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A breezy but warm spring day provided us with rare gelato snow conditions from first run to last.

Joel prepares for the first run.

As usual, we met at 7:30 at Woolly Mammoth HH. Cathy, Phil, Joel, and Rob met Cheryl and me on a warm spring morning. We divvied up the people and gear between two cars, cruised up to Downieville, then on to the Pumphouse trailhead. We were surprised to find a couple inches of snow at the parking area, probably from a small storm on Thursday. After stepping into boots and unloading skis and poles and skinning up, we dashed across US 40 and clambered up the dirt embankment to the snow. 


Old tracks led us up the usual route by the gravel pit. We dodged the old collapse pits along the trail on a well-consolidated base with a couple inches of powder in places. We didn't expect powder on the open ridge as we saw the wind moving the powder off the high peaks on the way in.

Powder is on the move on the ridge.

As we cleared the trees and headed up the gentle nose of the ridge, we noted that the recent storm had smoothed over the rough snow surface, and the sun had already prepped the snow so it was soft enough to ski on our first run at 9:30. Usually we have to make one or two crust runs before the snow is ready, but today was prime skiing from start to end.


At the top, we saw several people had climbed the peak 12424t and were skiing the 40° slopes into the Pumphouse bowl. We stayed on lower ground.

Click the photo to zoom in and see the tracks
off the peak to the climbers left of the cornices.

Cathy and Phil get ready to make a run.

Joel is standing around waiting to make his run.

Phil and Rob de-skin for the run.

Here I demo the perfect tele-wedge technique.  Arghhh!

Before we knew it, we had done 4 runs with only a couple bites of lunch, and it was time to go to make sure the snow supported us on the way out. Pleas for compassion had us wait a couple minutes longer for the slow eaters who were expecting a formal lunch period. We headed down through the trees, dodging exposed ground and logs, and made it safely to the gravel pit, then to the pumphouse itself, and the car.


Stats: 4 runs / 4 hours / 1900' elevation gain.

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The day started cool, but eventually the sun warmed the slopes enough for some perfect spring corn.

Norm surveys the peaks at the top of Pumphouse ridge.

After seeing the weather reports early in the week, Dave asked for volunteers to take over his trip to Mayflower Gulch. Wishing to honor Dave's intended audience, I only changed the destination, trip description, meeting time, and rating. The usual suspects dropped off the trip, but John joined Cheryl, Norm, and me at the park and ride at 7:30. After a quick trip to Downieville, we were at the Pumphouse trailhead by 8:30. We had the parking to ourselves, and the snowbanks were melted off. Skies were clear, and we were feeling a bit chilly with 30° temperatures when compared to previous weeks in the 50's and 60's. It was nice to see the peaks all white again, after the brown look of the past few weeks.


We gathered up our gear and scampered across the highway to the trailhead. The exposed ground surface had increased in the past two weeks, but the snow at the top of the embankment was still within easy reach. We strapped on the skis and I steered the group towards the edge of the gravel pit to make it easier to find our way out at the end of the day. As backup, I had some GPS waypoints and an old track entered to mark my preferred route. The climb through the tight trees was disorienting, since things looked different with the declining snowpack. Following the GPS, the trees thinned and we soon came to some old tracks that coincided with the GPS track. In the trees was some remnant powder from Monday's 3" dusting, but mostly we found crust with some early sun softening. Emerging from the trees, the uptrack consisted of solid crust, but the surface was smooth due to infill from the early week storm. As we pushed up to the top of the ridge, the winds increased but never reached the predicted 30 mph sustained or 55 mph gusts. 

John and Cheryl climb the uptrack with the highway and Mines Peak in the background.

At the top, we found crust with a roughened surface due to differential melting. After thinking to wait for softening, we instead decided to make a run while waiting. The rough snow was hard to edge and turn in. I reverted to snowplow turns, dropping into parallel when possible.  Below the clump of trees where we often stop, the slope opened up and got smoother. We veered right for the SE facing slope, but it wasn't soft yet either. However, it was smoother making for easier turns. Norm commented later that the run got better after giving up on the idea of making telemark turns. At the bottom, we skinned up and climbed up to near the top.

