Originally posted on my Thrillhead Blog

TR: Mt. Sneffels (5/25)
May 27, 2008

Mt. Sneffels (14,150′)
5-26-2008
Frank, Brittany

After skiing Missouri on Saturday, I headed over to Crested Butte for a day of rest. The weather was still a bit unstable and we were debating between hitting Sneffels or Wetterhorn on Monday. After skiing powder on the north face of Missouri, we’d hoped that the north-facing Snake couloir on Sneffels would also be stacked with fresh snow. So, on Sunday afternoon we headed south to Sneffels!

In November of 2006, Frank and I attempted Sneffels. However, weather and snow conditions were not in our favor. We reached the top of the Col Couloir, and didn’t have crampons. There was a crux that we could not get past. So, we turned around about 100′ from the summit. Sneffels had to wait until later…

From the north, Sneffels appears as the most prominent peak in the San Juans.

On the way to Sneffels we passed through the beautiful town of Ouray, one of my most favorite towns in Colorado.

The road up to the Sneffels trailhead is adventurous itself.

Higher up the road, evidence of the huge San Juan winter was everywhere. The season’s continuous avalanches took a toll on the forest’s old trees.

This slide path was new. If you look past the first few trees you can see the path all the way up to the top of the mountain. The slide took a turn to the right before crossing the road.

Higher up, snow was plentiful. We were thankful that they had plowed the road!

We lucked out, as the road was plowed nearly to the trailhead.

The next morning we woke up to clouds and wind. Lots of wind. The poor weather sucked away our early-morning motivation, and we didn’t start out until 6:45 am.

This picture says it all. The San Juans have a LOT of snow.

I truly can’t believe they plowed this road!

Skinning up Yankee Boy Basin.

The clouds may have obstructed some of the scenery, but they did provide some amazing light.

View of the Birthday Chutes off the southwest side of Sneffels.

Our original intention was to climb the Birthday Chutes to the summit. But the winds were still high. So, we opted for the easier Lavendar Col route. We were able to skin nearly to to Col before switching over to boot packing.

Frank on the Col, bracing after the wind knocked him down.

Me climbing up the Col Couloir.

Frank.

This picture shows the crux at the top of the couloir that stopped us in November, 2006. On that trip the snow prevented us from being able to climb it. On this trip, the snow made it easier to climb. Thankfully, previous users had blazed the trail and the steps were solid.

On the summit!

Telluride looks like it should still be open for skiing!

Wilson Group.

The San Juans are still a sea of snow. Here it is still winter.

View north, to the green valley, where it is spring.

We wanted to ski the Snake Couloir, but when we arrived at the summit the wind was howling, knocking us down to the ground. The Snake requires a rappel. With the high winds, the thought of dealing with a rope and harness seemed impossible. So we opted to descend down the Birthday Chutes instead.

Looking down the Snake. Recent tracks can be seen.

Putting my skis on at the top of the summit was one of my more scarier experiences. I was scared the wind would blow my skis right on over into the Snake Couloir, and I was afraid the wind would carry me with my skis. Frank accidentally snapped a picture of me getting blown over by the wind just after putting on my skis.

Once we dropped down into the Birthday Chutes, we were more protected from the wind.

The conditions were a bit icy at times, and we became the king and queen of jump turns!

Some guys like to flex their muscles. But, Frank likes to flex his skis.

Me.

Frank.

Frank skiing in Yankee Boy Basin.

We were back to the car before 11:15 am, making it a 4.5 hr 3,600′ vert day! I wish all the fourteeners could be done in under 5 hours

Originally posted on my Thrillhead Blog

No, I didn’t turn 40 yrs old. I still have a number of years before that happens. But, I did complete my 40th ski descent of a fourteener when I skied Missouri Mountain yesterday.

Missouri Mountain TR
14,067′
5/24/2008
Partner: Mark Cavaliero

My friend, Mark Cavalierio, agreed to join me on this outing. Mark is a great ski partner and I always appreciate his company. He’s joined me now on four different fourteeners, and I hope there will be more.

We camped the previous night in one of the plentiful camping spots along the road to Vicksburg. Knowing that the weather was going to remain cool and largely cloudy throughout the day, we knew a really early start was not essential. We began from the Missouri Gulch trailhead at 5:45 am.

