Telemark Skiing in the Park

Telemark Skiing in the Park

With the lack of snow this year, most of the skiing has been taking place in the terrain park. WP has some great parks, and it has been a blast learning new tricks and spins. This is my first real season with any time in the park, and it has been killer. This video we shot on two quick runs through the park early one morning. Enjoy!


Random Telemark Park

Trail Running Jones Pass and the Continental Divide Trail

Trail Running Jones Pass And The Continental Divide Trail

There are a lot of good loops that one can run in the mountains, such as the Ruby Creek loop. Right across the valley is the Jones Pass/Continental Divide Loop. Although the first 3.5 miles are on the Jones Pass 4x4 road, if you get an early start there will not be any traffic to worry about. Then, once you are on the Divide, the running becomes spectacular, with open views in all directions and not a person in sight. The loop is around 9+ miles and follows the Continental Divide trail from Jones Pass north over several minor 12,000 foot humps until turning east and dropping down to a saddle at the base of Vasquez Peak. From here, it turns south and skirts Vasquez Peak, until it drops you back down at the URAD Mine/Jones Pass/Butler Gulch parking area. An excellent high-altitude loop for trail running. We banged it out one day a couple weeks ago in under 2 hours. The fall colors were just at their peak.

Tara running along the Continental Divide trail

Speed Running Bottle Peak and Ptarmigan Peak

Speed Running Bottle Peak And Ptarmigan Peak 

Although Byers Peak dominates the view from the Fraser Valley, Bottle Peak and Ptarmigan Peak are two fun lesser peaks that are accessed via the same trailhead. The peaks see half the traffic that Byers does, and afford spectacular views of the Williams Fork area and Byers and Bills Peak basin. They can easily be tagged together, and if you are feeling up for the full loop, you can add Byers on and tag all three peaks in a single run (in fact, you can tag Bills too, but that requires more route finding skills). It took us 2 hours and 10 minutes round trip to tag both summits, with plenty of time spent enjoying the views and taking photos. 

Cruzing up, with Byers and Bills Peak in the background 

At the top of Ptarmigan Peak, looking east over Bottle Peak towards the Divide 

Tara cruzing down... 

The numbers for those who care.... 

Distance Roundtrip: ~7.6 miles roundtrip 

Start Elevation: ~9,900 feet 

 High Point: ~11,650 feet 

Total climbing and descending: ~3,650 feet 

Difficulty: Medium 

Other People Factor: Minimal Time: 2 - 5 hours depending on how often you stop to enjoy the views.

Speed Running Byers Peak in Grand County

Speed Running Byers Peak In Grand County 

Byers Peak looms over the Fraser Valley, and is a spectacular peak to trail run. With an excellent trail all the way to the top, and stunning views of the Williams Fork drainage, Gore Range, and Fraser Valley running Byers Peak is a locals favorite. We ran it last week and only saw one other group. Another amazing mountain run in Colorado's high country. It took me on this trip 2:27 roundtrip. 

On the way up... 

The "mandatory" self-portrait at the top... 

Looking across the Fraser Valley to the Divide from the top... 

The Williams Fork drainage.... 

Tara running down... 

Flowers are still going strong! 

The numbers for those who care....

Distance Roundtrip: ~8.6 miles roundtrip 

 Start Elevation: ~9,900 feet 

High Point: ~12,804 feet 

Total climbing and descending: ~3,808 feet 

Difficulty: Medium 

Other People Factor: Minimal Time: 2 - 5 hours depending on how often you stop to enjoy the views.

Mountain Running James Peak from Rogers Pass via the North Face

Mountain Running James Peak From Rogers Pass Via The North Face 

An excellent way to run James Peak (a local 13er) is via the North Face and the Rogers Pass trail. You can do it from the east side via St. Mary's Glacier, but that way usually has a few people on it. Running James Peak from the north, however, is great because the trail is clear and very runnable, and there are usually no people. There are two options: you can run it from East Portal/Rollins Pass up to Heart Lake and Rogers Pass, then south along the Divide to the top. Or, you can start on the Corona Road and run the Rogers Pass trail the entire way. We did a 9 mile version a couple days ago running from the Corona Road up that a little, to Rogers Pass and then along that to the top of James and back. 100% runnable, not a soul to speak of, and even a decent time at 2:17 roundtrip. 

Heading up... 

View from the top 

Cruzing back down...