Pikes Peak Hero Traverse to Railroad Couloir

May 28, 2022
Pikes Peak 14,115'
Railroad Couloir

Laura and I wanted one last day at altitude to help us acclimatize before heading to Denali in less than a week. We chose a short, easy day and took advantage of the late spring snowfall here in Colorado that filled the often out of condition railroad couloir on Pikes Peak. As in the past weeks, I chose to drive the road and access the snow climb via the hero traverse. The snow was in okay condition and the climb was short. We were bummed out when at the top we had to climb directly under the recently built viewing platform and tourists looking down on us. Overall a fun and short day at altitude is exactly what we wanted and exactly what we got. Railroad is a fun climb, although slightly easier and less steep than Y couloir I climbed just a few weeks ago. 

Pikes Peak Hero to Y Couloir

May 15, 2022
Pikes Peak 14,115'

Hero Traverse to Y Couloir

Pikes Peak Highway gates open late until the end of May which is a bummer because it usually means soft snow by the time you're on it if you choose to drive up the road. It's the day after Laura and I climbed James Peak and since she was spending time with her dad who is in town for a few days, I figured I would stack another day to get some altitude and Denali training in. Gates open at 9 am so I was there at 8. I was the 5th car in line to head up the highway. It was a gorgeous morning so I rolled down the window and pushed the car seat back and relaxed until the gates opened. I paid the toll and headed up the road, making it to mile marker 18 and the sheep sign right at 9:30. I quickly got my boots on and hiked directly across the road where you descend toward the Hero Traverse. The Hero Traverse was a mix of rock and soft snow, making for the worst conditions of the day. It had me a bit worried until I reached a nice boot pack from the day before that make the traverse go much smoother and faster. I reached the Y couloir at 10:25 am and decided to go across a ways further to check out the railroad couloir to see if it was in climbable condition. It was far to melted out to climb and so I decided to descend to where the snow ended in the Y couloir at 12,800 ft and climb from there. I loaded an extra 20 pounds of rocks in my pack and started climbing at 10:40 am. The snow was surprisingly hard even this late in the day. There were several short sections that were sloppy and soft but overall I was happy with the quality of the snow. After almost 1,400 feet of climbing, I topped out at 12:10 pm. Since this was an acclimatization day for me, I toured around the summit area and went into the the building and read the tourist displays for a few hours before heading down the northeast slopes and back to my car at 2 pm. I had a great day on the local mountain and am happy that I had the chance to get out and climb two days in a row. I'm feeling fit for Denali and can't wait to get there.  

James Peak Couloir Climb

May 14, 2022

James Peak 13,294'

It's 2 am and Laura is jabbing at me to wake me up. We are planning on heading to James Peak to climb one of the couloirs on the southeast face of the mountain. They are rumored to be excellent climbs and there are a variety to choose from so we were sure we could find something that was in climbable condition. Headed north from home by 2:30, we arrived at the St. Mary's Glacier trailhead just after 4 am. There was only one other car in the large parking lot so we filled out our parking permit and chose the spot closest to the trail, geared up and started hiking by 4:30. The short hike up the road to the lake at the base of St. Mary's Glacier was almost snow free. Once past the lake, the snow was continuous until we reached the saddle and large flat area where James Peak comes into view. Across the frozen tundra we hiked until we reached the area where we would need to traverse across the lower part of the face of James Peak to reach a snow couloir. Two of the most popular climbs were not options for us today as one was melted out near the top and the other had a very large cornice, making the climbing below objectively hazardous. Laura and I chose a short and steep 500' couloir that became almost vertical for the last 10 feet. Topping out and looking across, we were happy to have made the decision we did as the other couloirs would have most likely have forced us to tunnel through their cornices to top out. From the top of our climb, we hiked the remainder of the east ridge to the summit of James Peak. We relaxed for a few minutes and looked out toward the mountains that make up Rocky Mountain National Park, the Sawatch and the Elk ranges. We descended back down to a crowded St. Mary's Glacier and were back at the car by 11 am. Since it was early for lunch, we figured we would try to beat the crowds and have a pie and a beer at Bo Jeau's in Idaho Springs. Days like this are what we live for and we're happy to have the opportunity to climb and enjoy each other as often as we do.

Quandary Peak Cristo Couloir

April 30, 2022
Quandary Peak 14,265'
Cristo Couloir

Laura, Brian and I pulled into the trailhead just a mile off the highway and met up with Isaac and Nicole. We'd have to walk the 2 miles on the road since the gate to Blue Lakes was still closed. The road was mostly dry and we made great time getting to the base of Cristo Couloir. The snow started just above the lake and by the time we all had crampons on, was beginning to soften. While everyone else got ready, I found a few large rocks to add to my pack as training for our upcoming trip to Denali and set off up the couloir. I lead the way and pushed through the snow to my ankles with every step. I summitted at 10 am and since the others were still down in the couloir, I descended about 400' and climbed back up chatting with Brian. We were back on the summit again at 10:40 am. We all hung out and ate and drank while looking at the snowcapped mountains that surrounded us. The wind was blowing steady with a visible storm in the distance so we got off the summit and descended the way we came up, reaching the cars at the trailhead and cracking a beer before 1 pm. Laura, Brian and I went back to the cabin and spent the afternoon doing some Denali prep setting up the tent and practicing crevasse rescue. Even with a decent freeze overnight, 7 am was too late to start and the snow conditions could have been better. Note - when parking at the low gate rather than at blue lakes, descending the standard trail is as fast as descending Cristo and walking the road.

Mt. Shavano 14,229'

April 30, 2022
Mt. Shavano 14,229'
Angel of Shavano

This weekend Laura and I decided we would go to Mt. Shavano and climb the snow feature known as the angel. As the winter snow melts out in the wide gullies of the mountain, a unique shape forms and looks like a snow angel. I have not skied much this season so I figured that I would go with my backcountry ski setup even though Laura would be walking. She still is not cleared to ski by her ankle doctor. 

From the Shavano / Tab trailhead, we walked on dry trail for about a half mile to the cutoff with the Colorado Trail. From here it was another mile or so before the snow was continuous enough to put on skis. While Laura kept moving as I made the switch to skis, I caught her within a short distance and we took a short food break as we exited the forest and started up the snowfield known as the angel. I skied until the snow steepened and then switched back to just boots. The snow was firm and supportive enough that neither Laura or I wore crampons. We simply kicked steps and that was secure enough. Starting at 7:45 am, we made the summit around noon. the skies were blue and the views were spectacular. While Laura started down, I descended about 100' from the summit to where the terrain became less rocky before putting on my skis. From there it was smooth sailing down the upper part of the mountain which was mostly hard and windblown snow. The lower section of the angel was slushy and made the skiing more difficult but still fun. I was able to ski to 9,800' into the trees while Laura did a mix of glissading and hiking in snowshoes. We were back at the trailhead at 2:45 pm. The angel is a great climb and a fun ski. Maybe next time we will both be on skis.