I sent out messages to friends looking for a ski partner for the day. The weekends cold front brought us some new snow and today was the first day I was able to take advantage of it before the sun does its work. No dice on finding a partner, which leads me to the truthful saying of "you can never have too many ski partners." Now there was a time when this would have deterred me from going out on a tour but it seems that this feeling just keeps fading further and further away. I don't know if its me getting more comfortable being in the mountains alone, if its the solitude with the mountains that now draws me, or if I just don't want to let that be my decision factor in enjoying a day in the mountains. Either way, it was a perfect day to get out and play in the backyard.
And a great way to start Gore season. A solo 5k vert Gore Range summit ski! I was on the trail by 7am enjoying the light as the sun creeped up. Although a warm and sunny day in the forecast I decided to load up my pack into full winter mode bringing pretty much everything but rope and harness. I figured the extra weight wouldn't hurt as it's good prep for the winter to come!
What a day! Beautiful and bluebird with little to no wind. Once on the summit I hung out for a bit and then explored off the ridge. Amazing views as always. Eventually I transitioned, strapped in, and enjoyed some nice turns back down near the bottom of the basin. Good enough for round 2! Slapped the skins back on and found myself again on the summit for my second lap, Hardy Boys style haha! Sigh* it's a beautiful word we live in! Shortly after I found myself back at the truck where I had a nice cold PBR ready for me. Holy shit, it's only October 14th!!