Moth watch 2008

Every year the miller moths come in May and early June. Sometimes its just a trickle. Sometimes it's a flood that provoke odd rituals in which locals sit in the dark by soapy bowls of water, jingling keys. (The best way to trap moths.) The last few years have been tame. This year could go either way. So far, I have spotted zero moths. But send your reports to dave.philipps@gazette.com.

County wants to sell park land to fill coffers

Ready to spit out your morning coffee? El Paso county, which is hurting for money because of the foundering economy, is thinking about selling off park land, including some of its flagship regional parks to raise cash. According to a story in Friday's Gazette the county is examining which parcels in the more than 7,000 acres of park land they are permitted to sell to make up for a $3 million and growing shortfall in tax intake so far this year. Commissioner Dennis Hisey said not to worry, the sales are unlikey to reduce the county's park inventory by more than 50 percent. (Spit coffee now.)
Maybe this is all just scare tactics aimed at getting voters to approve a November sales tax increase, but maybe not. The story says the land could be sold for development, but could also sell to other government agencies (The city?). We'll see what happens, but from its founding, Colorado Springs' economy has relied on providing huge parks for a high quality of life, selling parks is the equivalent of eating your seed corn.

Altitude Research Center needs you

Want a splitting headache? The Altitude Research Center at the University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine is looking for some guinea pigs. You just have to be healthy, between 18 to 40 years old and have no current medical problems or summer plans. Oh, yeah, it also helps to have no fear of needles or stationary bikes. Test subjects will be compensated. But here's the bummer: they won't be sending you to a cot at the army research center on Pikes Peak or any place with a cool view. You'll be getting your altitude headache in the altitude chamber at the University of Colorado Denver Medical Campus.

Torch reaches top of Everest

A Chinese party carrying the Olympic flame reached to top of Mount Everest Thursday. Politics aside, the torch is a pretty need idea. In the the frigid, windy, oxygen-thin Himalayan air, the team used a propane and solid fuel torch based on technology that keeps rockets burning in the upper reaches of the atmosphere. Similar torches will be available through R.E.I. by Christmas... maybe.

The next round of pass wars?

When Vail created the Buddy Pass in the 1990s, it started a pass war among ski areas catering to Colorado-based day skiers. This year, Vail announced the Epic Pass, a dirt cheap season pass for all Vail mountains available to anyone, whether they live in Colorado or not. The move is expected to significantly increase skier numbers at Vail. The Epic has the potential to start a pass war with traditional destination mountains such as Aspen Ski Company, according to this Aspen Times story. The article suggests there's some hand-wringing over Vail's move to grab out-of-staters. Will we see prices at Aspen drop? Will Vail's move ripple through the industry like the Buddy Pass did?
Maybe, maybe not. Cheap season passes have their own pitfalls. They make it tough to get on-mountain employees, because the incentive for a free season pass isn't as sweet when a pass costs $500 instead of $1,400.

Telluride growing again

Telluride will for the first time next winter provide lift access to Revelation Bowl, increasing the ski area's vertical drop to nearly 4,000 vertical feet, one of the tallest in the U.S. This above-treeline terrain, located directly off the back side of Telluride's Gold Hill and Chair 14, will be served by a new Leitner-Poma quad chairlift. Details here.
Wow, another big expansion from Telluride, and another "side country" backcountry powder stash gone.

Loveland plans ski cat operation

According to the Backcountry Alliance's latest newsletter, Loveland Ski Area plans to expand by starting a snowcat operation on Mt. Trelease northeast of the ski area. It's a popular destination for Front Range backcountry folks. Yet another place where backcountry and lift-served are competing for snow.

Runner dies of heart attack in Buena Vista Ultra

BUENA VISTA - A distance runner collapsed and died Saturday morning during the Collegiate Peaks Trail Run.
59-year-old John Marini of Littleton was running the 25-mile race when he collapsed Saturday about 13 miles in. He died while being taken to the hospital in an ambulance.

Officials say the race had EMS squads and six aid stations.

