Storm on Old Monarch, Friday Feb 16

Today I went skiing up the Old Monarch Pass road again. I had a little more time than I expected, so I went all the way up near the summit. I didn't go the last 200 yards because the snow was drifting real badly up there.

Dark cloud fragments would sweep up over the ridge from the Gunnison side. Snow would whirl and drift. Sometimes the snow would be picked up by what looked like the winter equivalent of dust devils. This was powerful and exciting.

It also made me ask myself, "What am I doing here?" Though just a mile from other people (on one of the ski runs at Monarch) the whole place had a spooky quality about it. I made my photographs, and headed back toward my truck.

Going downhill was delightful. It was kick and glide skiing all the way!