My Month Of Mirth –Backcountry Skiing Colorado

Bliss in the backcountry. Click all images to enlarge.

March is my favorite month. Statistically it is when the most snow falls here in Colorado, yet bluebird skies somehow dominate and the fresh flakes sparkle back at us, 10,000 tiny mirrors. Spring arrives and the sun beams down heat that soaks your soul better than a Japanese onsen. My birthday comes and goes but special treats arrive daily, extending my celebration of this wonderful life for weeks. Most cherished of gifts is time with friends, made all the more memorable skiing the backcountry during this lovely time of year.

Friends from the Pacific Northwest visited and Colorado March welcomed them with a bubbling magnum of champagne pow. We skied under the azure heavens and laughed. We gobbled up lavish meals at a cozy cabin and laughed. We played spoons until midnight and laughed. “With mirth and laughter let old wrinkles come.” William Shakespeare. Yes, I agree.

Uptrack on a spring morning.

Reflection of a WildSnow girl.

The crew from Bellingham getting ready to party.

Laura doing her dance.

Snow coverage is good in the Elk range this year -- we're hoping for an exceptional corn season if the dust 'snirt' layers stay away. Got a bit of dirt snow yesterday as our latest storm washed in, but it's minimal.

Soaking in the sun and having a snack.

When avalanche danger is considerable, we still find fun on conservative terrain.

Another lap and another lap.

Après–ski on the deck, savoring Henry's special birthday sandwiches -- life cannot be better.

My favorite ski touring lunch — Sandwich by Henry Hagood

Ingredients
Brie
1 Granny Smith apple
Sliced turkey
Fresh spinach leaves
Cream cheese
Walnuts
Maple syrup
Croissants

Mix about a teaspoon of maple syrup in a 1/4 cup of cream cheese. Add chopped walnuts. Cut croissant in half. Spread with cream cheese mixture, layer with sliced apples, turkey, brie and spinach leaves. Super tasty!

Enjoying crystal clear views in my Julbo Bora Bora shades. Polarized photochromic lenses enhance every scene on the island and they work well in the snowy mountains too. Coverage is ample; sometimes I wear these oversized lens instead of goggles.

Treat yourself to a new pair of Julbos and enjoy grand vistas this spring. Shop for them here.

12 Responses to “My Month Of Mirth –Backcountry Skiing Colorado”

1. Mike Marolt March 28th, 2014 9:45 am

   That opening photo sums it up. What a shot!

2. Matus March 28th, 2014 2:46 pm

   Very refreshing to read some ski related stuff from the real woman. There are not many on the web! Good to see the snow life from different angle.

3. Jim Knight March 28th, 2014 4:54 pm

   thanks for another great recipe. obviously great corn skiing isn’t the only thing you’re harvesting in march.

4. Mary March 28th, 2014 6:26 pm

   Beautiful!

5. Mike Cuseo March 29th, 2014 2:52 pm

   Hooray!!! …for the month of March, for March birthdays, and for Northwest travellers enjoying some sunshine in CO style.

6. Rachel Bellamy March 30th, 2014 1:37 am

   Lovely post Lisa! Sums up that wonderful extended birthday weekend very well! What a treat it was to have such a rad trip with good friends, food, sun, snow, and family!

7. Graham March 30th, 2014 6:10 pm

   Hi there,

   I’m wondering if any of you are familiar with the Treasure Mountain/Animas Forks area? I’m headed to Bonnie Belle Cabin in late April and can’t seem to find much info on the area. Are there any North San Juan backcountry resources you can recommend?

   Thanks!

8. Dave J. March 30th, 2014 8:20 pm

   Awesome, Lisa. My visits to Aspen are always in Feb. Might switch to March!

9. Silas Wild March 30th, 2014 11:27 pm

   Like the basketballers, we have our own version of March Madness, and it was another great one this year in the Pacific NW. Glad yours was too!

10. Daniel Keiley April 1st, 2014 2:29 pm

    Technical Questions.

    BD Quad Boots, Dynafit Radical Bindings. Long time Alpine skier phasing into AT.
    Performance of my gear has been super! Gear has about 20 downhill runs and 4000 feet of climbing. The boot soles are not worn.

    One small glitch. The heel of the Boot is resting ALL on the binding pins. The sole of the boot does not push the brake pad all the way down, its abut 5 mm short. I can feel the pins getting bent and springing back as I put pressure on my heel.

    Tried a Dynafit boot at EVO, it dropped in 3-4 mm further. Pictures included, hope they come through. The dimensions of the BD Boot look to be different than the dynafit.

    Any advice?

    /Users/dankeiley/Documents/2014_DK_Ski Gear/photo 1-24.jpg
    /Users/dankeiley/Documents/2014_DK_Ski Gear/photo 2-22.jpg

    😀

    Daniel Keiley – Level 3 Certified Alpine Instructor and Staff Trainer
    PSIA Examiner – Retired. USSA Freestyle Competitor – Retired

11. Lou Dawson April 1st, 2014 3:34 pm

    Dan, the binding is designed for all of your boot heel weight to rest on the pins. For example, any tech binding can be run without the brakes. It’s common for folks new to tech bindings to not understand how the boot is held between toe and heel, suspended off ski. As long as the brakes retract and deploy when needed, you’re good to go. As for feeling things moving when you put pressure on heel, assuming the binding is properly installed and adjusted, what you’re feeling is normal. (BTW your image links are not complete URLs, they’re just file paths) ‘best, Lou

12. GeorgeT April 1st, 2014 8:24 pm

    Lisa:
    The last pic tells the whole truth, nothing but the truth so help me
    God. Smiling with jaw dropper background is flattering!