| View previous topic :: View next topic |
| Author |
Message |
icculus
Joined: 06 Dec 2004
Posts: 439
Location: Littleton, CO
|
 Posted: Mon Feb 05, 2007 3:01 pm Post subject: TR: Eiseman Hut Video |
 |
|
Below is a link to my first ever attempt at a video TR of our trip. The viddy is ~3min in length and about 28MB.
http://www.maynes5280.net/videos/gallery/eiseman.wmv
Myself and a couple buddies went to Eiseman Hut on Wed, Jan 31 - Fri Feb 2. We had low expectations of snow conditions prior to leaving the city as the forecast for snow was sketchy at best, but our outlook quickly changed. We arrived at the Spraddle Creek trailhead with 6" of fresh...and it was puking.
As it always seems to happen on our hut trips, we had the pleasure of breaking trail for 6.5 miles to the hut...and the snow got deeper and deeper as we approached Eiseman...6"...8"...10"...12".... Needless to say, after almost 8 grueling hours (yes...8 hours!) we finally got our first whiff of the wood stove in Eiseman. It was an olfactory blessing after such a long, hard tour.
Upon our arrival at the hut, there were two other people from Fort Collins...that was all. Supposedly, the hut had all but 3 reservations filled, but either the snow or the cold kept the meek away.
Have I mentioned how COLD it was? Daily high temps never climbed above -5°F...but we didn't care. We had well over 16" of fresh, cold smoke pow right outside our door. The couple had told us that the day before (Tues) the conditions resembled a tracked out resort. Our timing couldn't have been better.
The next day, we hit it hard...touring around the hut and skiing deep lines all day. The constant skinning/deskinning kept us toasty warm in the frigid temps and the smiles just grew and grew with each lap. The terrain around Eiseman Hut is unbelievable.
We ended up having the entire hut to ourselves on Thursday/Friday, as the two people from Fort Collins headed out sometime in the morning on Thursday. It's surrreal to be the only ones in such an amazing place...with the best backcountry skiing of any 10th Mt hut right out the front door...all for ourselves, and we made the most of it.
Edited to verify video link. It takes a while to download, so be patient!
Last edited by icculus on Mon Feb 05, 2007 7:21 pm; edited 5 times in total |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
fajimr
Joined: 05 Jan 2005
Posts: 1834
Location: N. Utah
|
| Posted: Mon Feb 05, 2007 3:10 pm Post subject: |
|
|
thanks for the memories!!!
great viddy!!! I was there a couple of years ago and had to go a bit further to find freshies but sounds like you worked for yours!!! looks like a great trip!
jim |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Woolbury
Joined: 06 Dec 2004
Posts: 1227
Location: Front Ranger
|
| Posted: Mon Feb 05, 2007 6:18 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Great vid icc, thanks. What an awesome trip, looks like you guys were in the right place at the right time. It seemed like everyplace else was getting half that much snow and twice as much wind. Really nice. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
icculus
Joined: 06 Dec 2004
Posts: 439
Location: Littleton, CO
|
| Posted: Mon Feb 05, 2007 6:33 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Thanks Larry. We had a blast. Having a backcountry hut and all the terrain around it to ourselves was amazing.
I was beginning to wonder if the link to the video even worked.  |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
bobster
Joined: 06 Dec 2004
Posts: 617
Location: Duhrango
|
| Posted: Mon Feb 05, 2007 7:02 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Sweet vid. We passed you on the way in on Friday and sure are glad you broke trail out for us. It was damn cold on Friday but Saturday turned out to be about 12 degrees and mostly sunny. Snow was worked a bit by the wind but still excellent and you left us some good stuff to ski. Unlike you, we had the whole hut and 15 people had a really good time up there. Heading back on the 22nd for 3 more nights in paradise with 3 open spots if you know of anyone that wants them.
