There are fifty four summits over 14,000 feet in the Colorado Rockies. Virtually every one of them offers excellent skiing every spring. Ski mountaineers ritually bag these descents, adding to their collections, many hoping to one day ski all 54. As the winter snowpack succumbs to warmer temperatures and longer days, it consolidates into a safer, more predictable layer, the perfect surface for really steep skiing. This May, a few friends and I endeavored to ski a few of the most classic lines in the state, Long’s Peak North Face, Wilson Peak Northeast Face, and the North Face of North Maroon Peak

Summit county skier Rex Wherman and I had hoped to begin skiing the 14ers in late April, but a late spring storm had blanketed the high peaks, setting us back for safety reasons. By the second week of May I was getting anxious, and was eager to get up on the North Face of North Maroon Peak, practically in my backyard here in Aspen. The Maroon Bells are two of Colorado’s steepest, loosest, and most dangerous summits, but when covered with compact spring snow, they are actually safer and more fun to climb. Rex and I had both been on the North Face of North Maroon before, and I had in fact summited three times, yet neither of us had made the coveted ski descent. This face is the scene of many epics and tragedies, mostly due to it’s complex nature. The route up the face zigzags around massive cliff bands, where a fall would send you for a huge, unintentional huck. In fact the largest cliff at the bottom of the route is aptly named "Miner’s Ski Jump" after legendary skier Theo Miner cartwheeled over it back in the early seventies, yet lived to ski another day.

Our approach up to the foot of the face was slowed by lingering deep snow, requiring hours of knee deep post holing. By the time we began climbing the steep snow around "Miner’s Ski Jump" the sun had been on the face for over two hours. Loose snow still lingered from the big dump a week earlier, and the combination of the soaring temperatures and unconsolidated snow had us constantly assessing the commitment we were willing to throw at this big face. As we passed the 12,000 foot level, big pinwheels began rolling past us, and it became obvious that we would be swept off the face by avalanche. We released a big wet slide on the descent at tree line, confirming our decision to bail on the face. Once again we were foiled by the North Face of North Maroon, but at the same time felt some level of satisfaction and success with our timely decision. The decision to climb and ski any route on a big mountain must be tempered by the ability to turn around at any moment in the interest of safety.

Although we failed to summit on North Maroon, our resolve was strengthened and we met up four days later at my buddy Davenport West’s home near Ridgeway for a go at the classic Northeast Face of Wilson Peak. I have been eyeing this line ever since I cracked my first can of Coors the day I turned 21. Famous for adorning the classic yellow Coors can, and for luring aspiring ski mountaineers with its enticing view from Telluride, Wilson Peak certainly falls into the "classic" category. Aspen skier Matt Ross, Davenport West, photographer Tom Z, Rex, and myself loaded the Suburban at 2 a.m. for this effort. We were at the trailhead at 3 a.m., and climbed silently by the light of the moon for two hours. As the Eastern sky showed signs of a new day, we past tree line and began the alpine climb up towards the summit.

We chose to approach Wilson via the Northwest Face, mainly because we could skin much of the way on an old mining road, and thus avoided a long slog through a bushwhack forest. The approach and climb up to Wilson’s summit was perfect in many ways. The snow was firm and fun to climb. A previous party had left nicely spaced boot tracks up the steepest section of the climb. We kept our crampons in our packs and motored up this staircase. At 7:30, five energized ski mountaineers stood atop 14,017 foot Wilson Peak, gazing down at Telluride, and across at the jagged peaks of the Mt. Sneffels group.

The long, steep descent of the Northeast Face was relaxing, by big mountain standards. We skied the route in stages, shooting photos of each other carving easy turns on perfect corn. The chemistry of the group had us all laughing, simply from the positive vibes being emitted by the mountain and each other. We casually skied down into the deep bowl at the base of the couloir, gaining a deceiving foreshortened view of what is one of Colorado’s steepest snow faces. By mid morning the group had taken a wrong turn entering the forest and we proceeded to slog on collapsing shit snow through dense fir and aspen trees for the next hour, definitely adding to the "epic" nature of our descent. Back in Telluride, sipping cold, crappy Coors, I was thoroughly amused by the comparison of the Coors can rendition of the face, and the incredibly steep angle which stood before us. For those ski mountaineers seeking a challenging classic descent in the southern Rockies, this is the one.

In late April, I did an aerial recognizance of Long’s Peak. Situated in the Front Range, about thirty miles north of Boulder, Long’s had suffered through a drought of a winter. Heavy spring winds had depleted most of the little snow that clung to the face, leaving a fantastic looking alpine climb, but a death defying ski descent. So I immediately sought out a suitable alternative.

