The east side of Rocky Mountain National Park, accessed from Estes Park, houses the premier ski mountaineering terrain of Colorado. Once the fierce winds of winter retreat, and the sticky spring snowstorms coat the mountains, the steep couloir hallways of “The Park” emerge. A lifetime of steep skiing is accessed from trailheads within 30 to 45 minutes of Estes Park. From the epicenter at Bear Lake, to the far off routes of Mount Ypsilon and Mount Alice, Mike Soucy provides solid beta and format perfect for route planning.
How does the book compare to Mark Kelly’s antecedent 2013 guidebook “Backcountry Skiing and Ski Mountaineering in Rocky Mountain National Park”? You will find similar terrain while Mike's new book delves into the incomparable Never Summer Mountains on the west side of the park. Soucy’s book is published by Beacon Guidebooks, using the publisher’s classic atlas style. This approach emphasizes function, including a spiral bound collection of aerial photos of the mountains and routes. This means that photos, text descriptions, and maps are brief and to the point; emphasizing portability and usefulness in the field. Kelly’s book is thicker, with longer descriptions, history, and amazing ski mountaineering action photos.
Speaking of photos, the aerial photos in Mike’s new book are stunning. In particular, the photos of Keplingers Couloir are some of the best pictures we have ever seen. This route has historically been hard to capture in photos. You may even find some of Mike’s photos in the original Kelly book. The maps in the book are small scale and good for planning, but not for navigation. This is where Beacon provides a separate map product, with a larger scale for more detail and use in the field.
Mike Soucy is an IFMGA Mountain Guide who has been frequenting “The Park” for over 25 years. His experience on this world class rock and alpine climbing mecca translates into the ski guidebook. You can sense the passion that Mike has for this region, and for being a reliable and trusted resource for route beta. Get “Backcountry Skiing Rocky Mountain National Park” at the premier gear shops on the Front Range, or direct from the Beacon Guidebooks website.