Category Archives: Elk Range

North Maroon Peak: North Face Ski

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Carl, Marc, Derek, and I met up at the Maroon Lake TH in the predawn hours of May 23rd, 2010. Our goal: the uber-classic North Face of North Maroon Peak on skis. None of us had ever climbed or skied this face before, and given the notoriety of this face and it’s history, we knew we were in for a fun one. We started from Maroon Lake at 3am under starry skies. With most of the approach melted out, we were able to stay in boots and keep skis on our backs all the way to Crater Lake. Keep reading…

Castle and Conundrum Spring Ski Descents

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Jon, Matt, Jon‘s buddy Nate, and I motored to Aspen this past Friday night with the intent of skiing Castle and Conundrum. We were able to drive up the Montezuma road to around 10,800 ft (there was no use trying to get higher due to a monster snow drift blocking the road). It‘s not the best elevation I‘ve ever achieved on this road but it was good enough. Bivy sacks and sleeping bags went down next to the car and the four of us were asleep shortly after. The alarm went off at 3:30am and we hit the trail at 4:30. Thanks to Matt‘s killer pace right out of the gate we were able to reach the top of the jeep trail in an hour and a half, seeing a sunrise from this basin is one of the better experiences I‘ve had in the mountains this year. Continue reading…

Capitol Peak: A Bittersweet Start to November

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With Stu‘s permanent relocation to Ohio coming in May, he has made it a goal to finally finish off the 14ers before then. With Capitol being his largest remaining challenge, we figured it had to happen either now or in May. We chose now, although in hindsight I think I would have preferred spring snow to the verglass/unconsolidated sugar we faced. Stu, Ryan, and I left Boulder at 2am on Halloween night and headed for Aspen. Keep reading…

Pyramid to Thunder Pyramid Traverse

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After a long work week and a wedding next weekend, it was time to get a trip in. With all of the attention the Thunder Pyramid traverse has received recently, the decision was a no brainer. Ryan and I left Westminster at 1:45am, pulled into the Maroon Lake TH at 5:00am started off up the trail 15 minutes later. Keep reading…