Cheryl skirts the exposed ground on her way up the hill.

The snowpack is melting out fast this year.

At the top, things hadn't improved much, so we made another run anyway. Norm and John went SE, while Cheryl and I stayed on the main slope. At the very bottom, conditions improved slightly, but enough to try a few tele turns. Cheryl decided to take a break to wait for more improvement, and I headed up to meet up with Norm and John. The third run took us down the main slope, to check on Cheryl, then over to the more southerly facing SE slope, which was very good for the last 100'. The next run nailed it. We found some lovely dirty snow near the top which soaked up the sun, and turned, turned, turned through the trees to the bottom of the SE slope. Cheryl met us after a quick run through the good stuff, and it was time to go. 

Cheryl makes some great tele turns in the corn.

Norm and John at the bottom of the SE run.

Cheryl and Norm relax at the bottom of the slope with perfect corn.

We did a grand traverse around the nose of the ridge, and hit the turnoff to avoid the gravel pit perfectly. The snow in the trees was hummocky with lots of exposed rocks and bare ground. It was a great relief to find that the snow supported us all the way out to the car.

Hummocky snow with bare ground under the trees.

Even more bare ground makes navigation more interesting.

Stats: 4 runs / 1800' / 3.5 miles / 5 hours.

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The end of March saw the continuation of the heat wave. The snow suffered for it, and so did the skiers.

Lots of rocks to dodge due to the thin snow cover.

Tom scheduled the CMC trip to meet at 7:30 at HH, where Wendy, Ginger, and Joel met up with Tom and Cheryl. We loaded up the Xterra and flew to Downieville, then onto the trail head.


We saw a couple of other skiers packing their skis at the parking lot as we strapped on the gear. A few expressed concern at the crusty, uneven snow surface, but Tom assured them that would change. We climbed up a solid surface below Teacup Bowl, following an uptrack similar to the one on Mar 24. As we got to higher ground, the bomb craters from CDOT appeared between the trees.

CDOT avalanche bomb craters above the highway.

The reduction of the snow cover was distressing. Broad open areas of bare ground greeted us on our way to the top, with frequent collapses on the shallow slopes due to the thin snow.

Ginger, Cheryl, Wendy (mostly hidden), and Joel near the top of the Middle 110s.
Note large patch of bare ground behind us.

Large patches of bare ground lurk between the trees.

Nonetheless, we continued to the peak, and deskinned for a run. The warm temperatures made the skin glue extra sticky.

Cheryl gets extra leverage to remove her skins.

Collapsing was most prevalent at the top, tripping up many a skier. As we approached the slope break, we angled over to skiers left to find some less steep pitches, only to discover a distressing number of rocks to avoid. We skied down to the aqueduct and a bit beyond, where the slopes were pitted with rocky obstacles. Next we headed a bit south to skiers right, and skied a nice 100' run into the trees.


It was 11:30 when we skinned up, and we decided to skin up to the top of the steep slope for a final run. 

Wendy de-skins at the top of the second run.

The snow surface was pitted with sun cups, runnels, ridges, and occasional rocks, making the descent a bit interesting. We gathered at the bottom of the run and attempted to make our way out. Our uptrack was melted out, so we ventured closer to the edge of the cliffs in our search of good coverage. As we got lower, the snow strength diminished, leaving us wallowing in collapse pits of our own making. The thin cloud cover of the morning had all but vanished, and the full strength of the sun hastened the snow collapse. We made our way to some rocks and bare ground for a late lunch, welcome after the unsupportive snow. Finally we strapped the skis back on for the final drop to the car.


On our way to Tommyknockers, we consoled ourselves with stories of past ski trips of the season. Tom got a happy hour price for the Pick Ax IPA, plus a free Cocoa Porter that was on the beer engine.


Stats: 2 runs / 1300' / 2.5 mi / 5.5 hrs.

Slope map with current track in magenta.

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With temperatures soaring into the 70's in town, even Berthoud Pass had 40°+ temperatures to soften the slopes.

