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Winter 2008: Mountain Stories: 30 years of triumph and tragedy in the mountains There is no greater equalizer than the mountains. Whether reaching the summit of a majestic peak or utilizing the resources of search and rescue, the alpine life humbles us. And that’s why we live in Steamboat Springs: to enjoy the simplicity and get closer to wilderness, raging rivers and abundant wildlife. In this, our 30th Anniversary edition, we look back at 30 years of incredible tales, some triumphant, some tragic, all a part of Steamboat’s beautiful tapestry of mountain culture.
Flat Tops Exploration *
Because of their incredibly flat top, they are, perhaps, one of the most aesthetic mountain ranges in all of Colorado. Plus their remote terrain and lack of development make them a prize to local ski mountaineers who, in the last 20 years, have made the Flat Tops their personal smorgasbord. Aryeh Copa, Dan Gilchrest and John Fitzgerald are a few of the locals who have spent time exploring this majestic range. “The skiing in the Flat Tops is untapped,” Aryeh says. “Nobody is up there.”  | | Dan Gilchrist lays down a line in the Flat Tops. |
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This exploration has uncovered world-class skiing ranging from open bowls to mandatory airs into 50 degree couloirs to epic ski touring circuits – and all of it is only accessible via snowmobile, making the Flat Tops one of the most remote and pristine mountain ranges on the Western Slope.
Lost in the Flat Tops
Most of the time, skiing the remote Flat Top Mountains near Steamboat would be a magical experience. Other times, not so much.
In 2005, Charles Horton broke his leg cross country skiing near Chapman Reservoir on the edge of this inaccessible range. The injury was so severe, he couldn’t get himself the two miles back to his truck. So he used a pair of kneepads and a daypack to stabilize his leg. Then he waited nine days to be rescued. When searchers finally found him he was extremely exhausted and dehydrated.
We’re not the only ones calling Charles’ mishap incredible. In October of 2006, Backpacker Magazine named his experience one of its top ten survival epics. Ahead of him was the Donner Tragedy, where a group of wagon-trainers ate each other near Lake Tahoe after being caught out for the winter in the late 19th century. Fortunately, Charles didn’t have to eat his own feet.
Hell’s Wall Jump *
Every year, plenty of Steamboat locals go big. But perhaps none went as big during the winter of 2003/04 as Gabe Nicholas, who skied off the notorious Hells Wall in Fish Creek Canyon.
Gabe decided to take the 70-foot leap of faith after a huge snowfall left a soft landing in its wake. “It was definitely the biggest thing I’ve ever done,” says the 14-year Steamboat resident who recently relocated to Kentucky. His jump started awkwardly when he nearly skied off the wrong spot into what observers recalled as “certain death.” They guided him back across the cliff to the correct launch spot using a set of radios. “When he skied off in the right place, he looked sweet, he held good form and he skied away from it,” says local lensman Aryeh Copa, who was there to photograph the event.  | | Cerebral Huck: Gabe Nicholas eyed this Hell's Wall jump for years. |
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Most would consider a 70-foot huck of any kind crazy but Gabe scoped his line for eight years. “I jumped Hells Wall a thousand times in my mind before I actually did it,” he says. “I scouted it in the summer. I kept telling myself, ‘You can do this and it all turned out really well and opened some doors for me.”
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