Partners: Wes Martin, Matt Kamper
Route: Ascent of Tabeguache via Mt Shavano, summit ski descent of Tab’s North Couloir, exit via Brown`s Creek to car shuttle
Stats: 12 miles RT, 5,293` climbed, 2,550` skied, 10 hours
In terms of access and interesting ski routes, Tabeguache Peak is somewhat limited. Basically the only interesting line from a skier’s perspective is the north face, which also happens to be the most difficult side of the peak to access. This lack of access is what makes Tab’s north face a relatively rare ski descent, but for those willing to put up with some punishment, the line is well worth it.
The plan Matt and I arrived at was somewhat elegant; an ascent via Shavano from the standard TH, followed by a ski of Tab’s north face using Brown’s Creek as the exit. The one downside (besides the vert and distance) was that this plan would require a vehicle shuttle, but it seemed worth it for a chance to ski a rare line. Also joining us on this quest for pain was Wes, whom I picked up on my way out of town.
After meeting up with Matt and stashing a vehicle at the Brown’s Creek TH, the three of us motored to Blank Gulch and began hiking at 4:45am. Trail shoes were the only way to go on this one as we’d end up hiking to the summit of Shavano with skis and boots on our backs. The hike to the summit was nothing but one foot in front of the other so I’ll skip describing that part…
Matt and Wes, and the Angel of Shavano. Wes and I were fortunate enough to get the Angel in powder conditions last year.
Once on top of Shavano, we were rewarded with a motivating view; Tab had snow off the summit, so the summit ski was in. Now all we had to do was get over there.
Matt and Wes cresting Tab’s summit ridge.
A look down the north face ski route had us in good spirits.
We hung out for a bit on the summit and then geared up for the ski.
Tabeguache summit.
A few turns down the ridge on bullet proof snow had us to the entrance of the ski line. A bit of billygoating was required to get into the couloir from the summit ridge.
The entrance fee.
Once through the top section we had two thousand feet of June corn turns to cash in on. I’ll let the pictures tell the rest of the story…
Matt.
Wes.
And yours truly. Photo by Matt.
At the end of the skiable snow we took a long break and enjoyed the beauty of spring time in the Rockies.
A short bushwack had us at the Brown’s Creek trail, from which the views of our ski line were impressive.
We skied the continuous couloir down the center of the face. Photo by Matt.
Starting the long 6-mile hike out of Browns Creek.
A 3 hour slog had us back at the vehicle and the cooler we stashed in the trunk. After the drive back around to Blank Gulch, we said goodbye to Matt and motored back up 285 to Denver, another great ski descent under our belts. Thanks for reading.
Here’s a link to Matt’s TR on 14ers.com. Cheers!