Category Archives: Twelvers

Solitude on X and Z: Boulder Lakes 13er Loop

Ben August 17, 2013 No Comments

hough they may not be particularly grand in stature, the Gores are a special set of peaks. The more I venture into the range, the more I look forward to heading back. A recent thread on this site highlighted different aspects of the area that make it unique. I won’t go into them here, but suffice it to say I’ve been humbled and impressed by what I’ve seen of the Gore thus far, and I was more than ready to get back in there for another adventure. With the entire day free and a good weather forecast this past Saturday, I decided to try my hand at Peaks X and Z which reside at the head of Boulder Lakes basin. Keep reading…

Thatchtop to Powell: A Classic Ridge Run in RMNP

Brian Miller September 22, 2012 3 Comments

The last time Rick, Mike and I got together in Rocky Mountain National Park before this trip was a 17 hour epic on the Kiener’s Route on Longs. The climb was “as advertised” and for me, one of the better days I’ve ever experienced in the hills. I remember the bacon bleu burger from Southern Sun like it was yesterday. Fast forward to the summer of 2012 and we found ourselves plotting another masochistic stroll through the park. Ben and I had done 80 to 90% of the “Glacier Gorge Traverse” (depending on who you are talking to) from Chief’s Head to Taylor the summer before. Keep reading…

Dropping Deming Drop

Ben June 5, 2011 No Comments

Well my buddy Brian managed to do it again…talk me into another line in the Gores that is. For the past several months Dr. Miller has been slowly but surely convincing me to stop focusing so intently on skiing 14ers, and start focusing more on skiing obscure, aesthetic lines in places I’ve never explored. Brian has never been a list ticker, in fact he detests the concept. He argues that it cheapens the true (and also healthy) spirit behind mountaineering. Keep reading…

Buffalo Mountain: Silver Couloir Ski

Brian Miller April 9, 2011 No Comments

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…