As Fritz Sperry and I approached the traverse to the Hourglass Couloir for a ski/snowboard attempt on Little Bear Peak we were turned around by rapidly warming south facing snow. A spicy entrance to this north facing couloir was a good consolation prize.
Summer was fading away and fall was already in full force in the high country. Pat “Perry” Johnson and I decided it was time to knock out a Front Range 14er that we had waited to do until tourist season was over, Longs Peak. We planned to depart from the trailhead in Estes Park on a Sunday morning, camp at the Boulder Field right below the Keyhole, and summit Longs Peak the following day. This would hopefully ensure relatively low traffic on the route and allow us to enjoy an unfamiliar area without the congestion it typically attracts in the summer months. I talked to a ranger a few days before to make sure a campsite was available and work out any fees we would need to pay before heading up on the mountain. He informed me that the Trough section of the route contained both ice and snow so I decided it was a good idea for Perry and I to bring an ice axe and crampons to be on the safe side.Read More »Longs Peak – Keyhole Route
With snow accumulating in the high alpine, Pat “Perry” Johnson and Jon Creasy planned a camping trip into a part of the Front Range not too far from Breckenridge. Since I haven’t camped in winter weather in a while, I decided to take the opportunity to brush up on my skills and get out there with them. We reached the trailhead and started the skin to our destination. This consisted of pretty good snow but did have a lot of rocks and melted out areas to avoid.Read More »Front Range Camping Trip
Mt. Lincoln is a classic 14er located just a few miles south of Breckenridge. Pat “Perry” Johnson and I both had the morning free so we decided to attempt its summit and ride the east ridge. We arrived around 5 AM to treeline above Placer Valley and started skinning. The snow conditions were great and allowed for a relatively easy approach. Due to some steep parts with very slick and hard snow we had to switch to crampons to safely ascend two areas we deemed too dangerous to skin.Read More »Mt. Lincoln
The last couple weeks had been filled with a few successful winter ascents for Jeff Kepler, Pat “Perry” Johnson, and I. With curiosity about the conditions on Mt. Bross, we decided to attempt the east slopes route in hopes of some good turns in it’s bowl below the summit. A short drive to our start and we were met with warmer than expected temperatures which raised some concerns about the quality and safety of the snow. We decided to proceed with caution and assess the conditions as we went.Read More »Mt. Bross