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"...
I left the Missouri Gulch trailhead at 5:10, encouraged by clear skis and cold overnight temperatures. After about an hour of hiking on the steep but excellent trail, I was greeted with the first views of Mt. Belford.
A few minutes later, I could see the Northwest Gulch, which is the obvious snow climb to the summit. The picture was actually taken on the way out.
About half way up the gully I could see the North Ridge, which is visible at the top of the photo. I headed for a low spot in the ridge at lookers left instead of the summit.
I gained the ridge at 8:30 and was provided with a great view Mt. Belford.
I could now see my first objective, Mt. Oxford, which appeared to be quite a long ways off.
I took off the skins and descended into Belford Gulch, which connects the two peaks. The temperature was still -5 C and the snow was totally supportive, yet easy to get an edge into. The storms of the past few days had deposited about 6 inches of fresh, which completely buried the dust layer. As you can see in the photos, the snow everywhere in this area of the Sawatch is now a pristine white. Here is a shot taken while descending into the gulch, with the Belford-Oxford saddle visible in the middle of the photo. I would aim for the saddle after forcing myself to stop the descent into the gulch.
Once at the saddle, I could look back and see my line from Belford's North Ridge. Belford itself is the rock outcrop slightly to the right of center. I pointed the skis toward the summit of Oxford, which I reached at about 9:30.
From Oxford's summit, I could see more than a dozen 14ers. I took some pictures of a few of the closer ones. First the Southeast face of La Plata.
Belford, displaying its Northeast face.
The North Face of Mt. Harvard.
Although the air temperature was still about 0 C when I started the descent from Oxford, the sun had softened the snowpack to the point where the new snow would break under the weight of my skis. It was a challenge skiing through the numerous rocks without being able to turn reliably. Back at the saddle, I put the skins back on, pointing the skis at Belford this time. Here is a shot from the ridge, looking back at Oxford.
From the summit of Belford, I could see the North Face of Missouri Mountain.
Clouds had rolled in earlier and occasional light snow was falling as I prepared to leave Belford. The temperatures remained cool and I had little worries about the snow stability as I skied off the summit almost exactly at noon. Here is a shot of the snowfield above the Northwest Gulch. Although there were many rocks in this section, they were not difficult to ski around. The snow remained breakable and I worked very hard trying to improve my tele technique in this stuff.
This is the view looking down into the gulch.
Here is a shot taken lower down in the gulch. Notice that my turns did not expose the dirt layer, even at this relatively low elevation. Actually, I only saw dirt in my tracks following the last few turns at about 11,800.
I highly recommend this aesthetic tour. Dawson says that it is 9.5 miles and just shy of 6,000 vertical. I was able to complete the route in 9 hours without rushing. I was probably lucky with the cool weather, so an early start may be advisable. There would be virtually no danger of loosing your way on the wide, well marked trail if you hiked the first section in the dark.
Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):
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.
