ice-climbing

Cold ~ Hard ~ Ice Climbing in the San Juans

Hank Shell The sound of tearing fabric reached my ear, as it always does, with the delicacy of a lover’s whisper. It was an unintelligible anomaly, mired as it was in the din of the crowded slot canyon, but impossible to miss. Yes, the krrshhing of fabric. Nothing was spoken, yet all understood. I looked

fly fishing

Best New Fly Fishing Gear of 2017

Hank Shell It’s springtime here in the Rockies. Temperatures are rising and rivers are swelling with runoff. Soon, the waters will recede, insects will begin to hatch, and anglers from across the country will wade into Colorado’s many streams to fool a few fish. We often think of spring as a time of rejuvenation, and

backcountry skiing

A Weekend in Colorado’s San Juan Backcountry

Hank Shell As it turns out, it’s not very easy to ski while carrying two large paper bags full of food for your hut trip. I was well on my way to figuring this out as I stepped into my skis at the base of Lift 4 at Telluride Ski Resort. “You want a trash

backcountry ski touring

Get in Shape for Backcountry Ski Touring

Hank Shell It’s been a particularly dismal couple of weeks here in Telluride, as far as skiing goes. Truth be told, the town has seen more rain than snow. The snow, when it has fallen, has been heavy and wet at lower elevations – more typical of maritime precipitation than the “blower” powder Colorado is

Christmas Gift Ideas for the Fisherman

Christmas Gift Ideas for the Fisherman in Your Life

Hank Shell Christmas Gift Ideas for the Fisherman in Your Life Deep in the karst hills surrounding the east Tennessee hamlet of Bluff City courses one of the most sublime fisheries in the eastern United States. For the 18-mile stretch of tailwater below its provenance at South Holston Dam, the South Fork Holston River is an

Stay Fit with Elk Hunting in the Colorado Rockies

Hank Shell Fall in Colorado’s Southern San Juan Range is a fickle and tempestuous season. The landscape undergoes a metamorphosis of color as the truncated days and cool nights set the once green collars of the mountains ablaze with orange leaves. Hoar frost supplants the morning dew on Alpine meadows of sedge and hairgrass, and the first