Our first season running the Sawatch Mountain Club has started off strong! Despite a few weeks of low tide, we were able to find fresh turns each week and explore many new zones. And we mixed things up one week to try out ice climbing before heading out on a tour. After four weeks of good times in the backcountry it seemed like a good time to reflect on some of the important lessons that we have taken away from the experience.
Group Decision making – We always meet before the tour with a list of 3-4 options for the day and then we take a look at the daily forecast. Each person adds their own input based on comfort levels and personal objectives for the day. This is a simple and casual meeting, but offers good habits for all backcountry trip planning.
Patience – Safely exploring the backcountry in the Sawatch Range requires a lot of patience. Early season snowpack is shallow and weak, and on top of that we get a ton of wind. So big mountain objectives are usually off the table until mid-Winter/Spring. Patience in the early season means being content with mellow turns in the glades, or hippy trees. Good news is that we have lots of great glade skiing in the area!
Facet Surfing- All of Colorado mountain ranges saw a dry spell in January and this made it hard to find deep and soft snow on most faces. The good news is that the persistent weak layers started to gain strength on North and Northeast facing slopes where the snow depth was deeper. Although it was a bit faceted it was fun for some surfy turns through the trees.
What’s Coming Up – Last week brought on the atmospheric river that the state desperately needed. Areas of the Sawatch Range saw anywhere from 30” – 40” of heavier snow, and more is on the way! So we are going to continue chasing pow in the coming weeks for sure. We also have a fun day of Quigloo building planned with a special guest, and the group is going to continue to practice companion rescue. As the temps start to warm up in the Spring we will be looking to get on a high alpine line. Stoked for more adventures with the Sawatch Mountain Club!
RMOC is an equal opportunity service provider. RMOC operates under special use permits from the San Isabel National Forest. All or part of this operation is conducted on Public Lands under special permit from the U.S. Bureau of Land Management.