I headed up to Pikes Peak a few weeks back with Rick, Justin, and Brian to have a go at the Y Couloir. Pikes had recently gotten blanketed with a Front Range spring upslope, so we knew there was a good chance it would be in and possible even good. On top of that we knew Brittany Walker’s group would likely be up there as the window on Pikes was looking small for the season and she had saved it for last in her quest to ski the Colorado 14ers. Keep reading…
The Front Range got absolutely hammered this spring by several large storms in late April and early May. A month ago Longs Peak held so much snow we were able to skin straight across the boulder field, and Keplinger‘s Couloir had better coverage than in any trip report I‘d ever seen. Grays and Torreys had so much snow we were able to ski to within 300 feet of the car on May 29. Evans yielded a summit ski descent, as did Bierstadt. This really has been the year for the Front Range. Matt and I met at the bottom of the toll road and loaded up into one vehicle. The fee was $10 per person, and the ranger told us we would likely only be able to get within 1000‘ of the summit as they were still plowing. Keep reading…