ZeGuide

Ski Descent of Dreamweaver/Mt Meeker 12/28/2010

2011-01-01T18:13:00.000-08:00

Did Dreamweaver/Mt Meeker on 12/28/10.

Originally I just went there to see if it would be "in" for a climb this weekend but upon closer inspection saw that it was in prime shape. I had been wondering about this route since I moved to Boulder a year ago and even wondered if it would be possible to ski?
With the conditions I had yesterday, I quickly realized it was now or who knows when. The weather was perfect - fairly cold but barely a breeze and blue skies. The first long slope was easy with perfect styrofoam snow. There wasn't a hint of ice in the first choke. The next slope went just as well with minimal but sufficient snow coverage. Past the Butress, the next slope was steeper but just as good as the first one and the final mixed section was snow covered as well. After topping out and weighing the options, I decided to "give it a go". I played around on the top slopes, zig zagged down the slabs and gingerly down climbed the final mixed section. Once below this, the first "real" steep section was the crux of the descent. Past the Butress and another snow slope presented no problems followed by the lower mixed section which I down climbed as well. From here is was "all good" and I could let 'em run a bit on the main slope which was firm but just right to sink in the edges.
All in all it was pretty sweet and totally unexpected.
Hopefully the weather and conditions will remain favorable - I have a few others in mind.
Cheers n Happy to New Year to all

Francis

sunshine and leads

2010-05-16T06:44:00.000-07:00

Wow, the skies have finally cleared here and the bright thingy up there must be called the sun. I can't remember the last time we actually woke up to blue skies. We have been spending a lot of time indoor, mostly climbing plastic. Speaking of which the little guy has been itching to "lead climb" since we cam back from Shelf. So last tuesday after a mock lead off he went, two "clips", then three and four to the top of the wall!
Needless to say dad's pretty psyched that he has already jumped up front. Won't be long before he will be hauling me up something.
Well, we have had breakfast and need to decide where to go with this weather, so it's time for breakfast before setting up a plan for the week.
A ciao

Shelf "Rode"

2010-05-11T06:16:00.000-07:00

Wow, just returned from a great road trip to the always fun to climb at Shelf Road. Met some new friends and had a fun with the family and of course experienced a few adventures along the way. But isn't that what it's all about?
Having just bought an old VW Eurovan, we set off Friday night and spent a cold (so I'm told) evening in Canon City. Saturday morning dawned bright, sunny and crisp. The vistas from the cliffs were amazing and we all enjoyed the first day of being back on limestone. The day ended too quick for some of us and it was back at camp where we built a huge fire for the kids to roast marshmellows and for the bigger kids to chat and share beers n some organic concoctions.
Sunday was hot and it wasn't long before we were searching for shade. The day ended late and the drive home was getting long it turned out real long. Just into Colorado Springs the timing belt on the van blew and it was in a Tow truck that we arrived back in Boulder at around midnight.
Oh the adventures...can't wait for the next one

"Colorado Mountains"

2010-04-28T07:04:00.000-07:00

Well, we are back from a long slog in the "backcountry". We meaning Laurent and myself, having returned from an outing towards Pawnee Pass. We are beat. We must have "skied" at least 15km to get in 15 turns on about 400m vertical. Ooof! Neither of us are really sure we would call this skiing but then again this is Colorado. I am starting to understand why there aren't so many folks out there - everything becomes a mini-scale expedition to accomplish anything worthy.
Today, I am going to lay low and do some climbing to allow for my (fading) memory to forget this outing in order to plan for the next one.
A Ciao

April 21st = late spring

2010-04-21T19:59:00.000-07:00

Well, it's either been raining or hailing or raining really hard here all afternoon in Boulder. I guess I will take this as a sure fire sign that spring is here and the weather pattern will be changing. I must say it is kind of nice to see "real" rain drops falling (ok I can do without the marble-sized hail) but we don't seem to get much precipitation here, so the whole family has been in awe since this storm let loose.Our son Tyler just had to put on his rubber boots and run around and splash in every puddle he could find. I can't say I don't blame him - it looked kinda fun!
Hopefully things won't get too wet, as I have a few projects that I am looking to tackle with climbing friends as well as a trip to Shelf in the next couple of weeks. Glad I kept the gym membership going...
Ciao for now

He's baaaak

2010-04-19T08:13:00.001-07:00

Yeah, I know long time no news but since we have settled into Boulder, CO last December of course the inevitable happened and I (finally) got back into the ski/climb/adventure mode - full on.

But first, let me back up a bit and fill you in.

You see Edmee my wife got offered a really sweet job last fall and when she asked me if I would be interested in moving to Boulder, well what could I say? No? That meant one thing to me though, I needed to have some time to enjoy the mountains and fun things one does when they live in Boulder.

I started hitting the gym (yeah the gym - the climbing gym) and dug through boxes of gear to locate skins, beacons, shovels, ice screws, trad gear, etc. Early morning drives to RMNP (Rocky Mtn National Park) started happening with alarming frequency. I started to feel good about things again and I started to get fitter.

I met some cool folks in town (isn't everyone in Boulder cool?). People from France, Germany and even some old lost friends that managed to find their way to Boulder too. Now I have a pretty regular group of climbing friends (skiing is another story). My library of guide books has gotten larger and become updated with new places to discover. My son Tyler has already climbed 3 routes in the Flatirons and skied back from Emerald lake. Eldo is still there and it has a ton of really cool climbing that I never had time to explore plus there are all kinds of nooks and crannies (well ok cliffs) that I get to enjoy climbing on.

Now after numerous outings and having found a few good sources of beta (or usually just finding by exploring myself), I feel I have a bit of a grasp on things here. This is a pretty cool place to be able to call home.

Well, gotta go since I have a climbing appointment in CCC