Feels Like Spring

The temperature is in the mid 30's today and it feels like heaven. You know it's been ridiculously cold when you walk outside and think it's warm, only to have the temperature gauge read 8 degrees. The low to mid 30's feel like a summer day. The snow is supposed to move back in by Thursday and winter will be back.

On Friday I begged my friend to go out for a skin/ cross country ski with me. Since she's in the process of acquiring gear, I let her use my AT (alpine touring) set up and I used my cross country skis. We headed up Baldy and had a gorgeous night ski. The best part was watching her try to skin with adjustable poles that kept shrinking until her hands were practically at her knees. Eventually she figured out how to tighten them up and the ensuing ascent was enjoyable. I wish we had a camera that night, the town looked gorgeous lit up against the snow.

The view of the ski area from the summit of Baldy. We were a little lower than this, but a couple of weeks ago, I headed out with Brett before work and skinned up to the summit and had a great ski down.

Although we've had a ton of snow, the typical Breckenridge wind has been blowing and packing down that gorgeous powder. I headed up Little French Gulch with a friend on Sunday and the snow was wind crust for the first half of the turn and the second half would be super soft, sink down to your knees snow. It was a tough ski down, but the skin up and the views were more than worth it. I had been up there two months ago and the wind drifts were five times the size they were the first time. Ridiculous.

I also made it up to Peak 6 for the first time a week or two ago.

I don't know how I have been missing that. The skin up was a little sketchy- wind buff was maybe an understatement at times, but the ski down was more than worth it. The snow was soft and deep and completely untracked.

Next week The North Face corporate and The Skylark Group, our rep group, are sending two of us from TNF Breck to a two day avalanche workshop. I lucked out and grabbed a spot. It is an industry-only avy workshop with speakers Martin Volken, an IFMGA, AMGA Guide and author of "The Backcountry Skiing Book," Andrew McLean, a ski mountaineer and author of "The Chuting Gallery," Ace Kvale, an adventure photographer, Kasha Rigby, a ski mountaineer and TNF athlete, and Brad Sawtell an avalanche forecaster. The opportunity to attend a workshop with experienced outdoorsman as well as recieve my avy one cert is pretty incredible.

I hope your winter has been soul-fulfilling thus far.