Backcountry SkiingSan Juans

Skiing in the La Platas 5.21-5.22.16

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The La Plata subrange of the San Juans has long intrigued me. Maybe it’s the name, that sounds like the sort of place the Aztecs probably stashed treasure. Or maybe it’s just that they look really interesting from the Colorado Trail between Blackhawk and Kennebec pass, on the way to Durango. But it’s probably just that I like exploring new places to ski. So, this spring I finally made my way south to do some skiing in the La Platas.

My friend Will lives in the area and was happy to show me around for a couple of days. His friend Don also joined us, as we made our way towards Tomahawk Basin.
tomahawk basin la plata range

We were lucky enough to have a decent freeze, so we decided to do a warm-up run on the eastern facing part of the basin. From the ridge, we looked out towards southern Utah- there are no more mountains from here.
Looking west from La Plate mountain range in CO

Better yet, this vantage point gave us a great view of a dogleg couloir on Babcock Peak that looked like fun:
Babcock peak


We found great corn on our first run:
skiing tomahawk basin

Next up, we headed towards the aesthetic couloir we had just been looking at. Will took the lead:
Durango area backcountry skiing

The snow was decent, although it was probably great springtime powder just a couple of days earlier. It still skied plenty soft for Will:
la plata san juan skiing

skiing in the la platas

Don:
south san juan skiing

There was a fun little side exit at the bottom of the couloir, too. Will:
la plata range ski descent

Day 2, More Skiing in the La Plata Range

The next day, it was just Will and I, and we headed to the basin just South of the one we were in the day before. Once again, we were greeted with a basin full of skiing opportunities. It doesn’t look like it, but the couloir just right of center was actually much longer than it looked from here.
skiing babcock peak

Will, once again in the lead. The guy is strong:
la plata couloir climbing

The funny thing was that when we topped out on this couloir, we were at the top of the exact same line that we skied the day before, just from the opposite side. Deja Vu. There was a strong breeze that kept things cold so we hung out for a while. the true summit of Babcock requires some loose class 4 scrambling, but we were content to wait for the snow. Will:
skiing the la platas

durango area skiing

The basin held some of the best corn I’ve skied this year. It felt so nice to just go fast, whichh is exactly what good corn allows you to do. Will again:
san juan ski

Overall, I’d have to say I was pretty impressed with my first foray into the La Plata range. Besides, Durango is a great town (or is it a little city?) It feels like one to me. If nothing else, I’m itching to get back to Zia Taqueria, that was one of the best burritos I can remember. There is probably some eye candy that will bring me back as well:
la plata range

Hopefully EMS survives their restructuring. If not, there might be some good deals:

Frank Konsella
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Summary
Skiing in the La Platas 5.21-5.22.16
Article Name
Skiing in the La Platas 5.21-5.22.16
Description
Ever thought about spring skiing in the La Platas, west of Durango, CO? Check out these trip reports from a unique subrange of the San Juans.
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14erskiers.com

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.

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