For the first 1000′ feet or so, the trail was about 50% snow and 50% dirt. We did skin up the majority of it, but our skins most likely suffered the consequences. Skinning through this bit was difficult as the trail was bombarded by previous users postholes and “ledges”. Once we got past this first bit, skinning was a lot easier.

When we first arrived in the basin, Missouri was enshrouded by a cloud. Clouds and flurries were coming and going throughout the day. It was awhile before Missouri was released from her cloak to show her face. Our first view of Missouri from the basin below.

Mark skinning.

We skinned all the way to the north face of Missouri and we were able to skin part way up the face as well. But freshly fallen snow and an icy snowpack beneath began to make skinning difficult, so we booted the rest of the way.

Sometimes the clouds cleared a bit and we could see what surrounded us. Here, you can see the basin we skinned up. We began at the bottom of the far valley in the picture. To reach the top of Missouri, you must travel 6 miles and 4,500′.

We climbed up the north face of Missouri a little bit to the lookers right of the summit. This provided a good look at our anticipated descent route.

We followed the ridge to reach the summit. Mark, with the summit in view.

When we reached the summit (around 11:15), the weather took a turn for the worst. We encountered high winds and snow pelted our faces with vengeance. We hoped the weather would clear for our ski, but we didn’t feel like waiting for a long time at the summit.

We skied the couloir that comes directly off the summit. We found a good 4-5 inches of light fresh powder waiting for us.

Mark skiing from the summit.

Turn after turn it was powder and more powder. It couldn’t have been better!

Me skiing the north face.

Mark’s turn!

I like this photo because it sums up the whole day. Mark looking at Missouri in awe…

Who knew we would have such a fantastic powder day at the end of May! Like I said before, winter just won’t go away!

We were able to ski down the basin and into treeline, until about 10,400′. At that point the trail was again about 50% dirt and 50% snow. We attempted to ski parts of it, but eventually gave in and threw our skis on our pack. We arrived back to the trailhead less than 7.5 hours after we started, making it one of the quicker fourteener outings.

Thanks again to Mark for joining me on this wonderful May Missouri powder day!

TR: Chicago Basin Part I
Mt. Eolus (14,083′)
5-10-2008
Frank, Jordan, Brittany, Jarrett

Three of Colorodo’s most remote fourteeners (Windom, Sunlight, and Eolus) lay tucked away in the San Juans, towering over a scenic valley called the Chicago Basin. The basin was once home to some mining activity, although it never escalated to large-scale mechanized mining. Perhaps that is in our favor, as the basin still appears pristine and lovely. Before the miners, the land was enjoyed by the Weminuche, which were a band of Utes who inhabited the region at that time.

The shortest trail that leads into the Chicago Basin is only 6 miles long. However, the access to this trail is from the [URL=http://www.railsnw.com/tours/durango/durango-and-silverton-railroad_history.htm#durango]Durango and Silverton Railway[/URL]. The basin can be accessed via other trails, but they are double the length at a minimum. Given that most people carry heavy packs with camping supplies, shorter is better Besides, who doesn’t like taking a historical train ride?

To avoid exorbitant parking fees, we parked on the side streets of Durango and walked to the train station. The looks on people’s faces as we walked through town with our packs and skis was amusing

Soon enough, we were bound for the train ride. The train is a fun and historical journey. The train between Silverton and Durango has been running for 125 years. Though once used for transportation purposes, the train is now mostly a tourist attraction. Generally, the only people who use it for a mode of transportation are the backpackers accessing places like Chicago Basin, such as ourselves.

Pigeon and Turret as seen from the train.

People who wish to access Chicago Basin don’t ride the train all the way to Silverton. Instead, they get off the train about 2/3 to 3/4 of the way to Silverton at a stop referred to as Needleton. We found ourselves there nearly 3 hours after leaving Durango. We said goodbye to civilization as the train parted.

And then I took a good look at my pack. Crap, I have to carry all this for 6 miles?

The skis and boots made an already heavy pack seem miserably heavy. But, we only had to hike 6 miles, so it couldn’t be that bad, right? Besides, snow-line is most likely an hour away. Off we went on our merry way, enjoying the stunning beauty.

We couldn’t have been more wrong. An “easy” trail turned to misery as many places it looked like this.

A winter of heavy snowfall wreaked havoc on the forest. It became obvious that through the winter avalanches had started high and had traveled far through the dense forest, causing more avalanche activity than this basin has seen in probably 100 years or so. What was supposed to be a scenic and enjoyable hike quickly turned to torture. Frank described it as “soul-crushing”.

