The "Angel of Shavano" is a snow feature that resembles an angel -
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2. It's located in the center of Shavano's southeast slopes and frequently used as a spring snow climb. In some years, you may find continuous snow from the angel to the summit. From the trailhead, follow the trail approximately 0.1 miles to a trail junction -
3. Turn right onto the Colorado Trail and hike 1/4 mile to another junction and turn left onto the Mt. Shavano trail -
4. Follow a wide, rocky trail for a short distance and turn right to follow the well-defined Shavano trail north, then west -
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6. Zig zag through the forest and pass a couple of boulders (
7) to reach a flat area near 10,700'. Continue to a stream and follow it up a hill before crossing it at 10,800' -
8. Near 11,100', leave the trail by turning left and hiking west along the drainage below the Angel. If you are unsure where to turn, continue on the main trail to a corner at 11,200' where the trail swings right. Turn left here and hike west into the drainage -
9.
Without a trail, continue west through the trees on easy terrain. Locate the stream in the drainage and follow it west/northwest toward tree line. If there is snow coverage, simply take the path of least resistance through the forest -
10. The terrain never gets too steep, just some small hills. Near 11,600', pop out of the trees near the center of the basin below the Angel -
11. Continue around a corner and above 11,600' to get your first head-on view of the Angel -
12. This is a good area to turn on your avalanche beacons and study the snow conditions ahead.
Continue up the center of the basin to reach the bottom of the Angel -
13. As 14ers go, the Angel is an easy snow climb and ski/ride. Begin your ascent of the Angel -
14. The steepest terrain is between 12,200' and 12,600' -
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16. Taken on a different climb and in early summer,
17 is a look across the Angel from the standard trail. Continue through the upper body and to the head where you finally get a view of the summit -
18. The terrain becomes easier above 13,300', near the top of the Angel -
19. If you run out of snow, this is a good place to decide if you want to use the upper part of the standard
East Slopes Route to gain the summit. If there is more snow above and right of the summit, the most direct route is to continue north up the slope and gain the east ridge -
20. If you choose this route, turn left on the ridge crest and hike rocky terrain (
21 and
22) to reach the summit -
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