Berthoud Was Good, So were or Guests....

The DR with his skinny skis 70 underfoot

The light when we popped out of the thick trees was pretty amazing

Skin Track Stoke


I was trying to play with my DSLR today and set up some cool ski shots so this is what I came up with.

Jason W with Russel in the background

Craig same angle skinnier skis

Jeff leaning back

Craig getting low

Me shot by Jeff

Laura and Jeff came over from Summit to check out our new place. We took the dogs for a walk on the flume trail and met a couple of friends for drinks and dinner at the Indian restaurant Star of India. If you have a chance to make it this place it is totally worth it, good service and good food.

It snowed all night so it was a good thing that Jeff brought his split board. I would have felt bad leaving hum with the girls while I skied some fresh lines. We picked up Craig in the Morning and met up with Jason W on Berthoud Pass. Berthoud is getting more and more popular with stashes getting less and less secret. We pulled up to see other people that were headed the same way. I skied the same place about 5 times last year and didn't see anyone and this year we have been up there twice and seen people twice. It is still one of the less visited places on Berthoud so hopefully it will stay that way.

We got in some really good turns today and hit a couple of things but nothing significant. After our second run one of SS friends Eric showed up to join the fun. We got a couple more runs in and then made our way out. When we got close to the highway I noticed that somebody was boot packing in the skin track. People are starting to get to get really loose and not show etiquette up there. If you are a boot packer make your own track, I promise I won't skin in your boot pack.

Snow Riding and Octomom

We had Veteran's day and I was going to go riding in the Denver area. There is one problem with riding in Denver, I cant't take Gunnar. The alternative was riding somewhere in the Fraser Valley so Gunnar and I ventured out to the Creekside/Flume loop. The conditions were Variable with lots of ice and mud. It was quite an experience and yet another thing that I wouldn't have thought I would ever do. The trickiest part was being on any kind of a slope with ice when the tires would let loose and start slideing. I didn't have to walk much and It was pretty intense on a different level with the focus of not falling on the ice. All in all great fun and exercise for both Gunnar and I.

Anyways someone killed octomom, the green octopus. I wonder who did it?

I think I know who did it...

Another Dog?

She was found by one of my cousins trucker buddies at the Division of Wildlife. The DOW officer said that people drop dogs becuase they think the DOW will know what to do with them. She is Belle formely known as Fiona. Gunner is happy to have a playmate. He is such a big dummy and is always in her face but she holds here own. I say dummy as an endearing term. Self Portrait

Wrestling

She knows how to hold her own...

Happy Halloween..

I was able to rally Jason W and Craig (sort of) to go up and take advantage of the snow storm that we had this week. Many of the NDS members opted out because of the shallow snow pack. I can't say that I blame them but they missed out. It took me a while to figure the correct speed for the wind effected snow. Fast enough to break through the crust but fast enough to break down to the bottom.

The Skin in was tough with the deep heavy snow.

Jason gaining the ridge

The first run left me with snow on my face, not because it was to deep


Got it figured out on the second run

Jason making it look easy

And a third. The reason I say Craig sort of joined us was because he was snowshoeing. He didn't have his poop in a pile. Prey for Snow.....

Westwater 10-03-09

Well I tried to attach a video that I made but it didn't work so I started a vimeo account. Here is a link to the video of the last weswater trip.

http://www.vimeo.com/7166265

I need to make a couple edits but its done for the most part.

Gunnison Gorge WDS

This trip has become an annual trip and one of my favorites of the year. To get down in the gorge is one of the hardest part of the trip becuase you transport your boat and gear down 1.1 miles vertical. This is the reason why we brought the light boats. There is a guy that runs a donky and pack horse service that will carry your gear down for $75 an animal.

The reasons that this is my favorite trip are the scenery, number of rapids, lack of people, the smith fork, the fishing, and the group working together. If you go make sure you donot camp just after the ranger station on river left it is an ant camp. They don't really care for people. Also watch out for the squeeze rapid it can create traffic jams. Our shuttle driver's Buster and Joe, Joe said I will make a good shuttle driver some day.

Guatelmalan Style, Anna getting ready to hike down


German shtyle Now It's Time To Dance.

Dan from Vail Yes he was one of those that didn't let me sleep two weeks ago at the Westwater put in, and I

Librarians trying to work out their cadence at the put in


Furious Riggin

Noel and Val cruisin down river

Jason running the Boulder Garden

Val running very close to thecenter rock but not hitting it

Noel with some hip action Anna and Nikki how did we get backwards











Oh yeahwe went right over the rock in the middle

Laura trying to squeeze between the rock

Jeff making sure the group left enough rubber on the rock

Camp chores water is to heavy to hall so just pump it

Cooking
Eating

Relaxing
Nikki in the Matrix
The Smith Fork


Ryer Style

The End

Westwater 8-23-09

So I drove 600 miles largely by myself to meet up with Devan/Sara and a crew to run weswater. Stopped in Frisco to borrow Jeff and Laura's boat because only had a couple paddlers and didn't want to run the 15 footer. I also stopped in Glenwood met up with my brother Aaron to run laps on Shoshone which was a nightmare. We had one lap in and then had no place to park any cars in either lot to run more laps. So we packed up the boat and headed for Westwater. We tried to go to bed early 10 pm, but a super inconsiderate group from Vail kept us up until three in the morning. I guess they don't understand driving 300 miles after being on the river for hours. Several of the people in our group went and asked nicely but they would just get louder and more inconsiderate. Vail Sucks.

Aaron and Sara waiting in anticipation

Jason rolling by Skull Hole

Where's Jason

Devan wheelies past Skull hole

Bobby Working left

Brandon B working left

Next to Skull hole

Looking up river of Sock It To Me
Even at 4000 CFS it is a huge, fun hit

Initial Hit SITM

Everybody is still in

Brandon B in the meat

Devan upside down after the initial hit

Coach Johnson helping Bobby out

Jason's boat apperantly floats away a lot

A little help from Bobby after we laughed our butts off when he caught air going over the rock at last chance. I wish we had a pic becks it was so good.

Trying to have some fun on the flat water paddle out. Jason "teaches" Bobby how to seal launch.
It was a great trip and worth the drive, even though it took me being on the river to realize that. And again Vail Sucks.