Eventually, the forest opened up to the mountains. And we found ourselves in Chicago Basin. It had taken us 6 hours to travel 6-7 miles.

We found a fantastic campsite, nestled in some trees and very near a stream.

We went to bed happy to be settled in our camp, but fearing what forecasters had predicted for the weather the next day- snow and high winds. Our 4:30 wake-up was quickly shut down as we looked out to snow. We reset the wake-up time for a couple of hours later, and looked outside to a complete blizzard. So, back to bed it was. At 9:30 I opened my eyes to a very brightly lit tent. It was sunny outside, and the storm had broken.

The fresh snow and cold temperatures made a late start perfectly feasible for the time of year. We set our target on Mt. Eolus, and left camp at 11 am.

Mt. Eolus lies to the north side of Chicago Basin. A view as seen from near Sunlight and Windom to the East. The peak on the left is the true Mt. Eolus summit, often referred to as S. Eolus. North Eolus is on the right, and I am sure would make a fun ski.

A closer look at our line.

Eolus began showing her true form. Named after Aeolus, the god of wind, we had some wind to begin with on that day.

But as we approached the couloir, the wind settled. And the rest of the day was fantastic!

Once we reached the top of the couloir we still had to climb north on the ridge to the summit.

We reached the summit around 3 pm and found the summit register ready for us to sign.

Brittany at the summit.

Jarrett

As always, the scenery was stunning. Arrow and Vestal.

Pigeon

In order to ski from the summit, we skied a few hundred vertical feet down the SW face. Frank ripping it from the summit.

Brittany skiing from the summit.

Frank skiing the couloir- full of powder!

Brittany

Jarret

Jordan

We enjoyed the skiing in the upper basin as well.

We even got to ski some corn further down!

We were able to ski all the way back to camp.

After such a harsh day the day before, it was nice to have an easy day where everything went smoothly

TR: Chicago Basin Part II- Sunlight (14,059′
5-12-2008
Frank, Jordan, Brittany, Jarrett

After skiing Mt. Eolus, the next day we decided to go for the two remaining fourteeners in the basin: Sunlight and Windom. Knowing that the weather was going to be less cloudy and warmer this day, we made sure to get a much earlier start.

Skinning to the higher basin in the morning.

Looking back toward Jupiter.

Our goals for the day (as seen from S. Eolus the previous day).

The climb up Sunlight was pretty easy at first.

Then it got a little steeper and harder.

And then it turned into a wall of rock.

Jarret climbing the sketchy summit block.

Jordan hanging out on the summit block.

South and North Eolus.

Knife Point, Arrow, and Vestal.

With all this rock, skiing from the summit required some creativity. There was some snow on the east face, although the primary face we wanted to ski was south. On our climb up, we saw this “tunnel” which would become our “portal” between the east and south faces.

Skiing from the summit.

And then the tunnel!

From the tunnel we were able to enjoy fantastic snow all the way down the south face.

Frank

Jarrett

Me

Jordan

TR: Chicago Basin Part III- Windom (14,082)
5-12-2008
Frank, Jordan, Brittany, Jarrett

When we got down to the bottom of the face we turned around and began hiking up Windom. We climbed the ridge and skied the Widowmaker couloir.

The summit of Windom

To ski from the summit we traversed down and across the SW face back to the ridge. Jarret traversing.

We then walked a few steps back up to the mound of snow above the Widowmaker couloir.

Frank dropping into Widowmaker.

Jarrett.

Jordan.

Me.

Frank.

Once we were done with Widowmaker we still had a long way to go with lots of fun corn!

Again, we skied all the way to camp… Where after not falling the entire day, I promptly fell flat on my face 20 feet away from our tent

It was a great day. Out of all 3 peaks we had the best snow on Widowmakers so it was a great finish.

The next day, we packed up camp headed back to the train.

The way down took less than 4 hours. Much nicer compared to the 6 hours on the way up. We were able to ski about half of the distance. The other half, it was much more helpful having gravity on our side.

Jordan crossing the Animas to the train stop.

We waited for a few hours for the train to show up. While we were resting this guy showed up.

He stopped to chat and said, “The first time I ever went up these tracks Chris Davenport was standing right over there. Of course, I didn’t know who he was at the time…. Boy, I’ll tell ya, those were a bunch of hardened guys!”

