AE Films presents "Facets of Winter" at WildyX

Wilderness Exchange is pleased to host a showing of AE Ski Film's first film, Facets of Winter. AE Films is a local, grassroots company, and Facets is shot 100% in Colorado. The film features stories from many aspects of exploring the Colorado mountains in the winter - ski mountaineering on the 14ers, skiing extreme lines in the Crested Butte backcountry, and many stories of the unique personalities found in the ski community. Don't miss it!

Check out the trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcTQXt1e8w0

Thursday, December 1st

Doors open at 8:00pm

Tickets are $5 at the door.

Our good friends at Avery Brewing will be on hand pouring their delicious craft brews - FREE with entry!

Friends of Berthoud Pass will also have a table selling calenders, t-shirts, and more to support their important mission of providing grassroots, low cost avalanche awareness education and providing valuable advocacy for the backcounty ski community in the Front Range.

TRIP REPORT: Mammoth Gulch

 So last August I came across this book in our consignment section. It’s  called Skiing Colorado’s Backcountry, written by Brian Litz and Kurt Lankford. Published back in 1989 out of Golden, it does an amazing job describing some awesome tours around the front range: everywhere from RMNP to Vail’s Gore Range, Hoosier Pass by outside of Breckenridge  up to Rabbit Ears by Steamboat. It has great route descriptions, seasonal info, decent maps, and some great info on lesser know tours in the front range. Anyone know why this isn’t still published?

So through out the winter I hope to explore and write about some of these routes. There’s literally dozens of routes that I’ve never heard of before, never thought possible (e.g. Skyline Traverse From Berthoud Pass to St. Mary’s Glacier? Sounds awesome, no?).

So this book inspired to me to check out a place called Mammoth Gulch, located outside of Rollinsville, real close to the East Portal.

View mammoth gulch in a larger map

Basically, I had my hopes way too high. Wanted to ski, makes some turns, charge some lines. Still too early.

Thankfully, the road had enough snow on it so the touring was decent. Definitely should have brought theRossignol BC 125s and a Voile Hardwire 3-pin set up.

It’s always amazes me how close things are here in the front range. I was really surprised to see the east face of James Peak, usually the main show when touring around St. Mary’s. Connect the dots between Tolland and St. Mary’s? I bet it could be done pretty easily.

Dead end road? Maybe with these heavy Voile Chargers and Scarpa Skookums. Let’s do lunch instead.

No pow today. Let’s pray for some more snow, soon.

So the skiing was, well, non-existent. Maybe made one turn all day. Still, I always do love getting out and seeing new country. There’s always more to explore...

Fingers