Winter Snowstorm with BEAST MODE

I'm based in Boulder, work for an outdoor brand, and do a lot of backcountry skiing. I've taken our 2022 Storyteller BEAST MODE up to the mountains in the winter plenty of times, sometimes in conditions as cold as -40F. However, ever since getting the adventure van, I've dreamt of driving up to the mountains just before a big snowstorm, getting snowed in, experiencing the storm, and skiing all of the fresh powder. 

In mid-March 2024, a big snowstorm hit the front range of Colorado. We all knew it was coming, and we knew it would be a significant storm. This was my chance. It was coming through Wednesday night into Thursday, so I packed up the van with my ski gear and some essentials and left for the mountains after work. I arrived at a popular trailhead for backcountry skiing just 50 minutes outside of Boulder on Wednesday evening, just before dark. Another van was parked in the lot, and I was excited to see someone else had the same idea. However, it was just a few friends out for an evening ski. I chatted with them as they were leaving and they were a bit concerned when they learned that I was planning to stay up there, but then they saw the BEAST and cheered me on. I skied a quick lap that evening and then turned in for the evening. I told work I would take Thursday morning off (to ski) and log in remotely around noon. 

The storm picked up during the night. I could hear and feel the wind rocking the van and saw several inches of snow accumulating throughout the night. I got up early the next morning, and over two feet of snow had fallen—it was supposed to continue throughout the day. I was filled with excitement as I geared up and hit the trail.

The snow was even deeper in the trees and came up to my waist, even with skis on. Needless to say, it was a massive amount of effort breaking the trail, and it took me twice as long as it usually does to get to the base of the hill that I was planning to ski. As I got to the treeline, the snow was still coming down hard, and visibility was limited. The skiing was okay, but there was almost too much snow to pick up speed for the slope angle (I was avoiding avalanche terrain). Still, I went back up for another lap as the climbing was much easier now that I'd put in a track. When I was ready to head back to the van, I realized that the new snow had filled my tracks for the entire length of the approach. Normally, it would take me 15 minutes to ski from the hill back to the trailhead, but now I had to break trail AGAIN to get back to the van. 

I hadn't accounted for this extra time, so my wife was worried when I got back to the van around 1 pm because I was late to check-in. I fired up the Starlink, sent her a message, and logged into work. That's when I learned that conditions in town were absolute chaos. Roads were closed. My coworkers couldn't even get to the office, so they were all working remotely. Many people were trapped in their houses because they couldn't even make it down their driveway. Meanwhile, I was cozy and content in my BEAST MODE. 

The storm passed and Friday ended up being a sunny, bluebird day. My body was worked from all of the physical work I put in the prior day, but I was still determined to get out for more skiing. I was finishing up some work when I heard voices. Four guys on skis had come up the road and they were just as surprised to see me as I was of them. Apparently, they parked 3+ miles down the road and had to break trail in the deep snow for hours just to get to the trailhead where I was camped. They were pretty worked by this point but decided to press on up the trail after hearing of my adventure the day before and that I'd put in a track (twice) to the ski slope even though it had mostly been filled in with new snow again. They invited me to join them, and I gladly accepted and let them know I'd catch up. 

I wrapped up some work things, packed up my gear, and started up the trail. When I caught up to the group, they were taking turns breaking trail and were moving slow. By this point, they were completely spent, so I took the lead, putting in a ski track again for the third time in the knee-to-waist-deep snow. This raised their spirits and I picked up the pace as I got to know these strangers who were also bold enough to go backcountry skiing in these crazy conditions. By the time we got to the top, the sun had done a number on the snowpack, making it heavy and difficult to ski. We shared a lot of laughs at the amount of effort we'd put in for some mediocre ski turns. While the skiing wasn't the best ever, this was undoubtedly one of my most memorable ski days.

Naturally, the snow plows were prioritizing the people in need down in town, but by Saturday, they had cleared all but a 1-mile section of road up to where I was. This section was still impassable (leaving me stuck), but it was now more accessible to others for recreation. This is a popular area for the locals, and soon, tons of people were coming up on skis or snowshoes. They were all surprised to see me hanging out there in the Storyteller, and I gave a few people a quick tour as they passed by. Several people asked with genuine concern if I was okay and whether I wanted to ski out with them and get a ride home. I let them know I was okay and had all the power and supplies I needed.

Going into this, I had figured I'd be stuck there 2-3 days. It had been 3 days so far and the STO was working perfectly with Boost Mode kicking in to charge the Volta when needed. I was melting snow for water and had enough diesel to stay for over a week. 

However, it was poor timing for me due to work obligations needing me to be 'in-office', so I started to stress about when I'd be able to get out. As time passed, I wondered if they would even plow up to the trailhead or leave it until spring since the last bit of road up to the trailhead is just for recreational use. My wife (who was at home in Boulder) and I were devising plans on whether I should ski down to town where she could pick me up, but what would we do about the van?

Luckily, on the fifth day, while I was on a video call with my boss, a plow finally got up to me and dug me out! Thanks to the STO, I made it out safe and sound, and I was able to make it to my meetings that week. In all, this was just another amazing adventure I could have thanks to Storyteller, and I look forward to many more to come.

Disclaimer: Backcountry skiing solo like I was doing is generally not recommended. I was totally comfortable by myself because I've been doing this for a while and know this area really well and understand the risks. Be safe out there, friends!