Walter's Hut

The annual RFMG ski into a 10th Mtn Hut.

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An earlier departure from Longmont had me driving up to Silverthorne where I picked up Maryann at her home. We met Kim and Karen at the Butterhorn Cafe in Frisco for breakfast. It is Karen's first time skiing into a hut with the RFMG. A friendly ranger greeted us at the Vail Pass recreation area near the top of Vail Pass a directed us to the very large parking area adjacent to the new rest stop under construction. We geared up and started the 2.7mile ski into Walter's Hut with beautiful blue skies and warm temperatures. Maryann struggled a bit and about three quarters of the way in I strapped her pack onto mine to finish our ski in. It was about at this point that Jay and Wendy who'd driven from Salida directly to the trailhead caught and passed us.

We settled into the hut selecting our preferred sleeping arrangements. A group of us took to the skis again for a couple of laps on the small slope 300 meters or so from the hut. The snow was pleasantly good consisting of a few inches of surgar snow on a solid base. The pitch was somewhat skied up and someone had built a jump.

Kim baked chocolate chip cookies that she shared with the group to great delight by all.

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Everyone but Maryann skinned up their skis and we headed up to the ridge south of the hut. The normal route following the blue diamonds wasn't packed and instead we found ourselves following another route placing at the base of a steep climb. Folks did great as we traversed up the ridge. This alternative route brought a gentle powder covered slope stretching up the ridgeline that turned out to be very fun skiing for everyone. It too was a light sugar powder on a solid base. Climbing up for our second run the snow did settle, but the slope angle was low enough not to be an avalanche risk.

Candace, Karen and Lance made a second run immediately out the front of the hut looking toward Copper Mountain. The snow on this aspect was forming a crust so we skipped a second pass.

Lance with the help of Bill, Maryann, and Jim made snow ice cream using Tom Glenn's recipe that night.

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Some folks had planned on staying three nights so Walter's Up was reserved for this night. However, most of those people decided to ski out this day. Still with the hut reserved Bill, Candace, and Lance decided to explore the west side of the ridge while Maryann graciously waited in the hut. The three of us targeted the more northerly facing slope with some trees. It turned out to be excellent skiing! Plenty of unbroken soft powder on a 25-30 degree slope was supreme. I can't believe I'd never ventured over to this slope in previous visits. It was a joyous end to the hut trip.

Weather the entire time was sunny and warm.

For the return to the car, Maryann decided to walk from the hut down the the first open area where the sign is posted asking snowmobiles not to travel closer to the huts. Fortunately there was a group who'd snowmobiled up to this point and were making one more trip back to the parking lot for their alcoholic beverages. They offered to give Maryann a ride down! I skied down the now sunbaked posthole bumpy trail to the parking lot arriving just shortly after Grant (sled owner) and Maryann arrived.