Snowing!!!!!! Anyone up for skiing this weekend?
It’s snowing a beautiful snow up here in Estes. Expecting great things for this weekend! Call me if you want to slide in the National Park or Allenspark this weekend!
Eric and Teresa Visit – Snowshoeing in RMNP – Photos!
Eric and Teresa visited us this weekend and we went up into the national park. Visability was poor. Had about 1-4 inches of fresh snow and snow was falling as we hiked. Eric and Teresa borrowed snowshoes and Phil and I were on skis. We went up to Mario Gully and skied down.
Mini back-country skiing conditions report for Mario Gully in Rocky Mountain National Park: Skier’s left of the gully is usually great. Not today. It was a hard, icey crust with pockets of soft, pillowy snow that was obviously blown in. The gully proper was better, but has big holes and was a little chunky as it’s been heavily snowshoed.
Team in Training Snowshoe Rocky Mountain National Park Videos
Interested in joining us for an outdoor adventure in Rocky Mountain National Park? Call or email Kirk’s Flyshop and ask for Apryle Craig or Phil Magistro for your Rocky Mountain National Park Hiking Guide.
Inaugural Team In Training Snowshoe Event
This past Saturday, the Rocky Mountain chapter of Team in Training participated in the first-ever winter snowshoe event. The 18 participants raised over $30,000 to benefit the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society! What an inspirational group! Phil and I led a group of 10 to Loch Vale. We had beautiful weather and wonderful views. Everyone was impressively dedicated to the hike and cause. Check out our pictures:
A Recap of our Slideshow at Ed’s Cantina
Check out our recap on Kokatat’s blog:
http://blog.kokatat.com/index.php/go-wild-expedition-presents-first-slideshow-2220/
A big thanks to Justin and Carla at Ed’s Cantina for hosting our first slideshow!
Rocky Mountain National Park Guided Snowshoe to Andrews Glacier
On Sat, Feb 27, I led a snowshoe hike for Kirks for a strong young couple from Denver. At 10 a.m. we met at Kirks and decided on a route to Loch Vale and beyond. During our 6-hour snowshoe we had spectacularly warm, sunny weather with hardly any wind. We made great time and made it all the way to Andrews Glacier, which lies between Otis Peak and Taylor Peak. We passed some awesome alpine climbing along the way including Spearhead.
Looking up at the warm rock made me excited for climbing season. Also looking forward to guiding Longs Peak again this summer.
Thurs, February 25 – Slideshow at Ed’s
Just a quick reminder that we’ll be presenting a slideshow on our Inside Passage trip tonight!
Date: Thurs, Feb 25, 2010
Time: 7:00 PM
Location: Ed’s Cantina, Estes Park, CO (map)
We’ll share pictures and stories from our 1,200 mile trip from Washington to Glacier Bay, Alaska, answer questions, and talk about the issues facing the wild Pacific salmon.
Avy Conditions in RMNP
We went up into RMNP yesterday (Feb 18) and skinned to the top of the “Otis Redding Couloir“, at the base of Otis Peak on the south side of Chaos Canyon. I am not an avalanche expert, but we are definitely wary and keep an eye on things. It wasn’t pretty, and we bailed. Here’s the report I sent to CAIC.
We approached from the south (Loch Vale) and emerged just below the top of the gully. Decided to skin up and check out the steeper slopes. We noticed significant fracturing and set off a few small slides (~6-10″ deep) especially when cutting switchbacks near the top of the gully, north and northeast aspects. Dug a pit and found about four inches of powder with a 6″ thick soft slab below it. There were some crusty layers below, and then the rest of the snowpack below (4′?) was facets. The slab layer on top failed easily and cleanly after three or four thumps on an isolated column, AND we observed a natural slide (more of a slough) on a steep slope west of the couloir, and a big crown on a south-east aspect across Chaos Canyon.
We didn’t ski the gully due to conditions, but rather descended through trees and set off sloughs on most steeper slopes. Throughout much of the descent there was an obvious slab layer just below the recent snow with facets below.
It’s been snowing on and off since in Estes, and we’ve gotten 3-5 inches here in town since we got down…and it’s still coming down hard. Things are looking up for the early spring backcountry ski season!
Target Drops Farmed Salmon – A Great Step!
Let’s Thank Target!
Target’s decision to drop net-cage farmed salmon from their stores across the United States proves the power of our collective voice as consumers demanding sustainable products and business policies. Your support in this campaign has helped pressure corporations to change. Take this opportunity to celebrate a victory and vocalize your appreciation for Target’s decisive action!
Send an email or fax to Target CEO Gregg Steinhafel, thanking him for acknowledging the destructive environmental impacts of the open net-cage salmon farming industry and making this major contribution to the sustainable seafood movement. Cut and paste the text below or send your own words of appreciation.
Below is an email you can send if you would like to show your support for their decision:
Dear Gregg Steinhafel,
I applaud Target’s recent decision to discontinue the sale of farmed salmon in all stores across the United States.
Acknowledgement of the impacts of net-cage salmon farming by a major retailer and the subsequent removal of this product from your stores is a huge step forward in the sustainable seafood movement.
It is this kind of corporate responsibility that consumers are increasingly expecting from the businesses they rely on, and I happily commend Target for showing such leadership.
Sincerely,
In 20 Seconds, You Could Help Save Salmon
I’m very pleased to let you know about an opportunity to get the message about sustainable seafood out to an important national audience. To do so, we need your help.
Whole Foods Market recently tested a pilot program, in partnership with the Monterey Bay Aquarium, to promote sustainable seafood choices to its customers in a few select stores.
Now’s our chance to help persuade Whole Foods Market to make this a permanent and national program. Click here to jump immediately to help! It only takes about 10-20 seconds.
Using the Seafood Watch recommendations, Whole Foods will label wild-caught seafood in their case so consumers will be able to tell at a glance if a wild-caught product is a Monterey Bay Aquarium “Best Choice” or otherwise.
