FRONT RANGE | COLORADO | UNITED STATES

All Locations>>UNITED STATES>>COLORADO>>FRONT RANGE

Summary | 350 inches a year

Winter Park webcam
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The Front Range is home of Tyrannosaurus Rex as well as some of Colorado's tallest mountains which carry the continental divide along their shoulders. Overlooking the vast emptiness of the Great Plains to the east; it is hard to live in Colorado without being affected by this prominent mountain range on a daily basis. Standing as a barrier to the Rocky Mountain west, the Front Range is Colorado's great wall that separates civilization from the wilderness.

Snowpack
High winds and cold dry snow make for a typically dangerous continental snowpack. Most serious routes should be attempted later in the winter and into spring when temperatures rise and the snow begins to corn.

Mountains

ARAPHOE BASIN (0)

CAMERON PASS (1) Elevation: 10,276 ft

Cameron pass offers some of northern Colorado's finest and most accessible skiing. Exciting and varied terrain make it a favorite destination for skiers from the Front Range and southern Wyoming. Backcountry skiers can find steep, exciting couloirs in the Nokhu Crags and the Ruby Jewel Lake cirque; or more mellow, safer terrain on Montgomery Pass. The Diamond Peaks offer steep, open bowls (often dangerous).

Cameron Pass has its own backcountry ski patrol: Diamond Peaks Ski Patrol. This branch of the National Ski Patrol is one of the most experienced and elite SAR groups in the area.

JAMES PEAK WILDERNESS (0)

LOVELAND PASS (3) Elevation: 11,990 ft

One of Colorado's most treacherous winter passes, Loveland Pass is the unpleasant fate for truckers carrying hazardous waste who are not allowed to cross through the Eisenhower Tunnel; while simultaneously being the mecca for beginning backcountry enthusiasts wanting to get their powsticks wet, as well as those busy locals who are working too many jobs to have the time or the energy to work for their backcountry pow turns.

NOKHU CRAGS (2) Elevation: 12,485 ft

While the Nokhu Crags are technically part of Cameron Pass, this special area deserves a page of its own. The Nokhu Cirque can be reached in about two hours from the trailhead. Park at the turnout about a half mile below the main Cameron Pass parking on the south side of the pass. Ski down the sun-baked slope next to the car to reach the bottom of the valley below the Longest Run (the obvious slide path that often gets skied). Skin up the Longest Run until you get to the obvious old irrigation ditch that wraps around the mountain and follow it east. Continue up and around the drainage into the cirque to the south.

From here it is clear that there are endless possibilities for steep couloir skiing ranging from 500-1500 feet. Three east-facing couloirs are the first obvious things you will see on your right-- the Three Sisters. At least a dozen other steep chutes wrap around this area; if someone could enlighten me to their names it would be much appreciated.

THE CITADEL (1) Elevation: 13,294 ft



Photos

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Vert Tracker

Lowpro79: March 29, 2010 Uphill: 3,000 ft. | Downhill: 3,000 ft.

finally getting some snowpack to work with........[view]
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Skiallday: March 25, 2010 Uphill: 700 ft. | Downhill: 2,000 ft.

A beautiful day in snow if you know where to go ;)...[view]

Powderjunky: January 29, 2010 Uphill: 300 ft. | Downhill: 1,300 ft.

The Colorado sun was out smacking my pale ass nicely. Super light snow, really fun. A good escape before our final trade show in Denver. Snowpack still looks pretty sketch....[view]
Image Image Image

Skiallday: January 11, 2010 Uphill: 1,500 ft. | Downhill: 1,500 ft.

Beautiful sunny day. Snow was fun....[view]

Patorion: January 9, 2010 Uphill: 3,430 ft. | Downhill: 3,430 ft.

beautiful bluebird day!...[view]

Patorion: January 3, 2010 Uphill: 3,060 ft. | Downhill: 3,060 ft.

Got a few laps at Monty Bowls. Good conditions - boot tops at a minimum....[view]

Skiallday: December 11, 2009 Uphill: 1,600 ft. | Downhill: 1,600 ft.

C'mon snow!!! need to tune my edges....[view]

Skiallday: November 30, 2009 Uphill: 2,000 ft. | Downhill: 2,000 ft.

...[view]

Skiallday: November 24, 2009 Uphill: 1,000 ft. | Downhill: 1,000 ft.

Getting ready to burn off all that turkey...[view]

Skiallday: November 19, 2009 Uphill: 1,000 ft. | Downhill: 1,000 ft.

Pumped to gets some turns before work...[view]

Skiallday: November 14, 2009 Uphill: 1,200 ft. | Downhill: 1,200 ft.

...[view]

Greinert: October 19, 2009 Uphill: 1,200 ft. | Downhill: 300 ft.

...[view]

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Web Cams

Loveland Basin webcam
Loveland Basin web cam
Courtsey of http://www.skilovela...
 Winter Park webcam
Winter Park web cam
Courtsey of http://www.skiwinter...
  

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All Locations>>UNITED STATES>>COLORADO>>FRONT RANGE
People die skiing in the backcountry every year. Avalanches, crevasses, trees, human error, weather, tree wells, rabid sasquatches, among other things can kill you in an instant. Use this guide at your own risk, we are not responsible for any wanker getting all wanked up in the wankin' backcountry. That being said, even the most experienced backcountry skier can get caught off guard. Take avalanche classes, carry a beacon, probe, shovel and avalung AND KNOW HOW TO USE THEM. Just because you buy them, doesn't mean you get magical powers of invincibility. Many people who own beacons have no clue how to operate them. More importantly than any gear you can buy, you need to know how to safely travel in avalanche terrain, minimize potential hazards, and interpret how weather affects the snowpack. This requires time and experience. Learn from others, be safe and courteous, and when in doubt go home and live to ski another day. The amount of snow needed to be dug up to rescue a buried victim, on average weighs right around an actual ton. In North America 25% of victims die from hitting trees, rocks, and other sharp unforgiving surfaces. It only takes one miscalculation to have the mountains kick your ass. Just because you see tracks or someone else skiing a line, does not mean you should ski it. Remember, individual actions affect all of us. Take care of each other out there, we are all on the same team.