So just when I told my girlfriend that I was finally done with the backcountry skiing thing for the season, we get hit with a 12 inch storm. The mountains were socked in all day and we couldn't see what was happening up there, but when the clouds broke and the storm moved out, the snowline sat right at 8500 feet. Nothing quite like seeing our Sangre De Cristo's all white up top and all green down low. As the posse got together the night before, we excitedly babbled about skiing in the morning. It was decided that we would ski Lake Fork, an almost 13,000 foot peak in the Wheeler Peak Wilderness. If we had the time and the snow was good, maybe we could tick off Sin Nombre as well.
When I woke the next morning it was cold. I had wanted to start at 5am, but the group convinced me to push it back because the freeze had been so deep and long the day before. Hanging out at the parking lot at 6:30, waiting for the crew I almost thought about heading out solo but decided against it. Assembled and moving by 7 we were off. Amazingly we were able to skin right from the start. What had been a 15 minute melted out walk to snowline was now back in prime skiing conditions. I love skiing in June.
Two hours later we were standing on top of Kachina at 12,484 feet, removing skins, and hoisting our skis for the almost 1000 foot climb over to Lake Fork. The wind howled for a little while and I was amazed at how cold it was for June. That wasn't going to last long though, as we climbed the wind died and temperatures soared upward. We had to hustle, quickly moving over the broken rocky terrain climbing steadily up and up and up.
Finally we topped out and the whole Wheeler Peak wilderness was laid out far below us. We could see rollers coming down the more southerly aspects and knew we had to hurry. I dropped in first suprising the others who were still booting up and looking at their lines. My first turns were hesitant, as I was carefully watching out for rollers and wet slides. Soon though I was moving quicker, flying down the 1500 foot descent, spraying powder on every turn. "This is what its all about" I thought as I sliced and diced the soft fresh snow. I reached the bottom and set up to try and capture the moment with my camera. Looking back up at my tracks I felt exhilarated, powder turns on June 6th!
Tracks
Tele Matt was next and he did not hesitate. He dropped into the steeper and narrower "Bash's Stash" line and started pounding it, making huge hop tele turns down the almost 50 degree face. It was really warming up by now and the rollers were a rollin. Matt quickly and carefully dropped through the narrow sections and turned around the rock spines making it look easy. He exited out right and was smiling pretty big when he cleared the "danger zone". Teddy followed soon after, skiing the main face. Teddy's Indian name is "He who doesn't turn" and he lived up to it. In fact he skied so fast and straight I couldn't even get my camera to shoot fast enough. Finally Travis was last and he made it look good, snapping quick slalom turns down the fall line, grinning with surprise when he got a face shot or two.
Tele Matt Hoppin
Tele Matt Feelin Good
With our group back together we discussed the earlier plan of skiing Sin Nombre. We decided that because of our late start and the rising temperatures we should skip it and ski the Wolf's Den instead. We quickly booted up and over the back and set up for another 1500 feet of untouched powder snow.
Travis droppin in
Powder day in June!
Teddy and Matt skied the steeper and tighter left hand line while Travis and I made short work of the perfect looking right hand couloir. Travis jumped out in front of me, fresh with powder fever. I caught up to him at the dogleg and quickly dropped down and out of sight. We all made it down and out carrying our speed out of the couloir and across the soggy bowl below. It was getting hot and all the new snow was sloughing and rolling and melting away.
Looking down the Wolf's Den
Freshies
As we worked our way down through the melted out forest below I couldn't help but think of all the turns and powder days we had this year. So many stand out, but this one day, June 6th, just might have been one of the best and most memorable of em all. We all joked and laughed and spent the rest of the afternoon talking about all those awesome days, reliving glory filled moments and dreaming of next year. Heck at this rate maybe we'll ski all 12 months this year, who knows. New Mexico has a way of always surprising you, spoiling you with unmatched beauty and wildness, especially on a powder day in June.
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Justin Anthony wrote on 06/12/08 at 3:06:05 pm pst:
Way to get after it still! I'm super jealous- stuck out on the east coast... Is it normal for New Mexico to have snow this late in the season?
telematt wrote on 06/16/08 at 09:32:23 am pst:
I think the party the night before had more of an influence on the "late" start than the cold conditions. In the land of enchantment anything can happen...even snow in June.