Log In 
Peak(s):  Mt. Democrat  -  14,154 feet
Date Posted:  06/18/2009
Date Climbed:   06/06/2009
Author:  plasticman
 Mt Democrat (June ski descent) via Kite Lake   

I scouted this line about a week before I skied it.
Image


Democrat looked exciting, it was close to home, and it looked like a quick hike. I climbed this with my friend, B2, and I opted for the ski descent. The weather wasn't supposed to hold much in the afternoon (big surprise) so I wanted to get started early. We were hiking from the car by 4:30am. I saw some wet slides when I was checking out the line and the snow at the Kite Lake trailhead was soft down low. I didn't think much would happen, but I wanted to be off the face early. I ended up choosing the orange line in the next image. The other is a close up of the path.
Image
Image


B2 and I got up early- we slept in the crack shack to keep from waking the sleeping dragon at 3:30. After a quick breakfast we drove all 3 miles into Alma and then turned off to Kite Lake. It takes about 20 minutes to drive all the way up to the campsites. At this time we didn't drive the last 300 yards- there was still some snow. The moon was almost full this Saturday and light was exceptionally bright. This picture was taken on my recon day, not on summit day.
Image


We unloaded and got to it. We made quick work skirting the lake and finding a few tracks headed in our general direction. We only used our headlamps a few times to spot our trail. At one point we had a rough time walking across a long double fall line (well, to be fair, only I had issues) with nearly unbreakable crust. I had to stomp several times in the same spot to make a footing when the wind got gusty. My skis were acting like a parasail just blowing me down the ridge. Temps were still cool and the wind was gusting heavily but otherwise calm as the sun was rising.

We got onto the last pitch up and the views start opening up to the North. We were on the false summit before long and I used this chance to build a small carin where I needed to aim from the summit to get onto my line below. I could tell from the parking lot that there was going to be a point to remove the skis- it took about 10 minutes to find my line entrance and mark it out. The walk up the summit is very brief from here.

The wind would gust to about 60 mph catching you by surprise. B2 and I hung out for a moment while I got changed and got my ski boots on. I asked him to snap a few pics of me on the way down, turned on our radios, and agreed to meet at the car. It took us about 2.5 hours to summit. I snapped a pic during one of the gusts.
Image


Summit pic of B2 and myself.
Image
Image


I called him out from the summit and began my descent. The top is a mellow ramp- tough to keep speed onto.
Image


The main couloir I took was entertainingly steep at the top and my edge control felt good on the snow. This was my first ski descent of the year, so I was a little cautious for a lot of reasons. Once I was on my skis I felt any anxiety run out of me and found the accelerated descent really fun.

It was a great day and we were back at the car by 7:30am. If I hadn't had to take off my skis I think I could have been down in less than 5 minutes. B2 and I went home to change and drove into town to have breakfast at the Burro.

Picture perfect!

Here is my helmet cam footage. It's a little boring while I walk across the rocks. My batteries died exactly at the end of the footage- I'm just glad it wasn't on the way down! I was cautious for a few reasons so I didn't ski very hard in the steeper part. I didn't realize my straight line runout was over the lake until I started seeing the holes in the snow.



Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8


Comments or Questions

   Not registered?


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.