley and possibly may be initiating a "safety" problem in town. As higher areas melt out, the moose probably will migrate to higher environs. As for cycling, the ride up Vail Pass is through two life-zones or ecosystems. The route begins in the Montane Zone of quaking aspen (quakies) and spruce, transitioning into the Subalpine Zone of primarily Spruce.



Yes, that's Snowcatcher out catching flower flakes along old U.S. Route 6. In classic European fashion, the road was painted the night before a U.S. Pro Cycling Challenge time trial. Painting the names of favorite riders is very common and allowed to remain in most places. Strange? Maybe. Perhaps you have to be a cyclist to get the feel for it.

That's it for this round!

Adios

Stardate 2015.301

Spring Skiing

I should be counting hours on a bike, getting ready for a passel of fast approaching events. Instead, I spend a day skiing at Copper Mountain, Colorado. Snowcatcher was wise. She brought a bike and got in some altitude riding.

I've kind of rekindled my love for lift-served skiing (downhill skiing). My parents put me in ski school around age 6. My lessons were with an outfit called the Winter Fun Ski School, back in the 60s. I think I still have a patch buried somewhere. Time creeps along, and by the time I started college, I was bored with lift-skiing. Moreover, it didn't really matter; I couldn't afford skiing and school. I chose University and entered a 20+ year hiatus from lift-served skiing. On the other hand, I still loved winter. I continued to enjoy Nordic skiing (cross-country) and the occasional backcountry trip on alpine touring (AT) gear. To make a short story shorter, I can use AT gear at a ski area. The ski equipment is similar. I had done this only on a couple occasions. So this past winter, I purchased several days of skiing, and I discovered a renewed interest in lift-skiing. It's been a hoot!

I officially declare my ski area hiatus kaput! Bring on the chairlift! Hopefully, this has nothing to do with getting close to having one foot in the coffin.



No matter what type of slats you're strapped to, the views can be exceptional.



Copper Mountain is about a 1.5-hour drive from the Denver metro area along Interstate 70. One of the perks is passing below stately 14,267-foot Torreys Peak, Colorado's 11th tallest peak, and a fine hike I might add. The peak on the left is Point 12,267. It's actually the termination of a long ridge. Unnamed mountain points are identified by their elevation.



Another I-70 peak is Mount Sniktau. This is a fun little peak to hike on days short of time because you can access it from an elevation of 12,000 feet. Sniktau rises to 13,234 feet and is the 448th highest peak in Colorado.



Snowcatcher and I parted ways. I caught a lift and headed up the mountain while she took off on her bike. I enjoy spring skiing, but it's a mixed bag. Diurnal heating results in super icy and rough morning snow, followed by ponds of slush in the afternoon. Ideally, you need two different types of ski in your quiver, one for icy hardpack, and one for soft, slushy crud. The steep back bowl areas are now closed due to wet slide potential as the day warms. I'll save avalanche discussion for another blog because it's a fascinating subject.



The views of the southern portion of the Tenmile Range never disappoint. The peaks are listed below, left to right, with state elevation rank in parenthesis.

Crystal Peak, 13,852 feet, (82)
Pacific Peak, 13,950 feet, (61)
Atlantic Peak, 13,841 feet, (86)
Fletcher Mountain, 13,951 feet, (59)
Drift Peak, 13,900 feet, (na)

According to "rules" outlined by old groups of Colorado Mountaineers, Drift Peak does not hold a formal ranking because its saddle with Fletcher Mountain does not exceed 300 feet in elevation difference. Drift Peak is considered a soft rank peak. The Tenmile Range is actually a northern sub-range of a linear string of mountains running south from Frisco, Colorado, to Trout Creek Pass, east of Buena Vista, Colorado. The southern sub-range is called the Mosquito Range. The two ranges have a natural, yet invisible divider — the Continental Divide. The Tenmile Range drains toward the Pacific Ocean whereas the Mosquito Range drains toward the Atlantic Ocean. The Continental Divide splits the range between 14,286-foot Mount Lincoln (8) and 14,265-foot Quandary Peak (13), just south of Breckenridge, Colorado. You can drive over it here at Hoosier Pass.



Normally, these hillslopes would be covered in snow this time of year, even though they are southern aspects catching a lot of sun. In fact, March is Colorado's snowiest month. Yet, we didn't have much of a March from a snow standpoint. Hopefully, next year will be better.



This year, Copper Mountain will shut down all their lifts on April 19th. The snow cats are positioning snow for an event to take place during closing weekend.



By mid-afternoon, the Center Village area was one big slush field.



I caught a shuttle back to the parking area and hooked back up with Snowcatcher. Changing into shorts and a sweatshirt, we enjoyed the high altitude sun, and cruised home.





Up next? Leaky fork seals on the Black Pearl.

Adios