Chris Davenport, skiing the North Face of North Maroon Peak.
The season is winding down. For most skiers, it was over weeks or even months ago. But we always like to keep things going until the very end, and besides, the conditions up high are just coming into form in May.
We may still get out for another day or two before truly stashing the ski gear away for summer, but I thought I should share some of the highlights from a few days we had up high here in Colorado. Some of the summits we skied were new to us, and others were repeats that were always fun no matter how many times we’d been.
And that will wrap up the 2015/2016 season.
Castle Peak, 14,265 ft.
Date: April 11, 2016 Route: East Face Partners: Ted, Andy Docken, Joey Giampaolo, Jess Humphrey, Lance Lary, Kim Levin
From Tagert Hut, we approached the East Face and climbed up the couloir to the lookers’ right. This put us on the ridge and on the summer route, which we followed to the summit.
Joey on the final approach to the summit.
On the summit, the weather was in and out; we had some sun and visibility for the ski down.
Andy Docken skis the East Face. The snow was OK, new powder on an old crust. It was typical variable snow for this time of year– not great, but not bad.
Kim Levin skis below the upper face. The Central Couloir, which splits the East Face, can be seen behind him to the top left.
Jess Humphrey drops into one of the lower couloirs that lead off the face. You can see some in the group waiting below, a long way down.
Electric Peak, 13,635 ft.
Date: May 14, 2016 Route: Northeast Face Partners: Ted, Christy, Sean Shean
Just back from Norway, it felt hot, like summer was approaching. Sean, Christy, and I went up to ski Electric Peak, a summit we had been on in the summer but had never skied.
A straightforward one, we could skin right to the summit.
Christy skis the Bicentennial (CO top 200) for the first time.
The snow was good on the northern aspects, with hot powder.
And down into the basin above American Lake.
As a bonus, we then regained the ridge of nearby Leahy Peak and skied that one, too.
Sean in one of Leahy’s north couloirs. There are several north-facing routes off this unranked summit, all offering good skiing.
North Maroon Peak, 14,014 ft.
Date: April 19, 2016 Route: North Face Partners: Ted, Chris Davenport, Jon Kedrowski
Jon and Chris climb the couloir to the west of the North Face. It connects with the mountain’s west side and offers easy access to the summit.
The final steps to the summit.
The skiing was really good once through the pinch of the cliff band known as the Punk Rock Band.
This was my fifth time skiing this line. Every trip requires a bit of poking around to find the right route through the cliff bands. If you go the right way, there’s a smooth line down.
Jon and Chris come through one of the crux sections. Later in the spring, you have to scoot across this part on bare rock. We had it easy today.
Looking back up at the line from below. After skiing off the summit, you make your way through the Punk Rock Band at the far left and then ski fall-line and zig-zag until you reach easier terrain by the Gunsight Notch.
Note** Chris and I regret skiing with Jon Kedrowski. He is a terrible ambassador for the sport of backcountry skiing. He’s shown himself to be dishonest about what he accomplished and deceitful to others in the ski mountaineering community. He has made countless (proven) false claims of achievement in skiing Colorado 14ers.
Castle Peak, 14,265 ft.
Date: May 25, 2016 Route: South Face Partners: Ted, Pete Gaston, Max Taam
This was a new one for me. I’ve skied Castle Peak ten times before this day but never by the mountain’s south side. Here, Max Taam heads up to the North Couloir, the route we used to reach the summit.
Max in the North Couloir. Conundrum Peak can be seen behind.
Starting down the South Face. It was early, and the snow was still quite frozen.
Pete is assessing the line. There are several ways off the summit and down the South Face, but some close out above cliffs. Pete had reconned the line and found a smooth way down into Cumberland Basin below.
Pete, seen here, in one of the narrower sections.
Looking back up at Max exiting the narrow couloir. We were out of the tricky terrain at this point, and we transitioned to boots and crampons. We could climb up to the ridge behind us that splits the East and South faces and ski a couloir back down towards Ashcroft.
This is a photo of Pete in the couloir just to the east of the East Face lines that took us back down to the huts, Castle Creek, and the truck.
Mount Aetna, 13,745 ft.
Date: May 28, 2016 Route: Grand Couloir Partners: Ted, Christy
Mount Aetna, a Bicentennial, has been on our list to ski for years. Located in the Southern Sawatch by Monarch Pass, its main ski line is the Grand Couloir, a fitting name for such an aesthetic ski line. Here, Christy skins up the ridge to the side of the GC.
It’s about a 3000-foot fall-line descent right from the summit. And if you time it right, you may find it like we did, in corn conditions the whole way down.
Mount Aetna and the Grand Couloir from afar. Winds always scour the right flank of the couloir, keeping it dry and maintaining this rather odd look of only being half filled with snow. It’s such a big feature there’s plenty of room on the snowy side for skiing.
East Geissler Dawn Patrol
Date: June 2, 2016 Partners: Ted, Christy
This was a quick pre-work lap on Independence Pass one morning. We headed to West Geissler and caught corn snow on the east side around 7:45 a.m.
It’s pretty up there, and more importantly, it’s a really special thing to be able to do before heading to work.
Not bad for June.
La Plata Peak, 14,336 ft.
Date: June 6, 2016 Route: North Face Partners: Ted, John Barker
We’ll end it with a ski of the classic line on La Plata. Here’s a short video clip-
That’s it for spring ski season. It’s time for summer!
Route: North Face Couloir Team: Ted (solo) This was a[...]
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Randy
Hey Ted,really looks like good times out there,bet you didn’t even see boat or bus loads of ski-tourers at the trailheads.Great pics of awesome scenery.Take care.
Ted
Author
Thanks Randy. It’s different in Colorado, on each one of these days we were the only people on the peaks. No busloads. Time to hit the trails, Hardrock is right around the corner!
Brandon Chalk
Pretty sweet, Ted (& Christy). You guys got some good stuff in as always! We got a few half-day skis in, which was nice, but nowhere near the quantity of you guys. Well done.
Ted
Author
Thanks Brandon. It was nice to not have a project looming overhead this year. I t made everything way more enjoyable.
We met in Aspen in 2000 and have been happily stuck in the rockies ever since, getting out in the mountains every day we can, in every season and by all means possible. Read More
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