Early Spring, Three Avalanches & Funkiphino [Facebook RePost] 17Feb17

Yoho and I endured spring-like ice2slush at Keystone on Friday - we managed sufficient vert but endured marginal snow conditions all day. We left a bit early to hit a new Summit Co brewery, Outer Range (an IPA & Belgique speciality brewer), rent backcountry gear and attend a talk on new lines from Fritz Sperry. I actually bought a pair of SkiLogiks from him last year and went to his house in Denver; he remembered it that I helped him fund Volume 2 that spring. I got both my old Making Turns Volume 1 signed and bought Volume 2 (Indian Peaks and More) and had it signed. He skied some really wild stuff last year. We picked up Steve Brown my neighbor frind from #9 EN and I should mention that Jim and Steve both bought the raffle tix for CAIC and won the best prizes! Jim got yet another set of goggles and Steve got cool shades - both from Native - notably, both items will degrade in five years in a landfill! Jim and I set out on Saturday into the backcountry along Peru Ck and while avy danger was low all along our route, we encountered evidence/aftermath of three older avalanches - one knocking a cabin down, one a wet sluff from recent warmth and one an earlier steep permanent slab release into a couloir and then creekbed. Whew - what power. We lapped a couple modestly sloped runs in our BC gear but skied out in time to catch a great concert at the Snake River Saloon. Funkiphino is a very good 11 piece band with 3 lead vocalists, a keyboardist, 3 sax players, 2 horns, a drummer, a bass guitarist and a lead guitarist. So funky, so good - and Jim could sing every song.