Russ Detwiler (a post-doc in Civil Engineering) and I made our first 2001 back-country ski trip on April 29th.  Our destination was the summit of Mt. Toll in the Indian Peaks, along the Continental Divide west of Boulder.  We drove up the road towards Brainard Lake, and (as expected), found the road closed half-way up.  So we packed our gear and set out on our bikes towards the trail head.  Here's Russ getting ready to see how a top-heavy bike handles.

We're not sure what all the other cars are doing here, since we only saw two other skiiers all day.  The road here is clear, but just around the corner there are huge snow drifts that even a big plow couldn't get through. The elevation here is probably around 9,500ft.
 
 

After a tough slog on the bikes (which involved many dismounts to push the bikes through snow drifts or over black ice), we reached the Mitchell Trailhead.  Note the depth of the snow on the information signs.

 
 

After a brief hike through the woods, the Mitchell trail breaks out into open tundra.

 

There is not much elevation gain for a while, but the deep snow is still a bit of a challenge.  Russ and I both break through the snow and land in a stream at one point, soaking our boots.  After a few hours of hiking, we reach Blue Lake (still frozen and snow-covered), where we break for lunch.  The wind has been blowing all morning, so we find some shelter behind some rocks.  Mt. Toll is the peak in the distance.  The left side is the skiable face.

 
 
 

After eating about six of my eight sandwiches, we head back out.  The wind is dying down, and the summit looks clear!  Two skiiers are ahead of us, and they have made some nice footprints in the snow to walk in.

 
 

Now the going gets tough, as the elevation increases and the pitch of the slope increases.  Here I am pausing, hoping that the fabled "oxygen inversion" will set in.  The row of peaks in the background all form (along with Mt. Toll) the Continental Divide.  None of the mountains here hit 14,000 feet, but most come quite close.

 
 
 

Here I am at the Summit (elevation around 13,000 feet).  Time for some more snacks.  We are waiting for the snow to soften a little bit more before we descend.

 
 
 

Here is a panorama taken from the summit.  The panorama is actually six images that have been digitally stitched together.  You are looking down both sides of the Continental Divide.  Russ is hungry.  Note that you may need to scroll your screen to see the whole image.

O.K. It's time to go!!!!!  By the time we are ready to descend, the wind has almost stopped, and the temperature has risen to around 50 degrees. 

Here is Russ headed down the initial pitch, which is not very steep.  The mild slope gives you time to get a few turns in before it gets steep.

 
 
 
 

O.K.  Now it's getting steep.  The snow is fantastic!!!!

 
 

 

We were able to ski the entire way back to our bicycles, since the snowcover is still quite extensive.