I headed up to Pikes Peak a few weeks back with Rick, Justin, and Brian to have a go at the Y Couloir. Pikes had recently gotten blanketed with a Front Range spring upslope, so we knew there was a good chance it would be in and possible even good. On top of that we knew Brittany Walker’s group would likely be up there as the window on Pikes was looking small for the season and she had saved it for last in her quest to ski the Colorado 14ers. Keep reading…
As our weekend sojourn in Vail to admire the changing aspens and snow-capped Gores came to a close, Anna-Lisa and I decided we weren’t ready to return to the city just yet. Our friend David (Zambo) expressed some interest in Kelso Ridge, it being a short scramble route and relatively close to Denver. This idea also appealed to Anna-Lisa as, prior to this weekend, she was the only person in Colorado who hadn’t climbed Grays and Torreys. Keep reading…
Tom Pierce and I got out Saturday and climbed what I would consider to be the most fun route I‘ve been on to date. I‘ve been thinking about Kieners for a few years now and the opportunity came up for me this past March to try a winter ascent (pretty ambitious for my first time up the route). Tom, a friend of his, and I made our way up to the base of Lambslide and elected to save it for another day due to a large cornice overhanging the Notch, as well as a rather slow approach time. Although somewhat disappointed, I think we all felt the right decision was made in the end. Keep reading…
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…