10th Mountain Hut Ski

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Thursday-Saturday, Feb. 16-18 2006

3 days and 2 nights at 11,400ft with the divide right above the hut and safe skiable terrain all around. Fresh snow on top of it all. Mix in the Blum's andmake it one of the best hut trips yet.

Left Boulder at 6:30 with snowy roads all the way. Slow going but we were able to start skiing by 10:30. Easy ski in but wicked cold temps in the single digits. The kiddos were, as usual, great troopers.

We got to the hut by 2:30, in plenty of time for Rachel and I to go explore up above Slide Lake and cut some nice turns in 5 inches of fresh, blown in snow with mostly blue skies.

Friday we skied with Alex up to Homestake ridge. Alex, running a bit of bad cold and flue, turned back and we went up to around 12,400 ft in pretty blustery conditions. Turned around to skitter on down to treeline and some fine snow and turns al the way back to the hut. Spotted Varda on some kid time but still had time to explore some really good glades east of the hut before dark. Gotta go back that way next time again.

Saturday we took the whole gang up around Slide Lake and looped around back to the hut. But not without spending some time climbing up and down some pristine open slopes loaded (in a safe way) with great snow.

The ski back down to the cars was uneventful but pleasant. The kiidos really did a great job. Seth is way gungho to climb and tele! The girls were solid on plastic boots and edged skis. Kelly was running a sore throat all weekend and didn't have the best of times. But still, Leah and her had fun and will no doubt want to go back to another hut. If nothing else, to try and make an even bigger snow cave than we did this time around.


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