Starting last week winter has again returned to Crested Butte, dropping over 3 feet of fresh in the backcountry, and still snowing once again as of today! Timing of these storms could not have been better as they arrived in time to kick off our second sold-out AIARE Level 2 Avalanche Course of the season.

Along with all this snow, was also had a natural avalanche cycle and a brief window of high avalanche danger, allowing for some optimal learning conditions of which to study snow stability analysis…the core of the Level 2 curriculum.

All the snow has also been bringing some excellent backcountry ski conditions, with the warm and wet nature of the storms allowing instabilities to settle out relatively quickly for a Colorado snowpack and of which to enjoy some fantastic backcountry ski touring conditions with decreasing avalanche danger.

This week, we are also promoting our newest package with Cresed Butte Mountain Resort, in offering a guided backcountry skiing adventure through CBMR & CBMG. Get a full Dynafit AT set-up (skis, boots, bindings, skins) a lift ticket, Mammut Avalanche Package, and AMGA Ski Guide for a lift accessed excursion onto Snodgrass Mountain for some backcountry turns. Returning to the base area via chairlift and a quick stop at Camp 4 on mounatin for a coffee before a final ski back to the base area. All for $416 / person.

And…..finally…..Crested Butte Mountain Guides is finally taking bookings for the brand new ‘CS Irwin’ Snowcat Skiing operation at Irwin. Call us to reserve your cat seats today.

–CBMG Staff

Howdy Folks,

I am merging a couple trip reports into a Crested Butte wintertime sampler blog to show a snapshot of what I have been up to this season with CBMG backcountry guests and AIARE avalanche courses. Despite a lack of snow in the last two weeks I have had several great backcountry ski trips since New Years. The untracked cold stuff is still out there, and I am happy to show you where it is. Steve came to Colorado all the way from Australia with his son Sam. We had a great tour over to the East River Valley and found some virgin powder. 

Here’s a shot of Steve and his first tracks in the Crested Butte backcountry. This early season has been a challenging one in which to guide, but sometimes it takes just a little creativity to find good turns in a familiar stomping ground. Steel and I toured up Washington Gulch to explore a lesser traveled section of Coney’s Bowl. The main bowl was stacked with tracks but we hiked just a bit farther and found some great skiing.  

Backcountry skiing is just one way to experience the mountains outside Crested Butte. Chris and Jennifer joined me for a snowshoe tour and we explored the aspen glades and meadows in Washington Gulch. Beautiful weather, good company and great views made for an amazing day out in the mountains.

AIARE avalanche safety courses have kept me busy just about every weekend this winter. CBMG offers a host of courses–AIARE Level I, AIARE Level II and Refresher Courses–that meet the needs of most winter backcountry travelers. CBMG avalanche courses are taught by local ski guides and avalanche forecasters who are experienced educators and have an intimate knowledge of the local terrain. The courses blend classroom time with practical field experience. In the field we focus on companion rescue, gathering backcountry weather and snowpack information and traveling safely in the backcountry.

The rescue component focuses heavily on shoveling. Recent research in avalanche rescue points out that shoveling a victim out of snow will consume the majority of the rescue. We teach “strategic shoveling” as a method to efficiently move snow and quickly dig out the victim. The entire third day of the avalanche course is a ski tour in the Crested Butte Backcountry. Students learn the skills to plan and prepare for a full day ski tour and then spend the day implementing skills such as navigation, terrain selection, travel techniques, and managing the “HUMAN FACTOR.”

And of course we always try to get some turns in.

Looks like Missy found the goods on Mt. Emmons during a refresher course this winter! It’s been a busy winter and I have had a variety of trips. Give the CBMG office a call and let us organize your next adventure. We enjoy traveling on snow on all kinds of skis–AT, Telemark, and Nordic as well as snowshoes and we hold permits to both the Lake City and Ouray Ice Park. We look forward to sharing our backyard with you!

CBMG Guide

Johnny MacKinnon

One of our partners, Black Diamond has just released information on their fall collection of ‘Efficient’ Skis and Boots.  While BD’s initial jump into the boot and ski market was focused primarily on force rather than finesse (hence the by-line ‘It’s all about the down’), they are reaching out not only to the European market, but the large population of US skiers that understand that sometimes ‘less is more’, particularly when it comes to weight on your feet for long tours.   While a couple of these skis are thinner skis from their previous line up (Guru and Stigma), I’m curious to see the reviews for their fatter early rise skis like the Drift or the women’s Starlet.  And of course, any company that makes a concerted effort to design women’s skis (especially backcountry skis) gets a thumbs up.  So we’ll see what the critics say about the new line up. . . maybe we’ll get a chance to ski them.

Fellow CBMG Guide Mike Bromberg and I headed down to the Lake City Ice Park on Monday for some climbing and as always had an amazing day climbing. The park is in great shape with 11-4 being the ideal climbing times as you can belay in the sun! The Lake City Ice park is a great venue for a beginner to experienced winter climber with routes ranging from WI3-WI5+ and M4-M8. Keep in mind when climbing at the park to bring a good bit of webbing or a static line to set up top ropes. Keep checking the CBMG blog for updates and changing conditions another added benefit of hiring a CBMG guide is they know where the best ice is because they were out the day before climbing it!

–Kyle Mattingly (CBMG Guide)

I’m up next for the Employee Gear Closet. I spend a lot of time in the mountains on a variety of skis and here is my quiver from right to left: First up are the G3 Reverends. I know the telemark turn died in 1924, but I still enjoy dropping the knee at the ski area. Plus, I’ve got the Lord on my side in the Extremes with these solid boards. Next to them are my skinny little G3 Aces–good for long tours and ski mountaineering around CB and the Cascades.

Up next are my go-to BC boards. The Dynafit Manaslu is the perfect mid-winter ski touring ski for the CB backcountry. It is light, decently wide and with a small rocker and early rise up front, they make skiing breakable crust fun. What’s left…I got some approach skis for accessing backcountry ice climbing areas, an old pair of BD Havocs mounted with the G3 Targa Ascent for the Al Johnson Uphill/Downhill Telemark Race and a beat up pair of Fischer Superlights that work great for the Grand Traverse.

AT Boots?  Check.  Tele Boots?  Check. Ice Boots? Check. New for me this year are the Black Diamond Push telemark boot. I like their even flex and 4 buckle support. My Scarpa Spirit 4s are my everyday work boot and I log over 100 days in them each season. For ice climbing and mountaineering I have been wearing La Sportiva Nepal Top Evos for the last 2 years. They are comfy right out of the box, and warm enough for me.

I am also operating a small backpack museum in my closet for old, tattered but still lovable rucksacks. Each pack has its own story to tell and I can’t bear to get rid of any of them! The two climbing packs up front were both hand-made in North Conway, NH by local alpinists and I have logged many miles in the mountains with them on my back. I purchased the red Wild Things Ice Sack my senior year in high school and it is still going strong. The oriental rug is one of the few domestic things I own and it is one of my prized possessions. I bought it in an alley in Katmandu with my Dad about 10 years ago. That’s my gear closet/bedroom. Enjoy!

Johnny