If the 4 a.m. start was daunting, then rest assured, the Sneffels Half Loop start time is now a little later adding more light.

On March 10 sunrise is 6:19 a.m. and to give our racers a little more visibility we’ve bumped the start time up two hours to 6 a.m. That gives racers a total of 12 hours of daylight to complete the 33-mile race (sunset on March 10 is at 6:01 p.m.)

Have you signed up yet? We’re still looking for racers and volunteers. Give us a call at 970.626.3033 or visit our website www.sanjuanhuts.com.

What’s typically one of our busiest weekends of winter, Presidents’ Day weekend has a last minute opening at the Last Dollar Hut. We’re in the heart of winter with plenty of new snowfall and skiing into the huts couldn’t be more picturesque.

Last Dollar Hut (10,980′) sits 300 feet and 1/4 mile above Last Dollar Pass. There are direct views across the San Miguel River canyon and the north faces of the Wilson Range.

Last Dollar Hut is also our furthest hut west and closest to Telluride. So make some turns at the Telluride Ski Area and join us for a night at the huts.

“The deepest accumulations will be in the San Juan Mountains,” reads the Colorado Avalanche Information Center’s forecast today. We’ll take that.

The last few weeks we’ve seen several feet of snow fall in our corner of the state and across Colorado. And while a weak system exits our region after last weekend’s storm, the next series of stronger Pacific storms will begin Sunday.

With all of this new load, still the snowpack remains very unstable. Avalanche danger is high and widely varying, precarious conditions exist. And sadly, Colorado had its fifth avalanche fatality in the side country of the Telluride Ski Area on Sunday.

According to CAIC, this recent storm “translates to an inch or more of water loaded onto a weak snowpack.” We’ll take that, too–into serious consideration.

Be safe out there.

Okay, we’re not trying to jump the gun on summer season, but biking season is just around the corner. Have you booked your Durango to Moab or Telluride to Moab trip? Many have and it seems even mid-winter, biking is still on the brain. Check out videos on our site for a little visual inspiration.

Also, let us help lighten the load in travel planning. New this summer, we are offering full travel packages to get you here, get you settled, and get you on the trail, at discounted prices. Everything from shuttles to bike rentals to lodging are being offered via our travel packages. Simply give a ring to see how we can help. 970.626.3033

Early season snow that evolved into a layer of large, weak faceted grains is lurking beneath the surface on nearly all aspects and elevations. The Colorado Avalanche Information Center states that while the new, upper snow layers from recent storms are gaining strength, those faceted layers beneath are not, making for a dangerous snowpack. So be on high alert in the winter backcountry and hone your avy skills with this quintessential case study, digging pits and studying snow crystals out of danger’s way.

Faceted grains are not our friends

Never taken an Avy I course? Now is the time. Matt Wade of Peak Mountain Guides is offering an Avy I hut-based trip at our Ridgway Hut, Feb. 23-26. The perfect winter classroom, and with this season’s snowpack, the perfect snow study.

Are you ready to race? The Sneffels Half Loop is back. This backcountry Nordic ski race begins at Last Dollar Pass near Telluride and runs 34 miles to the town of Ouray finish on March 10. Racers and volunteers wanted, call 970.626.3033.

Winter made a comeback to the San Juan Mountains over the past 10 days. Overall snow totals vary area to area, but approximately three feet fell in the past three storms.  Snow above the huts is plentiful and trail access in and out is in fine winter shape. Of course, with these pulsing storms with high winds and heavy snowfall, comes high avalanche danger. High water content in the last storm should help settle out the season-long growth of faceted weak layers, but that is to be determined by Mother Nature. So while we wait…travel to the huts is a perfect alternative to poking around in high avy danger. Be safe out there.

Burn Hut

It’s back … are you ready? The Sneffels Half Loop returns to pose a new challenge, 35 miles long. The course for this backcountry ski traverse runs from Telluride’s Last Dollar Pass to the town of Ouray making five aid station stops at our winter huts. AT, randonee or Nordic (not skate) skis are suggested for racers to take on the feat March 10.

Two courses will be open to racers, the Full Course and the Short Course. The Full Course starts at the Last Dollar Trailhead (above the Telluride airport) and entails 34.4 miles of rolling, arduous traverse to the finish at the Ouray Hot Springs Pool. Total ascent is 6,630 feet and total descent is 9,057 feet.

The Short Course also begins at the Last Dollar Trailhead but finishes at the Blue Lakes Trailhead (near Ridgway), running nearly 24 miles. Total ascent is 3,990 feet and total descent is 5,498 feet.

We’re looking for racers and volunteers–visit our website or call us at 970.626.3033.

With a winter like this, you’ve got to get creative. While snowfall sits at below average across Colorado and the country, mountain biking may be calling. But at San Juan Huts we’re thinking ski mountaineering. Because snowpack is so low, summiting some of the  Mount Sneffels Range peaks might just be more attainable.

From Burn Hut, Corbett Peak can be accessed, from North Pole Hut, Hayden Peak can be reached, and from Blue Lakes Hut, Reconnoiter Peak and Wolcott Mountain can be bagged. Low snow levels are making it a little easier to access.

According to the National Resources Conservation Service, Colorado’s snowpack is 71 percent of its average. This winter marks the fourth lowest snowfall level to fall in the past three decades. So while we pray for snow, get out and explore safely.

We just received about 4-5″ of snow over the weekend.  A little bit of an improvement to those conditions posted below on the 31st of December.  It is a good time to get out and do some mountaineering above the huts.  It is easy to get around up high!

December 31, 2011

Lower Hayden at North Pole Hut

Heard about the lack of snow around the American West!  Sounds grim around the country.  Fortunately WE HAVE SNOW!  Ski turns are happening.  While our snowpack hovers around 75% of the 35 year ‘norm’, here is the good news.

All ski trails to and between huts are ‘in’ (i.e. they have 1-2 ½ feet of snow).  For ‘Big Skis’ that like to turn here is the situation.  From tree line and above where there is no tree canopy to keep the snow from landing on the ground…this is where you need to be.  Typical in early season the high chutes, basins and cirques have 2 – 4 feet of snow in them.  The upper entry level to these ski runs still tend to be somewhat rocky and windblown so you have to be careful about this —‘not picking up rocks’.  The snow is faceted TG on the bottom 50% but skiable powder lies on top.  Fat skis of today make these conditions possible verses the bad old days of ‘toothpicks’.

We just had someone return from the Last Dollar Hut.  The Last Dollar chutes are on the west end of the Sneffels Range.  Due to that, plus their lower elevation, those skiers did not find good conditions for turns.  If you are willing to ‘walk’ a farther distance in, i.e. The Ridgway Hut, your snow conditions for turns will improve.  The reason being, The Ridgway Hut is tucked deep and back into the pure north face of the Sneffels Range with a 13,000-14,000 foot headwall above it.  The Ridgway Hut conditions are much higher, colder and more snow than those found at The Last Dollar Hut.

Get out and ski!