2017.710

12,987-foot Peak 8

Seasons Be A Changing

High country leaves are beginning to change, and fall is in the air! I wanted a late season ride at altitude. Off I ventured to the Tenmile Range to prospect some colored, two-wheeled fun. I was a bit early; leaves in this area still have 1 to 2 weeks until peak color.



Initially I rode the Breckenridge Ski Area Peak 9 access road to hasten the climb to more than 12,000 feet in elevation. My plan was to ride the access road to the Wheeler Trail, hook up with the Colorado Trail on top, drop to Copper Mountain Ski Resort, then swing around the northern terminus of the Tenmile Range on a bike path, ultimately catching the Peaks/Gold Hill trails to my vehicle.

If that sounds like a haul, it is; I didn't quite make it. I needed another 2 to 3 hours of time. As you'll see below, I was close. Nonetheless, I had a 2 p.m. turnaround because I needed to be back in the Denver metro area by 5:30. The following pic portrays a diminishing 4x4 route reaching treeline on 13,195-foot Peak 9.




Breckenridge Ski Resort is huge. Adjacent to my north was the Ski Area's Peak 8.




Below is a juvenile stand of bristlecone pine. This species occupies the krummholz and can live thousands of years.



The following zoomed pic shows what I needed another hour or two to accomplish. After leaving the 4x4 track, the switchbacks of the Wheeler Trail top out at 12,400 feet, at which point I could light the afterburners and quickly drop into Copper Mountain. Nonetheless, the bewitching-hour had arrived, and I disappointingly aimed the Black Pearl down.




Breckenridge lies at the base of the lower slopes of Peak 9.




Hopefully there will be more leaves to come.

Adios!

Stardate 2016.121

Winterland
I journeyed up to Copper Mountain Ski Area, Colorado, to make some turns this past Thursday. Almost two out of three of the free parking lots were full; not bad for a Thursday. Lots of folks are possibly playing hooky and enjoying March/April temps. There were more people than I expected. The snow, old and abused, actually wasn't too bad either. (Old and abused indicating some fresh snow would be nice.) Above treeline, things are quite wind-scoured. Some fresh snow would be a boon.



Copper Mountain has natural terrain for all abilities. The east side (below) and backside bowl skiing is expert. The middle area boasts some fine intermediate glissading and the west side makes the aspiring novice grin.




A bird's eye view north above Tenmile Creek and the I-70 corridor.




Here's a typical groomed run amongst the trees. Copper has some nice fall lines.



Copper Mountain has several natural snow bowls on the backside of the ski area. The bowls offer sought-after powder skiing. However, they morph into bump (mogul) runs if the snow gods are playing hooky. This photo is of a mogul-ridden Spaulding Bowl. The ski area's high point touches the sky at 12,441 feet and is in the upper right corner of the photo.



The stately Tenmile Range provides Copper's eastern backdrop. Left to right is Pacific Peak (13,950 ft, state elevation rank #61), Atlantic Peak (13,841 ft, rank #86) and Fletcher Mountain (13,951 ft, rank #59).



A note on peak ranks: if a peak does not have a drop greater than 300 feet between a neighboring peak, it usually is not ranked. Left to right is Peak 10 (13,633 ft, no rank), Father Dyer Peak (13,615 ft, small background hump, no rank) and Crystal Peak (13,852 ft, rank #82).



A mellow-looking Point 12,293 with a nice cornice developing. In the photo, look for the bright, thin line of snow following the right ridge of Point 12,293. For those of you curious as to what a cornice is, it's an overhang of snow deposited by the wind off a terrain break like a ridgeline. One also may be seen in the Pacific Peak photo along the ridge in the right center of the photo. Cornices can be quite unstable and dangerous, often collapsing under their own weight. They also can get quite large and exist well into the spring until they collapse under their wet snow weight.




Late afternoon shadows start to mature on Crystal (left) and Pacific Peaks as I load up the 4Runner and head home.




Thanks for reading.

Adios

Stardate 2015.592

Searle Pass

The forecast was for high and dry conditions in the high country. This meant a break in the monsoonal moisture that was keeping everything green and wildflowers prolific. Better yet, the sun would be abundant! In a nutshell, there would be tundra riding at elevation, with a minimal risk of being electrocuted by Zeus.

I chose to ride the northern part of Segment 8 of the Colorado Trail (CT). On this route, the CT traverses the lower slopes of Copper Mountain Ski Area to Guller Creek on the west side of the resort. The trail then leaves civilization and ascends beautiful Guller Creek to treeline, where it climbs up to Searle Pass. From where I started, the day would be an out-and-back of about 20 miles with a high point of 12,050 feet. The ride would be approximately 95 percent trail – single track.


Bring on the alpine!



Copper Mountain ski runs were awash in color.



Ski area color up close



The Guller Creek Trail (Colorado Trail) ascends to broad basins below 12,545-foot Sugarloaf Peak.



At treeline the hill slope was awash in red and orange Indian paintbrush.



My favorite ecosystem! I even had tea with Julie Andrews. You're jealous, I can tell!



Looking north from 12,050-foot Searle Pass



Looking southeast at the Tenmile Range from Searle Pass.



Looking north at the Gore Range from Searle Pass.



