After 4 days of long tough but fun meetings in Boulder, Sun. - Wed., I took a day of leave yesterday to go skiing.

Where: St. Mary's Glacier, CO, exit 238 off I-70 near Idaho Springs, follow signs, googleable.

Access: About 1 mile, 500 foot elevation gain. Hike up rocky trail from parking lot.

Good News: Turns in August

Bad News: Turns in August

It sucked actually, big time. I think I've discovered the limits of summer skiing. When more than half of the surface is black rather than white, from windblown dust and dirt, you've hit the limit. It skis like goo, hot asphalt would be better.

When the sun cups are a foot deep and there are only 2 of them per ski length, you've hit the limit.

When the runnels are big enough to swallow a skier, you've hit the limit.

St. Mary's is only about a 20 deg. pitch max and a lot of it is 15 or less. I chose it because T storms were expected by noon or shortly after and the access and retreat are short & quick. I hiked to the top, which is still < 12,000 ft. and wandered a bit in the miles & miles of high mountain meadow surrounded by 13,000+ peaks before noticing that the little white fluffy clouds were starting to get big and gray. Then I hiked back down to where I'd left the skis and took my one run of the day. I'd do it again. I love mountains.

I need a business connection in the PNW, Seattle or Portland would do.

Thunderstorms in the forecast and skiing....doesn't mix well or sound right at all!

That's some dedication though to hit that up in the summer, way to go!

Congrats on the august turns Dennis! You should go to Mt. Hood next year.

and yet still no pictures from Denis, tsk tsk. i seem to remember it being bigger than described, but that was 20 yrs ago and i wasn't skiing then.
thanks though, i am sure you got some funny looks carting around your skis on this trip in august.

Man, I actually miss skiing SMG. When I lived in Denver I went every year for my B-day on 8/29 to hike and make turns on the blackened sun cups. And I liked it! Something very cool about driving up to go skiing in a convertible Bronco, making turns, then heading off to go mtn. biking. Add sex and you got the perfect triathlon <EG>

It was a sign that the season (out there) was soon coming. Here, we got 3 months from today at BEST to opening...and that's being very, very, VERY hopeful.

I used to also love June skiing at A Basin when possible.

What's so odd about that? It's been a regular occurrence here in the Mid A the last few winters

On several of my winter-break trips to Snowshoe, we've had to come in off of the slopes due to thunder-storms!

-Warren-

Thundersnow! On one of my trips to Park City back in the mid-seventies, during an otherwise snowy and full of wonderful conditions ski week, I encountered thunder, lightening, and a major dump of snow - a white out due to falling flakes. The four os us skiing together were astonished but unsure what to do! Go into the woods? Stay on the slope? Did I say it was thundering and lightening just like the center of a summer thunder boomer? First we removed our skis and poles figuring that metal and lightening were real good bedfellows! Then we got to the side of the trail, trying to get out of the way of anyone attempting to bomb to the bottom (which we had rejected as a plan)! After about 20 minutes it was over, multiple inches had fallen!
Anybody else ever experienced such drastic conditions? What did you do? Anyone know the best/safest thing to do?
The Colonel

I got caught in a thunder snow storm on the lift at Seven Springs with my 12 yr. old daughter. The power failed and we were dangling from the cable in strong wind with lightning all around 2 chairs from the top for about 10 wild minutes. Very scary. The lightning part passed but it was still snowing like crazy as the power came back on and we unloaded at the top. This was over on the north side and one guy said he knew the way back to the base lodge so we all followed him in slow single file in the white out. It was late March after the solstice and the management honored our day tickets until 7 PM to make up for lost time. 6" of new powder had fallen and it was great skiing.

That was the 05/06 season wasn't it? It was crazy when that hit. March of 06 iirc. I was there that night.

Well, If I recall correctly my daughter was 12. She is 36 now so it was 1983. She has 3 boys and lives in VT. Not a bad deal for grandpa.