Exploring Skiing near the Green-Wilson Hut (9-11 Feb 2015)
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Colorado is a land of huts. Our mountains are dotted with a plethora of backcountry refuges where we can ski in and ski out. It’s a fantastic thing. And frankly, it’s something both Frank and I need to be better about taking advantage of.
So, when a new friend invited me to the Green-Wilson hut, I went at lengths to rearrange my work schedule so I could be a part of this trip. Having been up in the area when skiing the East Face of Castle years ago, I knew that this hut was located among a treasure-chest of lines.
Located just on the other side of the Elk Mountains from our home in Crested Butte, the Green-Wilson Hut is most reliably accessed through Aspen. The Green-Wilson Hut is built to accommodate 8, so 5 of us creatively stuffed ourselves into my bottoming-out Subaru Forester to meet a remaining group of 3 at the Ashcroft townsite, the winter closure of Castle Creek road.
Ashcroft.
After signing in at the Ashcroft cabin, we began the 6 mile skin up to the Green-Wilson Hut. What a fine day it was for a tour!
After a few miles, the road began to climb more steadily toward the hut. Stephanie pausing to soak up the view.
Alas, the hut. The Green-Wilson hut was built in 1978 and was recently refurbished. It was built in memory of Lu Lynn Green Wilson.
The A-Framed Tagert hut is located right next door. This hut was built in 1960 on the site of the original dam tender’s cabin and was built to honor the famed Aspen local, Billy Tagert (1873-1976).
Touring out of Green-Wilson Hut
There are a lot of touring options out of the Green Wilson Hut. The East Face of Castle is one of the bigger options that comes to mind, although it was not exactly in shape to ski as this point in the year.
The Ridge of Gendarmes on Castle are always appealing.
West Pearl Mountain.
Past West Pearl to the south and slightly east stands Pearl Mountain and another subpeak. This is one area we chose to explore.
Amy skinning with the East Face of Castle behind.
Though clouds hovered in the sky, the light was surreal.
Cathedral Peak danced in the distance, taunting me. I hope to get back to this one when it’s in better condition.
As we climbed the subpeak of Pearl, the south side of West Pearl unveiled some interesting lines.
After a nice exploratory tour, it was time to ski. Stephanie.
Robert.
As we stood at the bottom of the line, we discussed what to do next. Half of our group decided to return to the hut. But, the 5 that remained decided there was more skiing to be done.
See the rest in Part Two of Exploring Skiing Near the Green-Wilson Hut.
link to east face trip report?
Green-Wilson Hut Resources
If you are interested in booking the Green-Wilson hut, visit the 10th Mountain Division Hut Association. If you would like to find out more about potential ski routes accessible from Green-Wilson, visit HutSki.org.
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