Route: West Flank

Team: Ted (solo)

Mount Bierstadt is a quickie. When Guanella Pass is plowed, it’s an easy 3 hour drive from Aspen to the trailhead, which puts you at the base of the West Ridge at just under 12,000 ft.

You can skin from the car to the summit, and short of losing the trail at the start and getting stymied by willows, the route is straightforward. A short way down on the ski I opted for a slight variation to the windscoured ascent route. I dropped into a wide, north facing couloir that leads to Upper Scott Gomer Creek, between Bierstadt and Mt. Evans, below the Sawtooth Ridge. I guess I was seeking out a bit more excitement.

I would return with Christy in 2004.