Colorado traditions: Skiing Vail Pass by moonlight for beautiful Easter sunrise

My favorite Easter sunrise ritual began a few years ago when I realized there would be a nearly full moon in the western sky during the pre-dawn hours of Easter that year. Because I love moonlight ski touring in the backcountry, I immediately realized this was a chance to ski from Vail Pass to Shrine Pass by moonlight as Easter sunrise approached.

After checking sunrise and moonset data, I set my plan: I would park on Vail Pass and ski northwest for 1.8 miles to Shrine Pass, alone with the moon and the stars, kicking and gliding for a little less than an hour as the eastern sky behind me began to brighten. If I timed it just right, I would get to my favorite spot at Shrine Pass just before sunrise with a glorious 360-degree panorama at 11,200 feet.

My plan worked to perfection. There was plenty of light from the moon to ski without a headlamp. As the eastern horizon brightened, the higher peaks around me turned pink as their summits caught the first rays of the rising sun. I watched as the Wingle Ridge on Shrine Mountain caught fire in the alpenglow, first purple-pink, then orange, in the final moments before sunrise.

Read the full story from John Meyer at theknow.denverpost.com.