The man talked with us for a few minutes, then ran with his cart to get it started again, and off he went!

After hours of playing silly games, the train arrived. We welcomed it, with all of it’s steam and smoke. It had been a great trip. But, now, it was time to go home!

Previously posted on my Thrillhead Blog

Long’s Peak is a fourteener easily seen from Denver. It towers high into the north-western sky and stands like a guard over the plains. Recently, Long’s Peak became the emblem on Colorado’s state quarter.

Like many Coloradoans, I have a personal connection to Long’s Peak How can you NOT have a connection to it, when you can stare at it day after day. I can see it when I drive. I can see it when I ride my bike. I can even see it out my window.

The view that Denver-metro residents have of Long’s Peak is often misunderstood. To most, the above picture looks like one continuous peak. But, there is in fact another peak in the front of Long’s, called Meeker. Here is a different view of Meeker.

Most people don’t realize that they can barely even see Long’s peak from Denver. Most of what they are seeing actually belongs to Mt. Meeker.

But, my connection goes far beyond my view. Long’s was the first fourteener I climbed after I came to Colorado. I climbed it in the month of August with my father and his friend Jim. When we reached the summit, we saw marmots floating around all over the football-field sized boulder field. Jim said, “How do these things live? What do they eat?” We found out very quickly as Jim set down his sandwich for a moment only to turn around and find that a marmot had snatched it!

My connection to Long’s Peak grew when, for a course in college, I was required to read the book [url=http://books.google.com/books?id=F1oUAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=A+Lady%27s+Life+in+the+Rocky+Mountains]A Lady’s Life in the Rocky Mountains[/url] by Isabella Bird. Isabella Bird was an English writer and traveler who visited the Rocky Mountains in 1873. She dedicates an entire chapter of her book to her climb of Long’s Peak. She was one of the recorded woman to ascend this peak.

Long’s Peak is named after Major Stephen H. Long, who led a historical expedition to the Rocky Mountains in 1819-1820.

Originally, Long thought it was the same peak that Zebulon Pike chronicled during his expedition. But, eventually Long realized this peak was different. And the peak eventually became known as Long’s peak. Unlike Pike, Long never attempted to climb his name-sake peak. A recorded first ascent didn’t happen until years later, in 1868 by John Wesley Powell.

Even more interesting, however, is the likelihood that Native Americans used to ascend this peak on a regular basis. Documentation supports that Native Americans built “eagle traps” with the boulders on top of the summit. According to a story in Roof of the Rockies (Bueler)They would build small shelters with even smaller holes in them to hide, and then would dash out when an eagle swept by, and grab onto its feet.

All these thoughts were going through my mind on Sunday (May 4th) when we climbed Long’s Peak.

I had the honor of joining “Team Capitol”- the four people who climbed and skied Capitol last Monday: Frank Konsella, Pete Sowar, Chris Webster, and Pam Rice. A friend of Chris and Pam’s named Norm also joined us on the occasion. So, a team of six of us began at 3:45 am to ascend the Long’s Peak trail up to Chasm Lake. From Chasm Lake we enjoyed sunrise on the Diamond, and then ascended up to the Loft. We crossed the loft and then entered Keplinger’s Couloir from a few hundred feet below the famed Clark’s Arrow. We followed Keplinger’s up to the Homestretch, and then onto the summit. We arrived at the summit around 1:15, much later than anticipated. Having such a large group slowed us down, surely. But, also, Long’s is a mountain were time can be easily underestimated. Everything seems to take longer than it should.

Here is a picture of Pam and I on the summit.

We began skiing from the summit around 1:45 pm. We took more than an hour to ski Keplinger’s all the way down into Wild Basin. The snow was fun and the descent was nice and long. In the end, it was worth dealing with the Wild Basin slog in order to ski the Keplinger’s couloir in it’s entirety.

View of Keplinger’s from Wild Basin. The snow is hidden by rocks obscuring the route.

When we arrived in the basin, we still had hours to descend our way through the thick forest. Eventually, we found our way, and arrived to the car we left at Wild Basin earlier in the morning (shuttle) around 6:15 pm.

Long’s Peak certainly lived up to it’s name. A 15.5 hour excursion shows that Long’s Peak really is long!

Frank wrote a trip report with more pictures and details about the climb and ski. Please take a look at it.

Resources:
Isabella Bird
Stories
Roof of the Rockies by William Bueler