SkiSickness

This forum originally said "SkiSickness: Posting the Pandemic," but that no longer sounds right. Also, given current events, the content to follow hardly qualifies as pandemonium. While proper pandemonium persists in many metropolitan areas of the USA, this is an attempt to mark some recreational activities in our neck of the woods.

We got another photo of the boys in Telluride, but no skiing there this year.


We drove to Telluride on March 14. Alisson and I had discussed cancelling the trip, but when we told the boys they cried. Once we had unpacked at the condo we rented that evening, I saw the executive order from Colorado Governor Polis closing all the ski areas. We walked around town with the boys some the next day. We talked about taking a ride on the gondola, but it didn't seem smart. So we drove home.

Here they are looking at a tree in the designs of a beaver.

Shortly before we got home to Santa Fe that evening, I checked and saw that Ski Santa Fe closed for the season when the lifts stopped spinning that day, March 15. And that ended my hope of taking the boys skiing near home that week.

But touring conditions were still ideal.

Instead of taking the whole week off work during Kaj's spring break, I returned to work and the office while I could. School had already been cancelled for the two weeks following spring break. The lab was pushing toward working from home for anyone ready and able to do it. But when it snowed a few days later, it was time to make a quick lap.

A couple of days later on the weekend, approximately the spring solstice, the ski hill was still looking quite good.



My zones were looking even better.

It does not generally seem difficult to keep a reasonable distance at the preferred local outdoor climbing gyms.

George Perkins belayed by Erik Hanschen on Gangland at The Dungeon.

The skiing MO remained solo. Late March refills were satisfactory.

Santa Fe's Lake Peak looked like this on March 29.



Santa Fe Baldy and the Truchas Peaks are visible in the distance.

On April 1 it seemed like a good time to look at this chute I'd never skied. In retrospect the other usual options are much better and the top of this chute is at a lower saddle and holds a nasty wind slab. So there are good reasons not to generally ski this one.

A Saturday slog payed dividends.

Alisson deserves some credit here. The Hoji boots were still hurting my feet, after a year and several boot-punchings! She simply suggested that it might be a good idea to use the old boots again. Well, she was correct. These bigger tours of April would not have been possible with the levels of pain caused by the new boots.

It started with a trek up and over Lake Peak to Baldy. Lake Peak from the slopes of Baldy.


Baldy's slopes were enticing.


A short schuss from the summit led to this perspective.


I snapped a photo of my ski tracks before the seven mile return to the trailhead.

April 8 was a good day to ski one of the choicest local chutes solo, I'll call it Ravenous. Skied this one with Micah four or five years ago, never seen anybody's tracks in it, except Alex after I showed him the entrance beta.

The Saturday tour was so fun it was in order again the following Saturday, April 11.

The Gunbarrel had lost a lot of snow over the week. That's somebody else's old remnant rope. A rope is not usually necessary.


The center punch chute on Baldy had lost enough snow that I opted to take another route. It was a little bit too ripe at the top, as you can see from the sluff. The turns next to the rocks through the middle were sublime.

The ides of April brought some fresh snow and a quick "daddy pow" lap with Alex, a front-line worker in the pandemic.

Climbing is almost always a good option in northern New Mexico. Erik Hanschen cruises through the crux of the first 5.12a I ever sent, Inflight Movie at Below the Old New Place, White Rock. Maybe soft? Definitely fun.


This would usually be tax day in the USA. Trivia? April 15 is not the ides of April, but apparently April 13.

Just digging through messages, here is a photo George took of me cruising it while hanging the draws slightly earlier that same day.

Boys, getting a cheater start on climbing the apricot tree.


George Perkins sends Biomechanoid while hanging the draws. This is an obscure route on the north side of the Overlook, but also a glorious classic in my estimation. Thanks to Jason Halladay for rebolting, cleaning and upgrading the anchor.

Further, thanks to Peter and Nils Gram for establishing this route.

Here is a profile with the rope hanging for some perspective on how steep the upper arete is on Biomechanoid.

Willy Apgar walked the plank en route to Lake Peak.


It was my fault that I missed Willy cruising through the choke on the Gunbarrel, but the rest is still entertaining.

My last time to the Solar Cave might have been in mid April? Not sure, but for the past month we've been going to the Shack on the opposite side of this towering bluff at Diablo Canyon.

George works the Death Roof while Erik belays.

He says he'll quit climbing after he sends it. But he's definitely lying.

A quick late April lap with Alex, high north-facing skiing, hanging in there....

More fun with Willy, my only ski day this May. I did a couple laps on the Lake Katherine side while he chilled. Then Willy ripped a really sweet line into the southeast-facing cirque.

Here's to the season's projects.

Evil Alchemist, the climb that finally inspired me to buy fancy rock climbing knee pads.

Thanks to Josh Smith for the photo.

And here's Atty on Rosy at the Shack, yeah!

It looks like you guys are managing just fine. Look fwd to when we can move about the country again--would like to join you for some of that clamberin' and skiin'. How did your recent CO mission go?

PS, that Lake and Baldy mission looks kinda far. Glad you have the good sense to use comfy shoes.

Heading to Colorado for some schussing and schralping tomorrow! It sounds like it's not nearly as bountiful as when we were up there last year, but it seems like some north-facing couloirs should still hold the goods. Fingers crossed.

It's not these mountains' first pandemic. Same view as thousands(?) of years ago... a thousand more?