Jacob Wester

Day 6 in Telluride, and we have finally been skiing again. After taking a day and a half off (except some), the crew was eager to get on some good lines, and got up early to get first tracks up to one of Telluride’s classics, the San Joaquin colouir:

Big, steep and iconic, the San Joaquin.

To get there we had to traverse off the back of the ski resort, and skin up the San Joaquin ridge. Not a bad view, the bowl in the back left of the photo is where we climbed Silver mountain a few days ago.

And a little over an hour later, I found myself peeking over the edge of the San Joaquin. Steep and narrow, but this run has been done by hundreds (probably thousands) of people, so this was more about capturing a classic, rather than skiing something new and unexplored.

Nate Wallace coming down and around the krux one third down the run.

May be a classic, but still a rush!

After the first run it was about noon. Not satisfied yet, we put our skins back on and headed up Wasatch mountain. San Joaquin is right in the back side of the ridge behind CP.

After another hour of skinning and a fun bowl run in some fresh pow, we were yet again greeted by another one of Telluride’s mythical colouirs, the Why. A 1500 vertical foot trench in the north face of Little Wasatch, with some freshly blown in snow after last night’s storm. About two thirds down the run, a mandatory but easy to miss right turn directs you away from 3 massive unskiable cliffs, into a fun exit colouir.

Visual overview of the Why, including the bowl run before.

Photographer Brett Schreckengost getting a couple fun turns halfway down.

The exit colouir opens up towards the end and funnels out into the trees. 10 minutes skiing down a sled track to the village and we we’re home.

The bottom part of Why looking back at us through the trees.

Sure felt good to be back in town for some food and interviews. Two big colouirs in the bag, successful day!

Jacob

~ by jacobwester on March 19, 2013.