| Peak: | Handies Peak |
| Route: | West Slopes |
| Range: | San Juan |
| Posted By: | abreibart |
| Date of Info: | 5/21/2016 |
| Date Posted: | 5/21/2016 |
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Parked a Honda Element at American Basin. Arrived around 7AM from CB and two vehicles were there. Winds were light to moderate in the parking lot and made the call to wear warm Kincos. Clear skies and warm. The whole time, I wore a soft shell OR hoody and when I transitioned to boots, I wore an ultralight OR goretex jacket to the summit and back. Skinned from the parking area and did hear a few whumps in the valley bottom. Snow was punchy. On the west side, put ski crampons and cruised until winds kept pushing my 115 lb body and 20 lb pack around. Winds were moderate (Snow, Weather, Avalanches USDA FS, 2004). On a traverse 300 feet above valley bottom, ipostholed a few times to my knees till hit the continuous snow line to the summit. Boot packed within 700 feet of summit ridge with no post holing. With ski crampons, skinned the last 700 feet to summit and saw Ned from CB and another person from Pitkin on ski down. Summit ridge: moderate winds transported snow, but no loading on north side. Skied edgable snow via climbing route back to car by 11AM. The west side had no avy debris. The north side (Cinammon Pass Road) was full of debris due to point release slides originating from all rock bands. At Grizzly Gulch T.H. met two guys from Durango who took this route and indicated they had corn (Time of meeting was around 3pm). On the drive: 3 elk herds, 2 moose, and 1 snowshoe hare. |
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