Roads closed as part of Arkansas

The BLM formally approved the Arkansas River Travel Management Plan Decision Record last week, limiting off-road access to off-highway vehicles in the area west of Royal Gorge. Here are the changes

· OHV open designations in Texas Creek, Grand Canyon Hills, and Sand Gulch are changed to OHV limited to roads and trails.

· OHV open designation at Turkey Rock, a 52 acre portion of the Sand Gulch area, is changed to limited by vehicle type;

· OHV limited designation on High Mesa Grassland Research Natural Area/Instant Study Area is changed to OHV closed.

Falling off rocks: it must be spring

Here's a sign of the season, snapped by Gazette photog Bryan Oller. Colorado Springs firefighters pulled Robi Saunders, 9, to safety on Sunday after he fell about eight feet near Territory Trail south of Ute Valley Park, said fire spokesman Jesse Kruckeberg. Robi injured his knee and hip. Firefighters were also called to another rescue Sunday when a 17-year-old boy fell 20 to 60 feet at Garden of the Gods, Kruckeberg said. The teen, who had been illegally climbing on a rock formation, was taken to a local hospital with a broken bone. As weather warms a new crop of yahoos always seems to spring up on local crags. Often, they have to be harvested from high ledges by the fire department. Of course, when I was younger, before there were rules about climbing in the Garden without equipment, my sister and I did the same thing. Fortunately, dad never had to call 911.

Skiing Pikes Peak: coverage still good

A friend who skied Pikes Peak Sunday sent this note: Snow was decent today. I went up for a few runs. Easy to hitch a ride and do laps. Still plenty of white stuff, esp on the more east-facing runs. Little Italy will still be good in June.
A first-hand report is always better than trying to decipher the Devil's Playgroud Webcam.
For map and information on skiing Pikes Peak, click here.

Capitol Peak Skied Again

Only Lou Dawson had skied mighty Capitol Peak until Chris Davenport and friends repeated the feat in 2006. Now it's been done again. On April 28 Frank Konsella, Pam Rice, Pete Sowar and Chris Webster repeated the feat by a new route. Check out the awesome photos on Frank's blog
Asked if he would do the harrowing route again, he said "NO, under any circumstances."

Climber banished from Everest for Free Tibet banner

On Monday, Virginia climber Brant Holland was the first person kicked off Mt. Everest and out of Nepal for carrying a “Free Tibet” banner up the mountain. The National Geographic Adventure blog reports Chinese authorities, worried that the Olympic torch will be held up on its way to the top of Everest by protests over China’s role in Tibet, have closed access to the summit until May 10. Although Holland was climbing the south side, Nepal has been cooperating with China and has deployed army troops at Everest Base Camp.

Update on the hippy-pop up. This time with solar

A company called Verdier has come up with a new, sustainable version of the VW westfalia, minus any clearance you might need to get to an interesting camping spot.

Corral Bluffs Motorcycle Park idea killed

Yep, it's true. Due in part largely to an organized group of non-motorized opponents, the El Paso County Commissioners voted unanimously yesterday to nix the idea of a county-funded, privately managed dirt bike park. Here's the story.

Spring flowers: pretty much on hold

I'm amazed that I was walking in the lower part of Cheyenne Canon this week and saw pasque flowers everywhere. These flowers are supposed to emerge in early April, or even March, yet here they were in May. April was, on average, more than a degree cooler than usual and extremely dry, so maybe the wildflowers have decided to wait it out. What ever the reason, there's not much going on right now. Here's what I saw:

Pasque flowers, lots of them.Chiming bells, just one in a warm, dry placeChoke cherries: their long columns of flowers were about to open.

Six inches at A Basin

Yesterday's Front Range flurries translated to half a foot of snow at Arapahoe basin on top of a very respectable 64-inch base. Loveland got the same gift (which doesn't sound surprising since they're right next to each other, but I've seen many storms where one will get several more inches than the other.) Weather is cool enough today that there won't be melting, making for great snow Saturday. Enjoy.