Yes, it's still ski season

     So yesterday Hardcore and I headed out for a front range tour with the dogs.  The weather started out mostly sunny with clouds threatening overcastedness from the west.  Temps have been trending high 20s in the AM to mid 30s by afternoon.  We started at Glen Alps and headed up the gully to the ballfield.  The goal was to investigate a line I had seen off the back of O'Malley not too long ago: a lookers' dog-leg right down to Black Lake.  This was an Andy-expedition.
     We skied a thin and rock infested slope down to Black Lake and then headed up the other side.  Too steep and crusty to skin down low, we started booting.  We attempted to skin again after gaining the ridge, but encountered variable and slippery snow, ultimately booting all the way up the backside of O'Malley.  We decided to ski the hopefully soft south side of it instead of returning the way we came. 
     The view from the top of O'malley was great: Williwa, Elliot, Koktoya, the Wedge and other front range peaks.  We scoped out several gullies down and found most to be melted out, all but two.  The one we chose was crusty but carvable the first half and soft melting the bottom.  Overall a good long run.  Ill do this one again next season as well as the couloir down the back that we booted up for a bit.
     Hardcore was up for more so we skirted the ridge that hides hidden lake and skinned up the Wedge to attempt a line that had been on my list all season.  My legs were tired, but we were already out there with a mostly downhill ride to the car.  Just as we were approaching the top of the Wedge the clouds moved in.  This line starts as a bowl and funnels to a chute spilling south into the Powerline Pass drainage. 
     I took a more conservative angled slope while Hardcore steeped it down the crusty in flat light.  It softened up about half way down, much like O'malley.  We elected to do a little down-climbing over a small rocky area after choosing the less-than-obvious route.  Good training we tell ourselves.  A nice mellow and soft ending, we skied the apron to the valley floor and side-hilled/poled it as far as we could before skinning back to the parking lot.
     Wildlife seen yesterday included Hardcore and ground squirrels braving the snow.  I learned I should start carrying some glop-stopper stuff for snow-temperature changes in the spring.  I had gloppage going on at our farthest out point and no thank you anymore, it could have been miserable skinning.  Another repeat lesson was to bring more food and water.  On our way back it started flurrying snow but we also saw 2 rainbows, not a double, but 2 seperate ones.
     On a side note, we were passing a duo of a backcountry skier and border.  After a brief and friendly chat he informed me I was skiing 'women's skis'.  He told me he didn't mean any offense of course.  Dumb comment of the day if you ask me, with no opportunity for redemption.  So all you out there skiing the BD Justice, give yourself a good masculinity check, hide your skirt, and try to grow some facial hair.  If he were upwind I would have farted in his general direction. 

Hardcore eating




The line off Elliot for next season

O'Malley Line





The Wedge is the left high-point on the near ridge.  Also visible
are the Suicides and Ptarmigan.