High clouds could not delay the softening of the snow.

Cheryl, Norm, and Tom left the park and ride at 7:30 with no other familiar faces in sight. With the warm temperatures discouraging the crowds, traffic was in spring mode with smooth sailing to Downieville. After the quick coffee stop, we headed for the Pumphouse parking lot. The lot was empty as we pulled in, and probably remained empty all day except for our trusty Xterra. The hike to the snow was slightly longer than previous trips this year, but we safely dashed across the highway and up the hill to the snow.

Old tracks were raised up due to the preferential melting of the uncompacted snow around them, but they still provided a guide to the Pumphouse ridge. We took a different route more to the west which caused some steeper climbing in places, even involving some undisturbed along the way. Powder was not part of the plan on this trip as we climbed above tree line up the sunny nose of the ridge.

Cheryl trudges up the nose of the ridge.

After reaching the top, the sun had not soften the slopes to our liking, hindered by the high clouds and smeared contrails. After a patient wait of 5 minutes or so, Norm and Tom decided to kill some time by making a run. Tele turns hard to coax on the hard pack, so we switched to a combination of parallel and snow plow (pizza-french fries) to get through the hard pack. As we descended, the snow softened a tiny amount, but enough to get the tele turns back in gear.

At the bottom of the run, we decided to explore further to the south where the aspect and slope definitely improved the snow condition. On our way up, Cheryl radioed that she was coming down and met us half way. She announced her intention to wait for us to return, then radioed that she was heading down the open south-facing snowfield. 

Norm summits the high point of the run.

For our second run, the snow condition was improved, and by the time we hit the south face, it was perfect. However, but the time we headed up, Norm found a place that collapsed into a pit, and we worked our way around the obstacle. 

Cheryl is thrilled to be at the lunch stop.

At the top, Cheryl and Tom stopped for some lunch, while Norm took an extra run to burn off the goo calories. We all descended the nose of the ridge for the final run, where the aspect, slope, and high clouds combined for perfect conditions.  

Norm heads up for a bonus run.

In the trees we found a combination of crust and a couple of collapsing pits near tree wells, and descended a bit further down the nose than usual. By the time we turned to the north to get off the ridge, we were already below the elevation that would allow us easy access around the gravel pit. Rather than climb, we descended into the pit and found a flat exit towards the parking area.

Norm offers helpful advice for Cheryl.

It's just one little drop, like a cornice jump.

Cheryl demonstrates her ski-glissade method prior to a more conventional descent.

We made our way through the trees with only minor snow collapse, crossed the creek at the pumphouse, and stepped out of the bindings for a short hike to the car.

Still plenty of parking at the trailhead.

We stowed our gear and rolled down the hill to Tommyknockers, where the IPA was still flowing from the beer engine.


Stats: 2.7 mi / 2 - 4 runs / 1400' - 1800'. 

Ski track in red with yellow highlight.

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Even though the parking lot was packed, we found great powder even close to the beaten up-track.

Scott gears up in the crowded Berthoud Pass parking lot.

We gathered at a relaxed 7:30 meet time at Woolly Mammoth HH. Scott came down from the north country, and Cathy, Norm, Dave, and I made up the group. Scott drove separately in case we ran late, and the rest piled into the Xterra. We avoided the traffic at Floyd Hill be ducking off the exit to the frontage road, but Scott was trapped in the slow flow so we beat him by 20 minutes to Downieville. Norm graciously treated all to coffee as is his custom, and we made great time to the parking lot at Berthoud Pass.

Dave and Norm buckle up the packs at the parking lot.

There was a chance that we wouldn't get first tracks
on the slopes across from the parking lot.

We scurried across the highway between the onrushing Winter Park traffic, and clicked into the bindings, and headed up the well established up-track (to the left of the slopes in the above picture). Only a couple of the heartiest young punks passed us on the up-track, because, well, that is all there were behind us on the first climb. On the way up, we noticed that the snow looked very tempting on the climbers' right in the trees, and at the top we decided to hit the trees for a warm-up run. The snow was great on top and in the shade, but crusty when we ventured out of the protection of the trees. Still, a great fun run for starters. 

