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| Do you want quality turns or quantity turns? Back country skiers often vote for the former and in-bounds skiers the latter. Using wind power to regain lost vertical offers back country skiers an opportunity to have it both ways. Lightweight at 14 pounds, the UpSki sail creates not just a way to get to the top but a sport in itself. Here is a trip report which describes one of many such adventures: |
| A Spring Harvest |
| The Sawatch Range can get a ton of snow in the spring and by early June there are still plenty of shirt-sleeved skiers and riders hanging out at the parking area on top of 12,000 foot Independence Pass. This pass, which usually re-opens in late May, is about 14 miles from Aspen Colorado. Normally the drill is pretty much one of hiking out and descending to Highway 82 and then catching a ride back up. UpSkiers like this area in late spring because from here several mountains peaks are accessible. In wind mountaineering, like normal ski mountaineering, those peaks above the pass must be climbed to be skied. It is just that in Wind Mountaineering it this climbing up that is usually the most fun. |
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The route into our favorite area, 13,700 foot Blue Peak (Twining Peak on some maps), covers about two miles of rolling snow which is dotted here and there with SUV size boulders. In 20+ MPH winds we could easily float this distance in about 6 minutes but today our pace across firm snow is designed to allow the dogs a comfortable trot. Still, with Tara and Niki very used to this altitude, we arrive at the base in less than fifteen minutes. Above and below with a 25 to 35 degree pitch, stretches a huge 1,600 foot vertical snow field glistening with spring corn. Vented, in the collapsed mode, the UpSki rests lightly on the snow, shifting slowly back and forth. When the vent line is retracted, US Patent 4,722,497, the 625 square foot canopies provide sufficient wind capture power to pull us, at 200 geared pounds each, rapidly up 30 & 40 degree slopes. Together, John Stanford and Phil Huff developed, manufactured and tested 14 different release and venting systems before settling on the UpSki variable venting and emergency release design that is used in all UpSkis.
Dave Weissman, ripping past 13,500 feet (left) and descending with his canopy vented (right)
The UpSki snaps open and the rocket ship rides begin. Dave leans hard into his harness and throws up a rooster tail of "corn flakes" as he sweeps up the 30+ degree pitch. I lean to the opposite tack, click a picture or two, and feel myself "pushed" back into the harness as strong winds fill the sail. The dogs quickly become small dots far below. The perception is one of riding a very fast elevator without walls. The peaks on the horizon drop away and the sky becomes big. Mostly blue now, only a little white left, as we accelerate toward the horizon. Time to vent and use the last few yards of reasonable snow to come to a stop. It is a little strange to do a "hockey stop" while going "up" a steep slope. Later we pause long enough to have the dogs join us for a visit to the summit. Stopping a respectful distance away, we hike the last few feet to a panorama of the Central Rocky Mountains. East of us, a few miles, is the highest point in Colorado. The fresh winds and velvet corn remain too inviting however for a prolonged visit to even this vista. We head back to making turns.
UpSkiing corn is compelling fun. It is ego snow of the most sincere kind with can't go wrong carves. The edges of the skis are locked into a linked series of high speed grooves. This same sensation applies to skiing down. Normally UpSkiing is repeated rapid ascents with gravity only useful for getting back to the staring point. Corn skiing is so much fun that we daisy-chain the lines and stuff the canopy into the UpSki Pack and make our descents the old fashion way. The time for a complete round trip of ascending, stuffing the canopy, and descending, is about 14-18 minutes which usually includes taking a drink of water. That's 3200 feet of vertical, and it's fun both ways! This sport can be a bit physical. It provides not only the normal lower body exercise of climbing and skiing but also upper body activity from constantly leaning, pulling and shifting in the harness. None of this riding ski lifts for 15 minutes in between runs! After the sun, the wind and the corn have had their way with us; we make turns to the waterfall, lean against the warm rock, and snack before making more laps. Finally, before the snow at the lower elevation around 12,000 feet begins to rot, we ski back down to the top of Independence Pass. 
Tara and Phil head to the waterfall.The stronger the wind,
the faster the ride. The higher you go, the stronger the winds! Just a
note of caution here. This story concerns two UpSkiers with lots of wind
and mountain experience. Even experienced mountaineers will need to spend
time to learn how to UpSki. Traction Kites, used in Kite boarding, are
typically not suited to this type of terrain except in very narrow wind
ranges. |
