It’s an annual rite of spring. Pressure and temperature, acting over time, changes the form of snow crystals and the structural strength, permeability, thermal conductivity and density of the snow becomes a velvety, silken, slushy sprayfest.

The end result at Loveland is a shedding of clothes, a tapping of kegs and more tomfoolery than you could shake a lurk at. The skiing is always great, the company is always fun, and the cause is an eternally good one.

Plus everybody gets lei’d.

9th Annual Loveland Corn Harvest and CAIC Fundraiser

Thanks to the efforts of our Friends at All Mountain Access we finally have an efficient and attractive e-commerce functionality!

Check out our stuff here. Shop early, shop often, keep supporting grassroots avalanche education and fly your Friends of Berthoud Pass colors high.

In light of recent accidents in Colorado and elsewhere, we think it bears mentioning that our longtime Friends at BCA are developing really great avalanche beacon checker technology to protect backcountry skiers around the world. As always, we are grateful for BCA’s innovation and support.

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Rescue group finds ignorant beacon owner who triggered false alarms

A special Friday update from our Friends at the CAIC:

The CAIC knows of 14 people (and 1 dog) caught in human-triggered avalanches between February 11 and 18. One person was killed, three others injured. The avalanches were in the Front Range, Vail and Summit County, Aspen, and North San Juan zones. They occurred mostly on northeast and east aspects near and below treeline, and most ran to or near the ground. We know slope angles in the starting zones for 5 of the avalanches, which were all around 40 degrees.

[This is] worth sharing as we head into the weekend with avalanche danger on the rise. Enjoy the new snow, but play safe.