Scott heads down from the top.

Some of the group stopped halfway down at the up-track, but I ventured onward for at least 20' through the lower trees until reaching a lower up-track parallel to the usual track. We skinned up and headed up again. 


This time we continued past the weather station and found our track down to the "Meadows" runs of the old ski area. Somehow, we found untracked powder all the way down to the trees!  It was wonderful.

We ventured into the trees a bit further, then four of us dropped down into the upper part of the chute leading to the aqueduct. Though we all agreed that it was doable, the climb up from the aqueduct convinced us to forgo the run, at least this time. 

Cathy and Norm get ready for the climb out of the chutes.

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Dave led a great CMC trip to the glades to enjoy the new snow. 

Cathy gives us the pit-zip salute on a stop on the way up to the glades.

 Dave rousted us early for a 7:00 am meet time at the HH section of Woolly Mammoth. There we saw Cathy, Sarah, Kashia, Ginger, Norm, and Bob. We quickly loaded the gear and our way up the highway. Mrs. Droid warned us of a slowdown on Floyd Hill, so our car detoured along the frontage road, allowing us to be the first to Downieville.  Soon afterwards, the Boulder contingent arrived with Diane driving Judi, Ted, and Jacob. The other car arrived after 10 minutes or so of slogging up the interstate. After a bit of coffee and greets, we headed up to the Current Creek trailhead, where we unloaded in the freshly plowed lot and clicked into the bindings for the climb up the hill. Dave took us up the creek trail past the cabin, and the snow was looking good on the edges.

Bob, Ted, and Ginger head around the Peter Rabbit cabin.

Soon after the cabin, Bob took over the front position and plotted a great switchbacked track to the aqueduct. From there we climbed steeply up the aqueduct road to where it leveled off, then contoured over to the aqueduct gate at the bottom of the glades. After a quick snack, we resumed the climb.

Sunny skies and warm temperatures favored us for the first couple runs.

With no sign of the predicted storm and wind, we ascended a bit higher than usual to de-skin above the willows. With a couple of inches of newly fallen or windblown powder, we all enjoyed our turns on the upper section. As we descended lower, we found that staying on the groomed slopes was the best course, as off-piste lurked the bottomless powder traps of the previous weeks. With a great run, we quickly re-skinned for a second climb.

Clouds are moving in as we de-skin for the second run.

Dave and the crew prepare for the run.

This time we headed for the bowl to the skiers right of the glades, where untracked powder beckoned. With the firm wind crust beneath a few inches of powder, we all started off well, though many were trapped by the sneaky change in conditions half way down. We triggered a major whomph as the snow settled, but the low angle slopes precluded any avalanche worries.


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Ted hits the slope.

Kashia carves some turns.

Jacob hits it from the top.

Norm takes his turns.

Dave carves the lower slopes.

  

Lots o'turns after we get it done.

The bowl was great, but getting back to the glades took its toll on some, including a major face plant for me. Despite that, I and all the others were ready for another run. This time, the clouds and wind moved in, and the temperature seemed to plummet.

Wind blows the snow around on the ridge. Compare to previous picture (#3 above).

After climbing up for the third run, half the crew continued in the white-out to the previous starting spot to hit the bowl again, while the smarter half stayed in the trees to enjoy the glades. After rejoining at the aqueduct gate, it was all smiles.

Ted is ready.

Norm takes a poll for the down track choices.

Cathy bundles up against the elements.

Judi is ready to descend.

Kashia uses her skins to puff up the jacket.

Diane tries to get the ice out of her helmet buckle.

Ginger waits to make her move.

Jacob buckles up for the down track.

Half the group followed Norm down Ginger's track from Friday, while the other half followed Dave down the uptrack by the cabin. Both reported good skiing, though there were some trapdoors off-piste once again. Back at the cars, we all basked in the afterglow of a great trip. We loaded up the gear and headed to Tommyknockers. The storm stayed at high elevations, so the traffic was not bad.


3 runs / 1600' / 3.6 miles.

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