Winter is in full effect. I am out seeking warmth even in the darkest and coldest days of the month. February felt like proper Winter here on the Front Range. In years past, I recall Winter being milder....or like last year, really digging in during March. Nevertheless, I had a very productive month out sliding on snow, getting up high, and even getting in some quality runs. The more time I spend engaging with Winter and its activities, the more I look forward to these precious peaceful months.
To recap, February was a great month. A couple of outings stick out in my mind.
1): Longs Peak via the Cables/Keyhole
This was a tough day. I was motivated by low winds forecasted for up high, but the 6" of fresh snow down in Boulder had me wondering how things would be up above treeline. I broke trail the entire day...straight from the parking lot all the way to the summit. It was 0 degrees at the trailhead when I started. Who knows how cold it was on top. All I know is that my toes paid the price. As I write this one month later, I'm just now beginning to feel the tips of my toes again. Despite all the snow, it was still a scratch up the cables and not the usual spring hike. Up higher on the North Face, I was swimming through the snow...inching my way up towards the sun and the summit. I went back down the keyhole to avoid all the snow on the North Face. Plus, I was looking forward to soaking up some sun on the way down. Getting back to the trailhead took some effort, lots of post-holing, and walking through the woods.
Running Up For Air - Grandeur Peak
A highlight for sure. This is one of my favorite events of the year. I kicked my running off with a Friday night lap up the peak to document a bit of the event and run with some of the employees from Black Diamond. On Saturday, I ran the 6hr segment starting at Noon. I was able to get in 4 laps in 4hrs and 51mins. (24miles and 10k of climbing). I was able to set two new CRs while running...fastest single lap and fastest 4 laps. This event is not really in the spirit of racing for ego or a podium, but more to raise awareness for clean air along the Wasatch Front. I saw this as an opportunity to push myself and run hard but also not lose sight of the event's true meaning. Big thanks to Jared Campbell and all the volunteers.
This might of been my favorite day of the month. This race has been on my list for a long time, and I had the privilege of racing with my girlfriend, Abby Levene. In my mind, this race has everything that I look for in a foot race -- only this is on skis! How rad?! Compeition, technical, and digs into the endurance realm. This race keeps you engaged start to finish. You are rarely skiing down a groomer, and if you are...you are going 60+mph. It was pure joy to explore this classic race for the first time with Abby. I had no expectations besides trying to go as hard as possible on all the uphills and stay cool and calm on the descents. I will say that Abby was the first female to the top of Snowmass…our towing setup worked great! The highlight of the day was skiing highlands bowl. Chalky pow on skinnies...so fun! Congo trail was exciting but not as sketchy as people make it out to seem. The weather was perfect, maybe even slightly too warm. Abby killed it. She went really really hard and never had any issues. We worked together great. I could tell she was digging so deep to give it her best, and that was awesome to witness. I feel like my skills on race skis improved massively with this effort. Already looking forward to next year! I know I will never be upfront or skilled enough to straight-line it down highlands, but skiing is so damn fun!