_________________
It's not that life is too short - it's just that you're dead for so darn long. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
SkaredShtles
Joined: 06 Dec 2004
Posts: 9523
Location: In a van................ down by the river
|
| Posted: Mon Feb 05, 2007 7:37 pm Post subject: |
|
|
That video did NOT suck, sir.  |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Lindsey2345
Joined: 16 Aug 2005
Posts: 429
Location: Nederland, CO
|
| Posted: Mon Feb 05, 2007 7:40 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Nice work! We had decent snow on our Dec trip, but nothing like that! You can't beat the access right from the door. Spraddle creek on the other hand makes you work for that access  |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
icculus
Joined: 06 Dec 2004
Posts: 439
Location: Littleton, CO
|
| Posted: Mon Feb 05, 2007 7:53 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Lindsey2345 wrote: | | Spraddle creek on the other hand makes you work for that access |
You ain't kidding.  Not the hardest approach I've had to a hut (Betty Bear takes that one), but grueling nonetheless. It would have been a lot easier had the skin track already been broken, but man that was a looooong, tough slog in very cold, snowy conditions. We were hoping another party would pass us and take over trail breaking duties for a while. Alas, there were no other parties en route. Amazingly, though, despite the frigid temps, there was never any wind. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Danno
Joined: 06 Dec 2004
Posts: 11182
Location: People's Republic of A**holia
|
| Posted: Mon Feb 05, 2007 8:54 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| icculus wrote: | | Lindsey2345 wrote: | | Spraddle creek on the other hand makes you work for that access |
You ain't kidding. Not the hardest approach I've had to a hut (Betty Bear takes that one), but grueling nonetheless. |
You must have been in worse shape or more tired or something when you did Betty Bear, because Eiseman is quite a bit harder than Betty Bear, longer with more elevation gain. The only one I know that beats it is Skinner (which I will never do in the winter).
Downloading vid now. Glad y'all had some sweet turns, I love that hut!
_________________
"anecdotes are fine assbaggery is not"
"But of course to Telemark is just one function of ski gear, but to have fun is the other. If I so much want to make Parallel turns all day long, I shall do this as well" |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Brent
Joined: 06 Dec 2004
Posts: 2392
Location: Denver
|
| Posted: Mon Feb 05, 2007 9:10 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Betty Bear has a short, steep, nasty section up through the trees after you leave the road (and my skins were clumping bad, which didn't help at all), but I'd also say that Eismann is harder overall. Skinner isn't bad if you do it from Betty Bear. I wouldn't want to do it from the east.
Looking forward to downloading the video when I get home . . . |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
SCUTSKI
Joined: 06 Dec 2004
Posts: 3967
Location: Couloirfornia
|
| Posted: Mon Feb 05, 2007 9:21 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Nice video. Thanks for the cold smoke stoke.
_________________
| AT Apostle wrote: | | I've seen the light. Light is right, but Weight is Great. |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
cesare
Joined: 06 Dec 2004
Posts: 13194
Location: People's Republic
|
| Posted: Mon Feb 05, 2007 9:48 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Beautiful! Nice vid, Brian.
_________________
that sounds like a sure-fire way to get bitch-slapped by devil's club -- dschane |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
snowbeard
Joined: 06 Dec 2004
Posts: 1156
Location: Lisboa, Portugal
|
| Posted: Mon Feb 05, 2007 10:29 pm Post subject: |
|
|
nice work!! when you ski that fast you almost need a faster camera, eh?!! 
glad you enjoyed it, that's one of my favorite huts (or maybe I've just been there the most, either way... )
_________________
==============================
Every good turn deserves another... |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
icculus
Joined: 06 Dec 2004
Posts: 439
Location: Littleton, CO
|
| Posted: Mon Feb 05, 2007 10:38 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Danno wrote: | | You must have been in worse shape or more tired or something when you did Betty Bear, because Eiseman is quite a bit harder than Betty Bear, longer with more elevation gain. The only one I know that beats it is Skinner (which I will never do in the winter). |
Betty Bear was definitely harder for me because I had on a super HEAVY pack. It was one of my first hut trips and I overpacked to say the least. I just remember those switchbacks just about killing me.
I honestly didn't think that the approach to Eiseman was too difficult overall (now that I travel ultralight on hut trips), but having to break trail through 12" of snow made it a very arduous slog. I think if we had an established skin track, we could have taken 2 hours off our approach time.
Last edited by icculus on Mon Feb 05, 2007 10:46 pm; edited 1 time in total |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
christian :?)
Joined: 17 Dec 2004
Posts: 2503
|
| Posted: Mon Feb 05, 2007 10:44 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| icculus wrote: | | I think if we had an established skin track, we could have taken 2 hours off our approach time. |
I've broken trail through that to the hut in around 3.5 hrs. Just go light. Sweet vid. Did you ski any of these shots:
- Christian :?) |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Usergroups
Register
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
