Max Dercum, Lucky Man

I had a wonderful phone conversation with Max Dercum the other night. He is 97 and living in an assisted-living place in Evergreen, in the foothills west of Denver. He needs a walker to get around, but his mind is as sharp as a tuned ski edge.

The myth of certainty

Following a freak-accident death in the backcountry last week, it’s worth listening to the comments flooding in on-line.

Shaken but not stirred

On Friday, January 8th 2010, Helitrax dropped a group of skiers off on the shoulder of Pilot Knob for a run into Waterfall Canyon. It was a placid day: blue sky, very little wind. The powder was old and settled, wind-affected in places; it hadn’t snowed in a while.

Get your axe in gear

Who would have thought, 30 years ago, that sleepy wintertime Ouray would be brought back to life by an 83-year-old swimming pool and a leaky penstock?