Pikes Peak Y Couloir Summit Ski Descent
The Front Range got absolutely hammered this spring by several large storms in late April and early May. A month ago Longs Peak held so much snow we were able to skin straight across the boulder field, and Keplinger‘s Couloir had better coverage than in any trip report I‘d ever seen. Grays and Torreys had so much snow we were able to ski to within 300 feet of the car on May 29. Evans yielded a summit ski descent, as did Bierstadt. This really has been the year for the Front Range. Matt and I met at the bottom of the toll road and loaded up into one vehicle. The fee was $10 per person, and the ranger told us we would likely only be able to get within 1000‘ of the summit as they were still plowing. Keep reading…
My buddy Jon Osterbrock, along with myself and our wives were called on for a little house sitting over Memorial Day weekend, so at first it seemed skiing was out for the weekend. The house however happens to be on Lookout Mountain and since Carl and Marc live nearby, the idea of a short jaunt up Evans was born and easily negotiated. Brian was quick to join in and generously supplied a grill, brats, and of course beer for an apres ski party. We all met at the recently opened Summit Lake TH and found the entire mountain to be completely socked in. Despite the visibility being less than ideal, we all knew the route pretty well and were skinning towards the north face couloirs around 7:00am.