Kit Carson Peak

Route: Willow Creek Approach
Posted On: 8/4/2024, By: Beccadoe
Info: Officially leaving Willow Creak TH mosquito bite free! I have plans to finish the 14ers next weekend, so these two were a must this weekend even though its advised to wait until fall for the mosquitoes to die down. The day before I sprayed down all our clothes with Permethrin (shoes and packs included) then in the morning I put picaridin lotion on all exposed skin (no head nets needed). In the morning (for reference we started at 3:45), the only interaction with mosquitoes was when we opened our car door for 5 seconds and there were instantly 10 inside. They were definitely worse at the trailhead and near the willows by the top of the waterfall above lake. It was about 9 hours car to car and I think opting out of backpacking was the way to go to avoid mosquito exposure. I believe they are starting to die down and will probably be almost nonexistent in the coming weeks. If properly prepared, the mosquitoes are a non-factor :) 

Route: North Ridge
Posted On: 8/1/2024, By: chelsluckb2
Info: Hiked on 7/30. I went up the North Ridge of Kit Carson then over to Challenger and down the standard route. Route finding in the basin to the base of the Outward Bound couloir is pretty easy. I think I stayed higher than the official "trail", but if you just keep an eye on the pointy rock at the base of the cliff bands and head that direction, it's tough to get lost. When you reach the base of the cliff bands, be sure not to go up between them. You want to continue past the second cliff band and then head up the right side of the OB couloir. The climbing is a ton of fun! Super solid rock and the route finding is pretty obvious once you are on the ridge proper. At about 13800, there is an avenue on the right side you can take if you want to avoid some of the final class 4 moves. Coming down Challenger is a sufferfest of loose rock. If you are comfortable with class 4, I highly recommend going up the North Ridge so you avoid doing Challenger's standard route twice. No snow encountered all day. Overall an incredible day!! Edit - Quick mosquito update - there are still plenty. I reapplied bug spray 3 times throughout the day, and that helped keep them at bay. I didn't notice them at all in the morning (I started around 3:30 AM). Coming down I only noticed them getting especially aggressive for about the final mile or so of the hike. In all, they were a pain but for me, not enough to ruin the day or warrant a bug net 

Route: Willow Creek Approach
Posted On: 7/28/2024, By: MidsizeAl
Info: Went prepared for battle with the mosquitos, yet even with constant reapplication of bug spray and head nets, I still am covered in bites. I was astounded to be still swatting them at 13.5k on the ascent of challenger. There is also a pair of aggressive deer that hang around at the campsites near Willow Lake. They are not afraid of people. Had to guard my stuff while setting up camp and heard them rummaging around our tent late into the night. We opted to break down camp early in the morning and stashed our packs out of reach to avoid having to replace chewed-on gear. Side note, why is the more-direct alternate route up KC not the standard? It felt barely class 3, lacks any loose rock, and makes it almost impossible to miss the Avenue. Edit: Added a screenshot of my route (red) vs. standard (green) pulled from the GPX on the route description here, along with a couple of photos of the gully 

Route: Via Challenger Point
Posted On: 7/25/2024, By: 14er101
Info: Mosquito Update: Blood sacrifice is still required between TH and about halfway up Challenger. Otherwise, summer conditions, as previously mentioned. 

Route: Willow Creek Approach
Posted On: 7/18/2024, By: Curleyjo67
Info: Hiked Challenger and Kit Carson. No snow to be concerned about. Steep climb after Willow Lake. Mosquitoes were overly abundant and aggressive past the lake and at least half way up to Challenger. Cairns were difficult to see/follow on the way down and lots of scree and loose rocks. But, the lake was beautiful and wildlife abundant. 

Route: North Ridge
Posted On: 7/12/2024, By: AsTheDuke
Info: Pretty much summer conditions for both the North Ridge and Via Challenger Point (and the traverse to Columbia Point for that matter). The only snowfield is below the gully to Challenger Point, which can be avoided. No snow in The Avenue. The mosquitos were quite active in the afternoon, but weren't noticeable early in the morning (or that was just my bug spray). 

Route: Via Challenger Point
Posted On: 6/28/2024, By: john curtis
Info: The mosquitos were horrible. I've seen previous reports about how bad mosquitos are in this area, but none of them could have prepared me for just how bad they actually are. Any description I could think of writing would undersell how bad they are. If I were to do Challenger and Kit Carson again, I would wait until fall. Aside from the mosquitos, the water is still flowing deep and fast through the water crossing areas. Trekking poles were helpful for balance on the slippery logs and rocks. There is one small snowfield covering the trail towards the bottom of the gully on Challenger (maybe 10 steps). No micro spikes needed. There is another snowfield at the entrance to The Avenue on Kit Carson (maybe 10 steps again) but no spikes are needed here either. There are several areas of snow along The Avenue but they are all avoidable. A small snowfield is currently at the bottom of the alternate dotted line for the ascent up Kit Carson (a great marker). I ascended via the alternate option and the rock was solid with plenty of hand and foot holds. I'd say it was a fun class 4 climb. No mosquitos were encountered on Kit Carson! For the descent, opted to glissade 1,000 ft down the Challenger gully instead of climbing down the loose scree and choosy terrain beside the snow. When I got back to my tent, I discovered that a marmot had chewed a hole into my tent. It chewed some more holes once inside and decided to pee on my gear. I had no food in my tent, so it must have been going after sweat. 

Route: Outward Bound Couloir
Posted On: 5/20/2024, By: climb2ski
Info: Skied off the summit on Saturday May 18th at 11am. Still lots of snow up there. Pics of the upper face, OB and summit for reference. 

