I drove over the divide and down to the Front Range to attend an event so I made the most of a couple of winter Monarch Pass crossings.
I brought my backcountry ski gear and while the snowpack is a bit dicey at the moment, I'm familiar enough with the area to know some places I can ski that are not avalanche prone, even when the snow is generally unstable.
On the way over on Tuesday I only climbed and skied a single run. The light was flat and it was very cold and windy. I took a couple of documentary snaps but nothing noteworthy.
On the way back on Wednesday it was later in the day and the sun was actually out for a while. It was also slightly colder (10 F) than the previous day but with a little sun and less wind. I managed to get in a couple of runs of glorious powder skiing and the late afternoon light combined with a clearing storm was pretty nice. Climbing out of my first run I could see a nice sunset starting to form. My problem was I was climbing a ridge that mostly blocked the light so I put everything I had into the climb to maybe catch some of this nice light at the top. I just barely made it and grabbed a few handheld shots (challenging while my heartrate and breathing were still recovering) of the light coming through the trees before it was gone. I then took my final run back toward the car in the dimming twilight. A successful mission!
