Audio By Carbonatix
Tuesday morning, I headed out in search of finding snow. First stop: Monarch Mountain.
While the Front Range is still a fair bit bony, parts of southwestern Colorado have gotten pounded. Monarch Mountain, located near the top of Monarch Pass on Highway 50, has a modest vertical drop of 1,162 feet and 800 acres of skiing.
Monarch is in many ways a time warp. There are no quads, no high speed detachable lifts. Double chairs whisk skiers to the different summits. The base area, which has a nice bar where we went for an après snack and beverage, lacks the glitz of places like Vail, but has a charm the big areas lack.
Snow coverage at Monarch was very good — not deep powder, but runs that were soft without needing a cat. Moguls abounded on the expert runs, and small hucks could be found on many of the runs off the Panorama lift.
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The best part of the day was the 20 minute hike up to Mirkwood Bowl to access a chute with some not quite powder snow and a small drop in from a cornice at the top. Standing above the chute, a stunning 360-degree vista greeted the eye, with views of the San Juans to the southwest and the Collegiate Peaks to the east.
