Twining Peak

Twining Peak, or Blue as it’s sometimes called due to its annotation on the USGS maps, is one of the easier Bicenntenial peaks to climb. It’s a short jaunt from the top of Independence Pass, and it’s an easy ski from the Upper Lost Man trailhead.

It’s from that trailhead that many Aspen backcountry skiers approach Twining Peak after Independence Pass opens in late May each year. You can easily skin up snow ramps from the parking area and get very close to Twining Peak’s 13,711 foot summit.

There’s a bit of a false summit, one that usually has a huge cornice to the east. Sometimes it’s easier to take your skis off and just walk over to it.

From there you can retrace your route of ascent back to the parking area, or for a more adventurous tour, you can descend to the east and ski down to the North Fork of Lake Creek trailhead. That’s the low hairpin on the Twin Lakes side of the Pass. You can either shuttle a car down there before you start in the morning, or wing it and hitchhike back up to get home.

Twining Peak is a local’s favorite for a late spring ski tour. Through the years we’ve been skiing on and around this mountain a bunch, and rather than posting on each day, I’ll use this as a catch-all for various Twining Peak outings.