End of the Season at Wolf Creek (sort of...)

Well....Easter Sunday arrived with another weather front! As warm (and wet) as it was, the fresh snow piled up all day. The skiing went from "dust on crust" to "Oregon powder" and was a lot of fun to ski. We took a couple of very nice runs down Montezuma Bowl and off of the Knife Ridge, in the Dog Chutes. It was a lovely way to finish a terrific season.



And for an encore - Wolf Creek Ski Area will be open for the next 2 Saturdays! Thanks to this storm and the forecast for additional snow this week, April 14th and April 21st will be bonus days! With $25 lift tickets for anyone (season passes honored), I expect to see a lot of smiling faces.



These smiling faces belong to two of my favorite "lifties" at Wolf Creek. Scott and Gabby brighten the day as they send us off to the top - always ready with the requested "window seat".

Thanks to all of the great staff at Wolf Creek for a great season!

Something for everyone at Wolf Creek!

I talk a lot about the powder, trees and more challenging parts of Wolf Creek. Just as important is the ski school and the availability of easier terrain. From "Wolf Pups" for the very young to "Hot Shots" for teens to Ladies Clinics, and bump or powder lessons...skiing or boarding - the ski school staff is ready to help you enjoy the learning process!

I met these beautiful sisters at the end of the day - their smiles were absolutely infectious! Two years old and four years old, from Cuba, New Mexico - they told me they LOVED skiing!!



When I asked this pretty girl about her gold medal, she very proudly told me that it was given to her in ski school.

We are getting ready for the busy days that signal Spring Break - many students and families flock to Wolf Creek for break. The other sign that spring is looming - longer days with the sun tracking higher in the sky. Feels pretty good!!

Camera Back in Working Order

March 2, 2007 - Yup, another powder day at Wolf Creek. In the past couple of days, the clouds have added another 20 inches of very nice snow to the inventory. The snowfall total since September is now at 346 inches!!! Current base at the summit is 96 inches. To put that into perspective, I am 62 inches tall.

This photo doesn't begin to do justice to the beauty of this snow. I was hitting pockets of waist deep fluff on the way down this tree run. This area is accessed by hiking south out the Knife Ridge - well worth the effort for avid powder hounds.

More later - now that the camera is back, I'll be updating this blog regularly.

Apologize for Lack of Postings Recently

Camera has been sent in for repairs - should be back and functional very soon.

Update - Powder at Wolf Creek Ski Area is deep and light! Photo updates will be posted asap.

Ice Fishing

What an enjoyable day we had yesterday! My husband, Terry, and I joined a small group of South Forkers to go ice fishing on a small lake northwest of Creede. After driving about 30 miles, we snowmobiled for another 5 miles, and arrived at our destination. I would name the lake, but had to take an oath of silence - these fellows don't share information like this with just anyone! (Here Dwayne is wielding the gas-powered ice-auger - what a spiffy tool.)

The weather was absolutely perfect, the lake frozen about 2 feet down, and the fish were most cooperative. To my glee - I caught the first fish (it was also the largest)! This big fat Cutthroat Trout was delicious. Normally, I fly-fish and make it a habit to "catch and release". However, this lake is one which has been totally stocked by the Div. of Fish & Wildlife. The fellows we fished with spoke of this lake having suffered a total "winter-kill" several years ago. It's amazing to know that this stocked fish has grown to such a size - must be a very rich environment for them!

Terry enjoyed the day, too. It brought back many memories and stories of ice-fishing with his dad in Minnesota.

Hiking for fresh snow...

Well, this past Sunday was another "Local Appreciation Day" (no ID required) at Wolf Creek Ski Area. The offer of a full day of skiing for $25 was further enhanced by the 8" of fresh powder - and there were a fair number of people anxious to accept that offer! I spoke to folks from Denver, Longmont, Fort Collins, Durango and Albuquerque who had come a long way for the Wolf Creek experience. It's amazing how far the "locals" will travel for good snow at a good price.

Many of these folks were accomplished skiers who took great advantage of the challenging skiing out on Alberta Peak and the Knife Ridge. As a result - one simply needs to hike further for fresh untracked snow.

Yesterday, my husband and I took our alpine-touring skis and "skinned" out to Spooner Hill for a picnic lunch and the chance to set the first tracks on the entire hill. This is within the ski area boundaries, but few people ever spend the time (and considerable energy) to get there.

The view from the ridge was outstanding, the snow was incredible and lunch was pretty darn good (of course I made it). This photo of the South San Juans was nicely framed by an arched dead tree. Double click on the photo to get the full experience.

Wolf Creek is wallowing in snow!

Whew - I'm exhausted - 48 inches of new snow withing the past 3 days! Skiing every day, hiking to get to the best powder stashes, and sometimes breaking trail to get out of your favorite spot...

Have to apologize for not having any new snow photos - it's just been too stormy to take the camera - time to get a plastic bag for it! Here is a photo of the Pinon Jays taken on Friday morning as the storm was just beginning. These are birds we never see until just before a big storm. They know where the food is and come "en masse" to fuel up before the snow.

Tomorrow is going to be clear and very cold - if possible, I'll take some "fat snow" photos then. But now, I need to rest these snow-weary bones...

Winter in the high country

Christmas and New Year's weeks were busy ones at Wolf Creek Ski Area. As many of our visitors come from / or through areas other than Denver and the Front Range, they didn't have a difficult time reaching their holiday destination. With fresh snow and many blue-sky days, everyone had a delightful ski vacation.

While driving up to ski some more powder the other day, I finally stopped to take this photo of the ice falls. Located about 9 miles up the pass from South Fork, this is a little known destination for ice-climbers. Take a close look - the yellow arrow points to 2 climbers readying for the ascent. At the top of the falls, the green arrow shows the spot that climbers walk out to the next climb. I haven't been up there myself, but hear that there is a series of falls up above. Can't wait to explore it - I've never climbed ice, but would love to learn. (double click on the image for a larger view)


It's been 4 days since the last storm moved through, and another is due to arrive tomorrow. Think I'll take advantage of this sunny day to go skiing. At Wolf Creek, I know that I can find incredible untracked powder 4 days after the last dump...you need to do some hiking to reach it, but there are still glades and glades of untouched snow - within the area boundaries!