It's been a whirlwind of unforgettable skiing around here lately -- sorry for the lack of timeliness with these posts. I just haven't had the energy to keep up, but I'm taking a day off to rest so here comes the first of a few more postsÉ

After our epic Democrat trip with the huge slog out, Eric and I decided to take the next day to rest. I'd left most of my gear in his home on wheels, which he drove back to Denver to take care of business. He'd be back the day after that for another assault on something undecided.

Enter Dave. He called, said he was coming down from the big city with his dog Milli and wanted to ski in my backyard. He managed to twist my arm and get me out on borrowed/extra gear and dead legs.

Luckily I had brought my AT boots in and my beacon; everything thing else I pieced together with mine & other peoples' extras. Adjusted my downhill mounted CMH's to fit my Garmonts, strapped them on a borrowed pack and we were off. 5 minutes from my driveway there is an access road to Cristo Lake; which I'd scouted days before.

There is a short little ridge tucked in the shade of Quandary (a big 14er) that would be perfect for an easy afternoon jaunt. As always, the hike in was a bit more difficult than it looked from afar and I was slowwwww. Winter stayed home all comatose from the day prior.

When our goal first came into view, it looked pretty much as I remembered. A short yet interesting shot, maybe 500' or so. LA1.jpg

Part of the mission was to get a good look at a bigger cirque set behind that ridge, and have a little fun in the meantime.

The closer we got and as our viewing angle changed, we soon realized that this was going to be more than a mellow little run off a tiny little ridge. Holy steep crazy lines! Ours is in the foreground: LA2.jpg

Memories of Skywalker Couloir quickly filled our heads. This one seemed every bit as steep as that, only shrunken down. Hence the moniker ÒLittle AnikenÓ. Dave skied it first(he has the orange pants) as I walked around to get a cool vantage point, then it was my turn to go. What a way to test how well AT boots work with alpine bindings! LAdb3.jpg LAdb5.jpg LAdb6.jpg LAmd2.jpg LAmd3.jpg

Milli was too scared to follow and picked another line. She found a good route and met us at the bottom. Very cool little mountain dog!

After that we cruised down a cool little gully next to a stream -- LAmd5.jpg - and filed away a nice adventure. We also had some good knowledge of what we get after the next day. Eric arrived that evening, they both crashed on the couches(yes, there are two in the living room) and big plans were hatchedÉ.