Lying just south of state highway 82, near Independence Pass, La Plata Peak beckons to all mountain enthusiasts that drive by her massive north face and classic "Ellingwood Ridge" climbing route. I had climbed La Plata several times before, but timing had prevented me from scoring the steep North Face descent. Matt Ross and I met up with Rex at the trailhead the night before at 10 p.m. A comfortable five hour bivy got us on the trail at 4:20 exactly. Because it was early June on a lean snow year, we were able to hike the normal route up the mountains in trail shoes, a pleasure to be sure. A straight forward ascent up the Northwest Ridge put us on the summit at 8 am. The night had been clear and cold, so we relaxed and enjoyed the expansive views from Wilson Peak in the San Juans, to the Maroon Bells outside Aspen

By 9 a.m. the snow was setting up perfect. The route down the North Face is your classic dog leg couloir, which makes it intimidating as you cannot see your exit onto the snowfield at the bottom. Matt dropped in first and banged out a series of perfect steep turns, instilling confidence in Rex and I. Rock walls loom to skier’s left and right, and a fall in the gut would send you pinballing like the wizard down to your fate. We linked many turns down the 3000 foot face, ultimately opening it up on a broad apron of luscious corn snow that led to the low angle bowl below. We skied from 14,336 ft. to about 11,000 ft., then removed our skis and boots and trudged an hour down a remote climbers trail, arriving at the car at 11 a.m.

Skiing big mountains requires desire, commitment, knowledge, and communication with ones partners. Decision making is a constant part of any mountain adventure, and in the case of North Maroon, we came home happy and safe because of a good call. When conditions allow, the experience can be among the most rewarding sensations in the mountains. I was fortunate to have the right teammates, the proper chemistry, and for the most part excellent conditions. In retrospect, that early morning desire to turn around and head back to bed usually makes the end result that much more rewarding. In my mind, the choice to get out there and ski is simple. The peaks will be there forever, but us skiers must seize the opportunity to get the goods every day we can.

Logistics:
North Maroon Peak, 14,014:
USGS Maps: Maroon Bells, Highland Peak
Access: Follow signs from Aspen to the Maroon Bells. (if you get lost here forget trying to ski anything in this article) From Maroon Lake follow the West Maroon Pass trail to its intersection with the Buckskin Pass Trail just above Crater Lake. Climb the Buckskin Pass Trail to 10,800 feet, then drop down to Minnehaha Creek and cross it. Climb directly up through sparse trees to a large flat bench the leads to the huge bowl below the North Face.

Ascent: Ascend to the climber’s right of the first big cliff band, then move left along the first snowfield, and directly up from the middle of this snowfield. Follow the path of least resistance, moving left and right around the cliff bands of this intricate face, generally staying near a shallow central gully that lies in the center of the face.

Descent: Descend the line by which you climbed. Take extreme care with each turn, as a fall high on the face would be your last.

Wilson Peak, 14,017 feet:
USGS Maps: Mt. Wilson, Dolores Peak
Access: Arriving at the trailhead here is a bit tricky without good directions. Go 8.5 miles from Telluride or 2.5 miles from Sawpit, and turn onto Silver Pick Road. Follow this road for 6.9 miles, avoiding the many ranch exits. Parking is at the Silver Pick Trailhead at about 10,700 feet.

Ascent: Continue up Silver Pick Road into Silver Pick Basin. Above treeline, trend left into a large bowl below Wilson’s summit. Climb the bowl as it turns into a steeper face, eventually funneling you into a small gully that tops out on the summit ridge.
To climb the Northeast Face: Follow Silver Pick Road to 10,500 feet. Turn left into the trees and climb up and left to tree line. Work your way east at tree line, traversing below a large ridge, then south until the Northeast face becomes visable up to your left. Work your way to the base of the face, looking out for two large couloirs that run up the left side of the face. Climb directly up the left of the two couloirs.

Descent: From the summit, depending on snow conditions, you may either ski directly down and left into the large couloir, or down climb down the ridge skier’s left (north ridge) of the couloir until you feel safe enough to drop in. The crux of the route is at the top. Consider a belay if you are at all hesitant about the steep upper face, or ski the Northwest Face.

La Plata Peak, 14,336 feet:
USGS Maps: Mt. Elbert, Independence Pass, Mt. Harvard
Access: Drive Hwy. 82 8.8 miles from the summit of Independence Pass, or 8 miles from the town of Twin Lakes, to the obvious La Plata Gulch trailhead on the south side of the road. If you are coming from the pass, take a moment to check out the view of the mountain, and more importantly, the North Face.

Ascent: From the trailhead, head up the road to the signed trail marker. Follow the well marked trail for two miles to just over 11,000 feet. At this point, in a high valley, look for the trail climbing steeply up the west side of La Plata Peak. Head directly up this face to the Northwest Ridge at 12,600 feet. From here it is quite easy to the summit. Once again, check the view of the upper North Face.
To ascend the North Face direct: Follow the normal La Plata gulch trail for 15 or 20 minutes until you see a large pile of rocks on a stump on your left. This is the North Face climber’s trail. Follow this often faint trail for the next few hours, first traversing East, then climbing steeply to the south up into the big basin below the North face. The best route to climb and ski is just left of the center of the face, and has a dog leg half way up.

Descent: From the broad summit, the best route to ski is not obvious, until closer examination. Walk 25 yards to the East to inspect the line skier’s right of the summit. Descend the steep upper gully, then stay right as the gully splits half way down. Once in the basin, ski as far as you can before finding the climber’s trail near the creek.

Additional Resources: Lou Dawson’s "Colorado Fourteener’s" guides are indispensable, as Lou was the first to ski all 54 of Colorado’s highest.




By Chris Davenport