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"...
We left Denver at about 5 am and headed up the hill. The road up to the gate was easily passable for a 4wd vehicle, but I wouldn't recommend it to any 2wd cars! It was snowpacked for a good mile of it with a few drifts that were pretty easy to blow through. Got to the trailhead about 7 am to a brisk and windy 7 degrees F. Aside from the 20mph wind, it was a beautiful mostly sunny day.
On the trail A look up at the summit from near the cars
We weren't sure if we wanted to do the southwest ridge approach or the snow route, but upon driving up, we realized the snow route is still a big scree field. Even with little snow around, we were still aware that avalanches were present!
Cabin with scree field snowroute in the background Snow instability
The three of us wisely saw the conditions and chose to forgo our show shoes and only use boots and gaiters. The trail was pretty clean with a few inches of snow with drifts to a foot or two. We're training for Mt. Rainier for next summer, so we found a little ice on the trail and decided to try the crampons out for a few hundred feet for fun. They definitely weren't needed as there was bare rock next to the icy snow, but sometimes it's just fun to use what you bring!
Putting on the crampons
Since none of us had taken this route before, we went from the little cabin towards what looked to be a worn trail to the ridge... unfortunately what we saw was just a cut and we went up a lovely scree section that could have easily been avoided.
The cut up to the ridge on the left is NOT the trail! Scree field
We got to the ridge and were met by a brisk 30mph wind, but a pretty clear and easy trail with little snow. Since we mistakenly took the wrong cut to the ridge, we were pretty close to the summit and had a quick windblown walk to the peak.
Ridge to the summit. Sherman winter... bagged! Summit 180ish degree view: South to NNW
We got to the lee side had a quick snack with a view, and headed back down the ridge... this time all the way to the saddle .
Descent in the clouds
On the way down, were were fortunate enough to see come big horn sheep cruising down below us. We practiced a little ice ax arrest off of the saddle and headed the rest of the way down to the car. Grabbed some delicious BBQ in Conifer and were home by mid afternoon... a great day. All in all an easy hike, but it's amazing how doing it in the winter takes it out of you!
Saddle between Mt Sheridan and Sherman Bighorn Sheep
Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):
Thanks. We really got lucky with our window on the summit. It's amazing what 10 minutes will do up there. We watched those clouds roll and were thankful we got down when we did. There was one group ahead of us that opted to take the snow route down to avoid that windy ridge.
I think you guys were behind us by about an hour. We made the same mistake you did and walked directly up the face of the mountain on what we thought was a path. We ended up going south of the bump on the ridge and then hiking back over it to cut some of the steepness off.
We descended down the snow route and it was much smoother and we were able to avoid any significant avalanche areas. While trekking out across the meadow, just above the parking lot, my partner triggered a small 100 sq ft avalanche that broke but didn't slide. Lesson learned!
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.
