From the pass above 11,000′ we start up. If we were in the Alps this would be the top of most high summits. But, here we are only starting. The Winter has been dry here, but the cold continental climate keeps the snow fresh.
My best friends from college picked me up in Denver, and we lost no time returning to our college habits. Some pool and some Chartreuse in my honor and we found ourselves at a Jazz jam in the basement of a bar before we knew it. None of that helped for acclimating to the thin air as we skinned up and into the pines the next day. I chatted with my one of my best friend’s girlfriend getting to know her finally, she fits in perfectly and brings out the best of him.
After the introduction, the four of us spent the skin track hanging out more than catching up. That was always the strength of this group. Life updates were always observed more than told. The discussions of the future distracting from the prized shared present. Pure shenanigans pushed us up the skin track as I gasped for air between jokes, laughs, and candy.
We reach a lump on the shoulder of the mountain and I trade my sandwich for more time to breathe. We begin to make our way down the mountain four at a time in a pool of sharks. Each of us finding out why the snow is untracked in certain areas we regroup in precariously perched trees and plot our next move. Two of use decide to embrace the bushes and gain access to a few more powder turns, while the others go around. Both were wrong.
At the bottom of this current creek another lap is negotiated. We move up the south side to find the powder has been hardened by the wind on the exposed slopes. I am starting to really feel the altitude as I join them. We decide that if we head back now we’ll make it in time for a beer, as opposed to also making in time for a beer if we were to turn around later. To avoid the latter we rip skins and head full speed down. I can feel my oxygen-deprived brain chattering on the hard packed snow. We make it to the trees, the snow softens, and we start to play the game ‘rock or pillow’. With this low tide we already know the answer to each question, but we play anyway.
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