Mount Yale 2.5.07

Sitting in a motel 6 in Lincoln, NE and decided to re-post this TR from TGR from a couple of years ago. Hopefully skiing the WROD (White Ribbon Of Death) at Loveland on Saturday, though. Til then…

Mt Yale, 14,196′
Feb 5th, 2007
Brittany, Frank, Pete Sowar

Mt. Yale is a fourteener lying just west of the town of Buena Vista, CO, in the Sawatch range. This area of the range doesn’t get much snow, and what it does get is often blown off by the winds. It was first climbed in 1869 and was named for the alma mater of Josiah Whitney, A USGS surveyor and the same man that Mt Whitney, CA’s highest peak, was named for. Other peaks in the area were also named for colleges, like Princeton and Harvard, resulting in the area now being called the collegiate range.

With the recent wind wreaking havoc on many areas, we decided to blow off the search for good powder and climb and ski a fourteener, just because it’s there.

I headed over to the Salida area just in time to catch the superbowl sunday night at a friend of Tom’s (thanks, FZ). Brittany arrived later from a comp in Aspen where she was coaching her “little girls” at a mogul comp. A nice semi leisurely start had us at the trailhead by 9 the next morning.

Mt Yale, as seen from Denny gulch. We followed the snow, traversed right over some rocks, and repeated the process.

Much of the climb above treeline was a bootpack on dry ground.

Thankfully, the views were top-notch. E face, Castle:

Ice mtn/ one of the Apostles:

The last bit of the ridge was at least a little sporting, enough to keep us on our toes and hopefully give us some practice for better lines to come this spring.

The skiing was a little better than expected, at least in spots.

Down lower, the snow was practically non-existent, and rotten to the core. We set off some little loose snow point releases (expected), and sidestepped down the paths. If a big storm ever rolls through, it will be a mess

I forgot my camera at the trailhead, and Brittany is still waiting to acquire another one, so all these shots are from Pete- Thanks! And thanks again to Tom for the hospitality.

• About
• Latest Posts

Frank Konsella

Frank loves snow more than anything... except his wife.  He ensures his food is digested properly by chewing it 32 times before swallowing.He is a full-time real estate agent serving Crested Butte and Gunnison and would be honored to send you his monthly newsletter.

Latest posts by Frank Konsella (see all)

• Bluebird Backcountry Ski Area - February 14, 2020
• Gear Review: Smith 4D MAG Goggles - January 6, 2020
• Gear Review: LEKI Tour Stick Vario Carbon Ski Poles - December 9, 2019