Download Agreement, Release, and Acknowledgement of Risk:
You (the person requesting this file download) fully understand mountain climbing ("Activity") involves risks and dangers of serious bodily injury, including permanent disability, paralysis, and death ("Risks") and you fully accept and assume all such risks and all responsibility for losses, costs, and damages you incur as a result of your participation in this Activity.
You acknowledge that information in the file you have chosen to download may not be accurate and may contain errors. You agree to assume all risks when using this information and agree to release and discharge 14ers.com, 14ers Inc. and the author(s) of such information (collectively, the "Released Parties").
You hereby discharge the Released Parties from all damages, actions, claims and liabilities of any nature, specifically including, but not limited to, damages, actions, claims and liabilities arising from or related to the negligence of the Released Parties. You further agree to indemnify, hold harmless and defend 14ers.com, 14ers Inc. and each of the other Released Parties from and against any loss, damage, liability and expense, including costs and attorney fees, incurred by 14ers.com, 14ers Inc. or any of the other Released Parties as a result of you using information provided on the 14ers.com or 14ers Inc. websites.
You have read this agreement, fully understand its terms and intend it to be a complete and unconditional release of all liability to the greatest extent allowed by law and agree that if any portion of this agreement is held to be invalid the balance, notwithstanding, shall continue in full force and effect.
By clicking "OK" you agree to these terms. If you DO NOT agree, click "Cancel"...
With big plans to climb Snowmass Mountain on Sunday I was probably a little on the "nuts" side of the sanity meter for wanting to get in a few peaks on Saturday. I studied my maps and tried to figure out what would be a good outing that was on the way to Aspen and settled on the Independence Pass area as the most reasonable. There are several high peaks nearby that I have not climbed yet, and with the pass at 12,093' I figured PT 13500 and Twining Peak would be best. Thinking the effort would be on par with Sniktau only with different scenery, I hit the Pass at 7.30am, parked and crossed the street towards my goals.
The route is initially flat as it crosses to PT 13500's south ridge. There was a fair amount of snow on the lower slopes but for the most part the ridge was clear. The views of the Elks quickly improve as you start to climb up the ridge, the tourist trail from the parking lot can't compare. The view of LaPlata dominated to the southeast and Grizzly and its namesake couloir to the south.
LaPlata:
The ridge became more defined and I skirted some rough rocks on a snow patch to their left. After passing these rocks the summit of PT 13500 comes into view, as does much of the Mt Massive Wilderness to the northeast.
General conditions of PT 13500's gentle ridge:
PT 13500 is a tri-centennial and has some great summit views of the surrounding area. The view of Snowmass Mountain was especially delightful as I could see the snowfield we were climbing Sunday looked to be in good shape. The summit block also makes for a nice bench and I had a quick snack and water while surveying the remaining route to Twining Peak.
Twining from PT 13500:
The descent went quickly and I was soon at the 13,140' saddle between the two peaks. The climb up Twining started on grassy talus slopes but gave way to a moderate firm snow slope. No crampons or ice axe were necessary even with the firm snow and progress was quick up to its southern false summit. A quick jaunt over this point led to the true summit where two skiers who had come up from the Linkins Lake TH were preparing for their descent. I watched them drop off and then surveyed the scenery from the summit. The views from Twining are even better than PT 13500, particularly impressive is the rugged bulk of Williams Mountain. That peak (or rather series of 5 peaks!) are quite out of place with the typical Sawatch and look to provide some interesting scrambling opportunities.
Summit view of Geissler and Williams groups:
Summit view of Grizzly (tall one on right) and neighbors:
Distant view of the Elks:
The descent went quick despite the 360' of reclimbing over PT 13500. A quick crossing of the flats near the pass and I was back at the car. It was now a little after 10am, a total round trip time of only 2hr and 15 minutes.
Reclimb over PT 13500:
I headed to Aspen for a lunch, but it was too early! Instead I bought some supplies at City Market and ate a sandwich at the Snowmass Creek Trailhead before heading up to join Erick and the Jamies. See here for Jamie Nellis' report:
Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):
My fee for Sherpa services is $1 per pound of gear per hour, it may sound cheap but it adds up!
I only caught up to you because of your toe injury, glad you were still able to summit in spite of it, you are one tough cookie! (or should I say cracka? )
.....i'll spot you folks two 13ers before catching up to you on the trail to snowmass lake.
now's the time to enact jamie's plan of making you our sherpa. we'll leave detailed instructions of when and where to meet us this weekend to carry our stuff into the crestones. that's after you smoke grizzly, garfield and whatever else ends up in your path saturday!
jamie
p.s. but hey, you're our friend so i'll help you out. sarah, this is mike....mike, sarah. any questions?
Ok,it makes me feel better that you were back at your car around 10am, b/c we didn't hit the trail until 10:30 over on Snowmass.
Nice write-up and pictures.
Caution: The information contained in this report may not be accurate and should not be the only resource used in preparation for your climb. Failure to have the necessary experience, physical conditioning, supplies or equipment can result in injury or death. 14ers.com and the author(s) of this report provide no warranties, either express or implied, that the information provided is accurate or reliable. By using the information provided, you agree to indemnify and hold harmless 14ers.com and the report author(s) with respect to any claims and demands against them, including any attorney fees and expenses. Please read the 14ers.com Safety and Disclaimer pages for more information.
Please respect private property: 14ers.com supports the rights of private landowners to determine how and by whom their land will be used. In Colorado, it is your responsibility to determine if land is private and to obtain the appropriate permission before entering the property.