Dawn Patrol – Colorado Wintry Storm 13
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| Colorado backcountry skiing – dawn patrol. |
Guess who stole my Black Diamond Verdicts? Had a full day today. Morning dawn patrol on small but fun Williams peak near Glenwood Springs, Colorado. The question was, what do I write on his tardy slip? We raced home, he took off with his car and the slip, and about five minutes later his teacher calls. I just couldn’t bring myself to say something like “sorry, we were out skiing and the roads were a bit more icy than we planned.” So I just kept my mouth shut. Same with the tardy slip, KISS principle applies to such things… Last day of school before Christmas break, finals were over yesterday, so no worries on the parental end. Exhaustion is setting in quickly, however, as I was up at 3:30 A.M, did the DP, then headed up to the 10th Mountain Huts Christmas party, which of course involved hiking up the ski area before eating so we could all stay skinny while consuming mass quantities of excellent catered food washed down by designer water and the occasional brewski. Whew. Thanks 10th Mountain!
What a storm (WS13 by my count). Roads are a mess here in western Colorado but we can still get around. Eastern slope is a different story, a nightmare over there. But silver lining: When Denver gets dumped on, the Sangre de Cristo mountains usually get a coating, and Chris Davenport is heading down there to check a few more fourteeners off his list. I’ll bet things will work out great for him. After Christmas we might head out for a few 14ers ourselves. Stay tuned.
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7 Responses to “Dawn Patrol – Colorado Wintry Storm 13”
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Hey Lou,
How are the conditions on Williams Peak?
dang louie gets it done! and you aint that old mr. d so just do it (wink). want to throw out a happy new year to all and to mr. dav, only a few more to go, make em the safest please! peace and revolution! er..elevation! whatever………smile anyway you can
Lou:
How about your perspective on lightweight headlamps some time? There are a lot of choices, and with all your early/late skiing, your opinion would help those of us who need a new light source.
Steve
I was noticing Louie’s headlamp too. Princeton Tec EOS? Seems like a pretty good light. They keep getting noticeably better about every six months. Black Diamond’s Icon is impressive at 3 watts of power.
Oooh yeah. I second a headlight review. My Petzel Pika worked well for a couple years but is struggling lately – probably just needs batteries but maybe a loose connection in which case it’s probably not worth fussing with.
Okay guys, we’ll work on more headlamp review blogging. Might be a few weeks, have something big coming up I can announce soon. Hint: Dynafit lovers may find our blog to be particularly compelling for a certain period of time.
As a former teacher (turned brewer), I just have to say that even the last day of school before X-Mas Break, Spring Break, or *gasp* Summer Break is important. No, there are no facts to ingest or anything of the standard educational ilk to retain, but moreso, life lessons. Deadlines, commitments, persistence, etc…
That being said, I have learned a helluva lot more on ‘Dawn Patrol’ than any textbook could possibly get across.
So, shame on you….and congrats. Just make sure little Louie knows how to correctly brag to his friends at the lunch table.