Welcome to Louis (Lou) Dawson's backcountry skiing information & opinion website. Lou's passion for the past 50 years has been alpinism, climbing, mountaineering and skiing -- along with all manner of outdoor recreation. He has authored numerous books and articles about
ski touring and is well known as the first person to ski down all 54 of Colorado's 14,000-foot peaks, otherwise known as the
Fourteeners! Books and free ski touring news and information here.
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I´d really like to join the BBQ-action tomorrow (and for sure some lies to tell would come to my mind… 😉 But than, that would be about 6000 miles of travel for eating a brat..
Oh, come on, you can do it. Just use the Astral plain. I’ll be watching for you.
Brats? Did someone say “brats”?
Lou, unfortunately no tickets left on the Astral plain. So I had to decide for a glacier in Austria and will have my brats at Kuersinger-Huette (still great skiing there at the Grossvenediger if anyone in Colorado likes to travel 6000 miles in the other direction..)
Jeah Erik, in eastern Alpes we just had a heavy snow fall. This year early summer skiing in the Hohe Touren should be very good. I am looking forward to ski around Pasterzen glacier in june. Also in my home mountains Julian Alpes we got above 1500m more then 50cm of fresh snow, even though winter snow fall was very good. So on northern slopes we can still ski down to 1400m. You can check photos from a slovene skier, skiing northern slope of Kanin mountain. It is a little less then 1000m of vertical drop. http://razmere.turni-klub-gora.si/RazmereVsebina.php?Obv=10102
Looks good there, wish I was but …….surfs up. Skiing sucks right now.
Alohahahahahahahaha!
Favorite island sticker…”Eddie Wouldn’t Tow”.
Typical Alaskan, living off our dime every time we pump gas (grin).
Samo, good to hear your conditions! Thanks!
Thanks for the pics, Samo. I know what you´re talking about, been skiing that 50 cm of new powder by myself just yesterday..
Good idea to visit the Pasterze-glacier in June, I know that area quite well. If you are there I would also recommend to visit Sportgastein (Gastein-valley) and Kolm-Saigurn (Rauris-valley). Not far to drive. Great touring there, but little glacier and almost no crevasses, so you can do everything without a rope. However you will have to carry your skies for half an hour or so, depending on where you wanna go exactly.
Also I like the Grossglockner (highest mountain in Austria) better from the southside (Pasterze would be the north side of it)
Hi, Eric. Great for you to ski frash pow. I didn’t have time yet but I saw friend’s photos in 90cm of powder: http://www2.arnes.si/~mcuder/slike/130525_1.html. Thanks for advice I already put it on my “not yet done” skitour list. And i will check on the web. I haven’t been there because we have to cross and go around the Touren. I live quite close and we have always done tours there just in one day (driving to, walking, skiing, driving home). So I had Johannisberg on my mind. In think in late june or in july conditions are better there then in Kals area. It is possible to ski from top directly on Pasterze and it is 1200 m of vertical drop. In next few day I am looking forward to ski on Hochalmspitze northern slope to the lake.
Samo, you are right. In LATE june you definitely should stick to the Pasterze glacier! I guessed you would go right now, in early june. If it comes to end of june, my recommendations (Sportgastein / Kolm Saigurn and also Kals) will NOT be good anymore then (to little snow) but Johannisberg will do.
Great, I know the Hochalmspitze from several directions.. think you will have fun!
@ Lou: Watch out, this blog tends to become quite “european” 😉
@ Samo again: If you check my recomenndations on the web: The most well known tours in Kolm are the Rauriser Sonnblick (there you could do as a variant a very steep north gully, quite dangerous) and the Hocharn. In Sportgastein the Hohe Geissel and the Schareck (both also have an alternativ downhill over a north gully, steep but quite easy). These are the peaks most people do, of course there are some more “secret spots” 😉
PS: Samo, found some pics of Rauriser Sonnblick north gully and Schareck north gully (I did not make the pics, have no webpage and so I could not link my own pics)
Rauriser Sonnblick north gully http://www.lawine.salzburg.at/tour/index2.php?id=11480
Schareck north gully http://www.lawine.salzburg.at/tour/index2.php?id=14372
Erik, Thanks for more precise informations. I hope i found someone to go and ski your suggestions :).
To go back in Colorado. One of my friend is in Colorado just now. I think this time she came there to do some climbing not skiing. I saw some pictures and I think she has a great time 😉 .
So I hiked up to New Peak on the 3rd of June. It was a humbling experience. We decided to take the alternate route found on the web guide of lou’s out of print book. I don’t know if that was a good idea or bad. The hike wasn’t long but had to bush wack up a dry avalanche path about 1.5 miles then got to snowline and skinned to the saddle the guide said to go up and over. We decided to find a route on the edge of the saddle since there was a ten foot cornice across the top. The route we took to the top was kinda of loose mud and rock but we made it. Once at the top we we looking at the peak of New York and the left side was still covered in snow and steep. At this point we had no idea if that snow was getting to slushy since it was getting to be around 11. The better and safer route looked to be on the other side of the bowl. It looked as if you could drop in go across and skin up the more mellow west ridge line to the New York Peak couloir. It was a great adventure But I am wondering if the direct route might have been faster. Has anyone ever done this peak and does this sound like a typical day for spring skiing? This was my first adventure out in to the spring backcountry world and really had no idea what I was getting my self into so if someone could maybe enlighten me or give me a few pointers that would be great!