Craft-driven mountain knowledge. Mountain guides, route guides, ridgecraft, snowcraft, geology, and essays for people who move deliberately through wild places.
Boulder, CO
Joined October 2018
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Sunday on Mount Bross, a skier triggered a wind slab above 14,000 ft and was buried head-down. Their group dug them out in about five minutes.
It's October. That's the point. Early-season snow is thin, but drifted slabs are real. Beacon, probe, shovel, and partners who know how to use them.
Rain-soaked slopes plus this week's freeze-thaw nights add up to more rockfall. Utah's Provo River Trail just closed after a slide that hikers barely outran.
Stay off the base of steep gullies, move through them quickly, and keep traction in the pack this week.
Early-season snow sitting on a rain-soaked base is exactly when people get surprised. Small slopes count. If you're out in the San Juans or Sangres, check the CAIC forecast first and stay off anything steep and freshly loaded.
Good window for anyone eyeing a Front Range peak early this week. Let Monday's sun soften things, start early, and expect fresh snow hiding ice on the upper talus. Microspikes and a turnaround time go in the pack.
A few degrees of warming is expected today, with light snow continuing in the mountains and rain across the plains. Precipitation chances will be highest this evening and overnight. Warmer and drier conditions are expected to return by Monday afternoon. #COwx
ALT Slightly warmer today- Plains: 50s and 60s Mountains: 30s and 40s Mountain Valleys: 40s and 50s Foothills: 40s and 50s
Thanks for keeping the San Luis Valley updated. If you're headed for South Fork or Conejos trailheads this weekend, assume the creek crossings are impassable until you've seen them yourself.
Significant flooding continues for the South Fork Rio Grande, Rio Grande through Del Norte, Conejos River & other small streams. High flows are expected along the Rio Grande downstream through Monte Vista & Alamosa, possibly approaching Flood Stage, through the weekend. #cowx
ALT Significant flooding continues for the South Fork Rio Grande, Rio Grande through Del Norte, Conejos River and other small streams. High flows expected along the Rio Grande further downstream through Monte Vista and Alamosa, possibly approaching Flood Stage, through the weekend.
All 58 in one day is incredible, but Linda summiting Handies in her 80s is the real headline. 💪⛰️
TBT to Aug when we joined forces with our friends & partners to climb all 58 14ers in ONE DAY⛰️🤯
The event was part of our Freedom 250 & Colorado 150 celebration, in partnership with:
🤝Colorado Mountain Club
🤝Outdoor Afro
🤝San Juan Mountains Association
🤝You!
Special shoutout to hiker Linda Lawson, who has climbed Handies Peak multiple times & is in her 80s! 💪
ALT Rocky mountain trail winding up to a summit under a partly cloudy blue sky.
ALT Panoramic view of a mountainous landscape with a small lake nestled in a green valley under a partly cloudy blue sky.
ALT Group of five diverse hikers smiling and posing on a mountain trail near informational signs on a sunny day.
Good reminder for anyone chasing one last fall summit this weekend. Light snow on top of wet rock is slicker than it looks. Microspikes in the pack and an earlier turnaround time. ❄️
A cold front will bring cooler temps across the forecast area today, along with light mountain snow and a chance for rain across the lower elevations. Slick travel conditions could develop over mountain passes, so be sure to check road conditions before heading out! #COwx
ALT Highs will be cooler today: Mountains and Valleys: 30-55F Foothills: 42-52F Denver Area: 52-55F Rest of Plains: 47-61F
The San Juan River just crested above 15 ft in Pagosa Springs, its highest since 1911. Alamosa logged its wettest October on record. 🌧️
If you're heading into the San Juans this weekend: expect washed-out trailheads, swollen creek crossings, and soft, slide-prone slopes. Check road status before you drive, and turn around at any crossing you wouldn't want to swim.
In 1978, USGS geologists predicted Mount St. Helens would erupt. They named the decade and the lateral blast, and said it could reach at least 10 km.
On May 18, 1980, it ran 28 km.
The hazard that gets you isn't the one you've never heard of. It's the one you sized too small.
summitborn.com/the-map-that-…
Cold front rolls in Saturday, and the high country flips to winter mode. ❄️
Heading up this weekend? Shoulder-season checklist:
• Microspikes for icy rock and trail
• An earlier turnaround time
• Extra layer + headlamp
• Check road and creek conditions before you drive in
Where are you headed? 👇
Early-season avalanche danger is real, even in October. ⚠️
Rain on new snow is a classic trigger, and the San Juans could get up to a foot by Friday. Check @COAvalancheInfo before you go, stay off and out from under steep snow slopes, and remember a little snow can still slide you into rocks.
The Colorado Avalanche Information Center warns that rain could trigger avalanches Thursday, with up to a foot of snow expected in the San Juan Mountains by Friday. 9news.com/article/weather/we…
27 million years ago, a volcanic eruption blanketed SE Arizona in ash. Today it's a forest of stone pinnacles, and as of Tuesday it's America's 64th national park. 🪨
Our guide to Chiricahua covers the geology, the best hikes, and why you should go before the crowds find it 👇
summitborn.com/chiricahua-na…
Every scrambling day has two halves, and most of us only train the first one.
Getting down when a scramble goes wrong is a skill of its own. Make the call early while it's cheap, and know what each of the three ways down really costs. 🧗
New on Summitborn 👇
summitborn.com/scrambling-re…
Hard agree. Colorado's 13ers give you the same views without the parking-lot sunrise crowd. The tradeoff is less beta and fainter trails, so sharpen your route-finding before you go. What's your favorite 13er? 👇
The big difference between a 13er and a 14er? One is considerably less crowded, by a huge margin. Consider us converted. bit.ly/4zxf7WS
America has a new national park. 🏜️
Yesterday the Chiricahua National Park Act became law, and the old monument in SE Arizona is now our 64th national park and Arizona's 4th. Expect hoodoos, balanced rocks, and sky-island hiking.
Who's going this winter? 👇
America’s newest national park is rock solid!
Chiricahua is officially our 64th national park. Welcome to the "Wonderland of Rocks."
ALT Lightning strikes beneath dark storm clouds over the rocky landscape of Chiricahua. Green vegetation surrounds clusters of towering rock formations, with a pink glow along the distant horizon.
1925, Mount Logan. Three of the best climbers alive lost their marked line in a whiteout, found it again, and followed it faithfully the wrong way, back toward a 19,000 ft summit.
A line of markers tells you where the route is. It doesn't tell you which way you're going.
The first ascent of Canada's highest peak, and the way home: summitborn.com/mount-logan-f…
We reviewed a $310 water purifier and told most readers to buy the $140 MSR AutoFlow XL instead. 🤷
The @MSRgear Guardian Gravity is virus-proof water, 10 liters at a time, no pumping. Right for travel and base camp. Overkill for Colorado weekends.
summitborn.com/the-msr-guard…
Coldest-night sleep hack: put a Z Lite SOL under an XTherm NXT and you're near R 9.3. 🥶➡️😴
That's one tip from our winter-heavy gift guide: 20 picks from @MSRgear, @Thermarest and the Cascade Designs family.
summitborn.com/20-best-msr-h…