Route: Outward Bound Couloir
Posted On: 5/3/2024, By: One Sierra Charlie
Info: The trail is mainly dry to 11,000 then mostly continuous snow. There are several dry sections in the basin above Willow lake and the snow will be thin and likely collapsable on your way out from about 12,000 to snowline. The OB couloir now has dense wind-affected powder with some sections of breakable crust. Good turns here and there but quite variable. The SW face/Cole Couloir was super icy for us, but may be softer on a warmer day. Lots of rocks and sharks on the upper 1/4 of the descent so don't plan on an exact summit ski unless you are really into billygoating and don't care about your skis. Hard to tell how long the SW face will hold snow but the OB Couloir is fat and should hold snow for a few more weeks. Our two GPS logs varied somewhat, but the average was 15.25 miles, 5,200 vertical. 

Route: Outward Bound Couloir
Posted On: 4/30/2024, By: aksean22
Info: Skied Kit Carson and Challenger Point yesterday. Trail is mostly dry to the river crossing at 10,900', continuous snow the rest of the way to the lake. Flotation is definitely needed. Climbed Kit Carson via the Outward Bound Couloir. We were able to skin up to about 13,400' then booted the rest of the way. Good coverage off the top, although there are a few sharks on the SE face to look out for. OB was in great shape and holding 12"+ of fresh snow. Lots of sluff management but otherwise no signs of instability. Probably the best ski conditions I've ever had on a 14er. Skied down to 12,200' and climbed Challenger via the Kirk Couloir. Challenger was much more wind effected, snow was very dense and starting to form a wind slab in places. We climbed the couloir one at a time, and after topping out we both thought it was kind of questionable and decided to just ski down the standard summer route. Snow was pretty wind effected on that line as well and it wasn't nearly as good as Kit Carson, but we got down without incident and had some good corn below the lake on the way out. I clocked 17 miles and 8000' round trip. OB might be powder for a few more days. I wouldn't recommend Challenger until it warms up long enough get rid of the wind slab, but both lines will be in for a long time. 

Route: Via Challenger Point
Posted On: 10/23/2023, By: sean23
Info: Mixed conditions on route. The gully up Challenger is snow-laden, and the recent freeze-thaw cycles has made the snow quite hard. I brought and used spikes, but I would've liked to have crampons. The spikes were not able to get much purchase in the snow on the way up. I did bring an ice axe and used it frequently. Conditions improved once I got atop the summit ridge. I barebooted down to the saddle between Challenger and KC, but I wore spikes on the way back up. Kit Carson Avenue has some snow and ice, but it was nothing difficult. No snow on the way up Kit Carson. In short: until the next snowfall, bring spikes and an ice axe. Also consider bringing crampons. Some snow climbing experience would also help. 

Route: Via Challenger Point
Posted On: 10/19/2023, By: Mgdupree
Info: I failed an attempt at challenger/Kit Carson. I turned around just before the summit of Challenger due to problems with route finding and exhaustion. There is over a foot of snow at some points but I would say a summit is absolutely doable for someone with more experience. Although I did not get to see conditions of the Avenue. I will try again in summer conditions and definitely recommend camping at Willow lake to cut the route shorter. Its a lot of mileage and elevation gain for one day. It proved to be too much for me to take on that day! 

Route: Via Challenger Point
Posted On: 10/10/2023, By: Jajohnson11
Info: Avenue loaded with snow. Traction and poles I would say mandatory. I had my ice axe and appreciated having it. Snow easily avoidable after the avenue. The traverse over to Columbia pt had very little snow as well. 

Route: Via Challenger Point
Posted On: 9/28/2023, By: MBosch27
Info: Great conditions overall, warm weather 40-45 on the summit. Timing the softening of the snow helped, as it was fairly firm on the relatively easy going up, but soft on the harder way down. Spikes of some kind would definitely help, but not necessary, depending on skill. The Avenue was in great shape and all snow between the saddle and the prow can be bypassed just to the side, but honestly it was easier (in some spots) to be on the snow. Again, timing the snow here helps- I could dig heels in or slice french technique steps while coming down due to the softer snow. Spikes less needed here than going down Challenger technically speaking (pucker factor not included); again, depends on skill/comfort levels. I brought but did not use my Petzl Leopards and shorty axe. 

Route: Via Challenger Point
Posted On: 9/25/2023, By: cloudkicker
Info: Spikes and basic snow climbing skills are necessary for the standard route. The worst part of it was the last 700ft or so on the way up Challenger, with a 3-4 inch layer of steep snow in between steep loose rocks, and some ice. The crux was a small and narrow chute (about 80ft) just before the uppermost part of the slopes (upper gully), in which the only way up was in the narrow chute itself. The snow was beaten down and made slippery by all the foot traffic, with no evident bypasses on rock. At least one group turned around here. Only about half the groups on the mountain yesterday proceeded onto Kit Carson. The descent off Challenger to the Avenue was more sketchy than the Avenue itself, with some traversing of snow on steep slopes. Only the first third of the Avenue had any snow and there were a few places you could bypass towards the edge on scree. The rest of the route to the summit of Kit after the first section on the Avenue, was completely dry. Our group handled all the snow sections without incident due to the experience in our group but I can see how the amount of snow (especially on the final part of Challengers slope) could give less experienced or less equipped climbers a lot of trouble. Know what youre getting into, and come prepared. The original plan was to climb the north ridge but too much of last weeks snow was still on the north face and on the class 4 ridge, so we reverted to the standard route. There may be one more small window to do the North ridge without snow or ice this season, if this Indian summer does its thing in coming days. My friends finisher!