Of all the areas I’ve explored in Colorado thus far the San Juans are undoubtedly my favorite place to adventure. After an awesome tour in Yankee Boy Basin earlier this spring, I was particularly eager to get back down there and visit Navajo again. Partners for this trip ended up being some long-time climbing buddies of mine in Brian, Carl, and Marc, and a mutual friend of ours, Rick, whom I had gotten to know last summer. Keep reading…
When some ill-timed weather/snow conditions prompted our group to call off some ambitious weekend plans we had for the San Juans, I was not surprised when Brian suggested the Eastern Gores as a consolation. Matt was in, as was his significant other, Gerlinde, who had just returned home from climbing a 20,000+ footer in the Himilayas. Congrats again Gerlinde! We settled on Red Peak B’s South Face, which we believed would provide us a safe, low-angled tour. Read more…
Its always a shame when all the inspiring, endorphin riddled thoughts that bounce around in your head while playing in the mountains seem to fade when you get back to the city and rejoin the daily grind. I sat down to write this report last night after skiing 5 hours of moguls at Mary Jane and combined with the demoralizing realization of a 40 hour work week, I completely lost interest in writing a trip report altogether. Keep reading…
Brian, Glen, and I caught a few hours of sleep at the gate closure prior to our 4:30am start. Lucky for us, it was still early enough in the season to have continuous snow from the gate. It was also evident that the area had received a deep overnight freeze, all good omens. After an hour of gliding across a firm crust the sun crept it’s way over the eastern horizon and began to light up the surrounding peaks. Continue reading…