Westerly view from below Searle Pass



View across Tenmile Creek of several Tenmile Range Peaks from the south side of Searle Pass. Left to right: Pacific Peak (13,950 ft, state rank # 61), Atlantic Peak (13,841 ft, rank # 86), Quandary Peak (14,265 ft, rank # 13) and Fletcher Mountain (13,951 ft, rank # 59). Quandary Peak is the background peak between Atlantic Peak and Fletcher Mountain.



Janet's Cabin, part of the 10th Mountain Division Hut Association rentals (backcountry ski hut). The cabin was built in 1990. The rather nice shelter sleeps 20, has solar power and a wood sauna. The fee is $38 per head per night. On the other hand, it's a bit too social for my liking.

Years ago, the World War II 10th Mountain Division winter trained throughout this area prior to being deployed to Italy and mountain warfare during World War II.



The north side of Searle Pass






Indian Paintbrush
Castilleja miniata
Figwort family


Back to civilization, the ski area, evening hikers and the drive home.

Thanks for reading! I'm not sure what's next, keep in-tune.

Adios

Stardate 2015.301

Spring Skiing

I should be counting hours on a bike, getting ready for a passel of fast approaching events. Instead, I spend a day skiing at Copper Mountain, Colorado. Snowcatcher was wise. She brought a bike and got in some altitude riding.

I've kind of rekindled my love for lift-served skiing (downhill skiing). My parents put me in ski school around age 6. My lessons were with an outfit called the Winter Fun Ski School, back in the 60s. I think I still have a patch buried somewhere. Time creeps along, and by the time I started college, I was bored with lift-skiing. Moreover, it didn't really matter; I couldn't afford skiing and school. I chose University and entered a 20+ year hiatus from lift-served skiing. On the other hand, I still loved winter. I continued to enjoy Nordic skiing (cross-country) and the occasional backcountry trip on alpine touring (AT) gear. To make a short story shorter, I can use AT gear at a ski area. The ski equipment is similar. I had done this only on a couple occasions. So this past winter, I purchased several days of skiing, and I discovered a renewed interest in lift-skiing. It's been a hoot!

I officially declare my ski area hiatus kaput! Bring on the chairlift! Hopefully, this has nothing to do with getting close to having one foot in the coffin.



No matter what type of slats you're strapped to, the views can be exceptional.



Copper Mountain is about a 1.5-hour drive from the Denver metro area along Interstate 70. One of the perks is passing below stately 14,267-foot Torreys Peak, Colorado's 11th tallest peak, and a fine hike I might add. The peak on the left is Point 12,267. It's actually the termination of a long ridge. Unnamed mountain points are identified by their elevation.



Another I-70 peak is Mount Sniktau. This is a fun little peak to hike on days short of time because you can access it from an elevation of 12,000 feet. Sniktau rises to 13,234 feet and is the 448th highest peak in Colorado.



Snowcatcher and I parted ways. I caught a lift and headed up the mountain while she took off on her bike. I enjoy spring skiing, but it's a mixed bag. Diurnal heating results in super icy and rough morning snow, followed by ponds of slush in the afternoon. Ideally, you need two different types of ski in your quiver, one for icy hardpack, and one for soft, slushy crud. The steep back bowl areas are now closed due to wet slide potential as the day warms. I'll save avalanche discussion for another blog because it's a fascinating subject.



The views of the southern portion of the Tenmile Range never disappoint. The peaks are listed below, left to right, with state elevation rank in parenthesis.

Crystal Peak, 13,852 feet, (82)
Pacific Peak, 13,950 feet, (61)
Atlantic Peak, 13,841 feet, (86)
Fletcher Mountain, 13,951 feet, (59)
Drift Peak, 13,900 feet, (na)

According to "rules" outlined by old groups of Colorado Mountaineers, Drift Peak does not hold a formal ranking because its saddle with Fletcher Mountain does not exceed 300 feet in elevation difference. Drift Peak is considered a soft rank peak. The Tenmile Range is actually a northern sub-range of a linear string of mountains running south from Frisco, Colorado, to Trout Creek Pass, east of Buena Vista, Colorado. The southern sub-range is called the Mosquito Range. The two ranges have a natural, yet invisible divider — the Continental Divide. The Tenmile Range drains toward the Pacific Ocean whereas the Mosquito Range drains toward the Atlantic Ocean. The Continental Divide splits the range between 14,286-foot Mount Lincoln (8) and 14,265-foot Quandary Peak (13), just south of Breckenridge, Colorado. You can drive over it here at Hoosier Pass.



Normally, these hillslopes would be covered in snow this time of year, even though they are southern aspects catching a lot of sun. In fact, March is Colorado's snowiest month. Yet, we didn't have much of a March from a snow standpoint. Hopefully, next year will be better.



This year, Copper Mountain will shut down all their lifts on April 19th. The snow cats are positioning snow for an event to take place during closing weekend.



By mid-afternoon, the Center Village area was one big slush field.



I caught a shuttle back to the parking area and hooked back up with Snowcatcher. Changing into shorts and a sweatshirt, we enjoyed the high altitude sun, and cruised home.





Up next? Leaky fork seals on the Black Pearl.

Adios