Hot temps, smoky skies and then snow. It’s been quite a 24 hour swing! Things were just starting to pick up when we left the ski area early afternoon. The highway closed shortly afterwards due to treacherous driving conditions and multiple accidents. This photo was right before I left the mountain and the storm is forecast to bring heavy snow…
It is downright awful today. The imminent cold front is pushing smoke from the western wildfires through Chaffee County. The mountains are not visible from the valley and the ski area has clouds of smoke rolling through. While this week’s snow storm may be a shock to the system, I say bring it on after a holiday weekend of 90…
We are starting to see some change in the seasons up at Monarch. The days have been warm but the nights have been cooling off. The skunk cabbage has turned golden brown, the alpine tundra has taken on a red hue and a few aspen trees on the pass are starting to pop. Looks like we are going have a…
The timber work on Monarch Ridge has begun. The USFS is leading this project on the ridgeline across from the ski area. We have a great view of it from the Admin offices and just about anywhere on the mountain. The timber specialists at the Salida Ranger District contracted with Miller Timber Services out of Philomath, Oregon. This outfit utilizes…
One of our summer projects involves relocating an historic cabin. The cabin was one of the original structures at Monarch. It was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps back during the early days of the ski area. The structure is nearly identical to latrine structures built by the CCC between 1933 and 1942. This structure was likely used for the…
Our summer crew spent the day planting seedlings on the mountain. Alex Rudney from the Salida Ranger District was able to get us a total of 600 trees to plant. These were a mix of Engelmann Spruce and Lodgepole Pine. These are the two most common trees found at Monarch Mountain and the seeds used for growing these seedlings were…
It has been smoky on the mountain with all of the forest fires burning in the west. From the valley bottom it has been hard to even see the Continental Divide at times. CDOT finally got the I-70 corridor through Glenwood Canyon open this morning which helped to alleviate the detour traffic issue on US Highway 50. Kudos to the…
We are building more snow fences on the mountain this summer. We use these to help protect certain slopes from wind scouring and to gather snow piles on the leeward side of the fence. These piles can then be pushed around by our snowcats to the areas where we need it the most such as top lift ramps and along other bench areas…
The CDNST/CT segment south of Monarch Pass is known as the “Crest Trail”. It encompasses 10 miles of primarily singletrack along the Continental Divide. Much of the ride is at or above treeline with huge views to the west. It is prime season for getting in some rides on this sweet trail. There are five great options for descending off…
I found a few old snags while hiking out in Mirkwood Basin a few weeks ago. Obviously the forest is working on making many more with the dead and dying trees due to the spruce beetle infestation. These trees create ideal habitat for woodpeckers and mammals. The sound of woodpeckers is quite prevalent when hiking in the Monarch Pass area.
