Route: Northeast Slope Posted On: 12/25/2023, By: dolfh Info: Parking at gate closure is accessible for most cars. Road past gate to Kite Lake is dry. Small amount of post-holing on the flats between Kite Lake and Buckskin. Northeast Slope a mixture of talus and unconsolidated snow. Ridge to summits has some shallow snow. Crux of the route is a 300 foot climb up a 35 degree slope after the flats close to the 3 legged power line pole. Poor footing on the steep section may require traction. |
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Route: Northeast Slope Posted On: 12/11/2023, By: kyrawhitworth Info: Road is decently dry to summer Kite Lake TH and there was only one spot we needed a run at in the FJ to get to the gate. Some posthole misery in the basin but snowshoes would not have been that helpful as it was all very unconsolidated. Slope getting up the ridge is pretty windblown with rock and snow. The ridge to Buckskin had a descent amount of snow in a few spots but nothing that needed traction. We descended via Loveland and the slopes were pretty stable today but too soft to glissade. More posthole misery in the willows getting back to the car. Very cold day! |
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Route: Northeast Slope Posted On: 11/18/2023, By: ktfoote628 Info: Great conditions for Buckskin, similar to last report. Road is dry, gate is closed to add ~1 quick mile each way. A couple inches of snow in most places. Of course in the places you bushwhack, there are some deep spots but not deep or consistent enough to warrant snowshoes. I found spikes helpful and wish I had my poles since a lot of it was a snow-rock mix. |
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Route: Northeast Slope Posted On: 11/12/2023, By: sarahmariekirk Info: Climbed Buckskin and Loveland today from Kite Lake. The ascent up to Buckskin was snowy, but not enough snow to warrant microspikes or snowshoes. The ridge up to the summit was pretty variable, with sections of deeper snow and some hardpack - but mostly postholing. From the old summit of Buckskin, it was about twenty minutes on the ridge to the new and updated summit. Gorgeous views today and fantastic weather. The ridge to Loveland was completely dry. Attached some photos of the nearby peaks. Some snow on Democrat but extremely dry on Bross. |
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Route: Northeast Slope Posted On: 10/15/2023, By: ncxhjhgvbi Info: Sugar snow basically the entire way up the slope. Put spikes on going up to avoid slipping but not really necessary yet with careful footing. Ridge is mostly dry/snow can be avoided, and even more dry on the way to Loveland. Hardest part is the steep slope under the power lines. Knee deep drifts in the flat area crossing the creek, just put my joggers over my boots to act like gaiters for that short area. |
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Route: Northeast Slope Posted On: 10/8/2023, By: MaryinColorado Info: Little patches of snow and ice here and there on the tundra, but spikes were never needed. Snow higher up where the rocky-ness begins is avoidable. Ridge was also mostly clear of any snow apart from some on the southerly end before you gain the first bump (formerly known as the summit - LiDAR changed that) and little patches as you make your way to the true summit. All very inconsequential if not avoidable altogether. |
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Route: Northeast Slope Posted On: 6/18/2023, By: HikesInGeologicTime Info: (Note that I did not summit or even attempt this peak myself; I had minimal interest to begin with, and what little I had vanished as soon as I stepped out into the winds gusting Kite Lake this morning. My buddy TG felt more adventurous and provided this update.) You can ski from just off the summit talus down 2,000' to the road, though coverage is thin and or Slushee-without-the-flavoring. Fun slopes in the 35-45 degree range, but watch snow conditions and take your time as it varies from powder on hardpack to wet-heavy-sticky and everything in between. No flotation was needed, though gaiters recommended. Was able to stick to thin snow, minimal postholing, and a lot of ice flaking off talus and rocks yielding good wet-rock traction. Ridge run was wind compacted on one side and 2-12 inches of bootable powder on the Kite Lake side. Wind was nearly constant with several lean-on-poles-and-wait-it-out sessions of gusts on the way up, though it relented on the summit, and was not an issue on descent. Stats (started later than desired): 6:45 start; 9:07 Crest the ridge at "Old Buckskin"; 9:32 Buckskin Summit, change from hiking to ski boots, chat with another hiker, etc.; 9:57 Depart summit; 10:17 Wet Roller Choke; 10:36 End of snow, stone's toss from road near a pole uphill from powerlines and downhill of stamp mill foundations. FWIW: Walkie Talkies I have a few Midland T10 walkies which have been useful for multiple scenarios on hikes, such as keeping in contact with (non)climbing partner in the parking lot, or them suggesting which direction has the best snow line when you can't see over a bend. Pro Tip: never trust the clip, rather girth hitch a loop of paracord through the clip hole, the girth it through a loop on your pack or jacket. It is nice knowing FRS/GMRS radios features (WX, Mon/Scan, Privacy Codes, Vox, Roger beeps, ...) and how to make them inter-operable with others for that Tx and Rx check at the trailhead, or between carpooling vehicles. https://www.outdoorgearlab.com/topics/camping-and-hiking/best-walkie-talkies https://midlandusa.com/products/x-talker-t10 https://cdn.accentuate.io/81031332017/1623710079582/T10_30-Owners-Manual-Rev-B.pdf |
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Route: Mosquito gulch circumnav. Posted On: 6/15/2023, By: -wren- Info: Stayed on the ridgeline from Loveland mtn to London mtn hitting the 7 peaks along the way. Used spikes and axe for parts of the day (often not very necessary) but no need for flotation. Thanks to Jeremy (coloradical) who did this in 2 parts recently for getting me out there. Loveland: steep west slopes ascent from 2WD parking virtually in summer condition. Buckskin: Traverse from Loveland has some cool snow features on the crest that add some exposure. Class 4 traverse to tweto: when jeremy did this in late may the conditions on this bit were still pretty wintry and probably a major detractor for some people that may have considered this for a good early season option. What looked pretty much fully snow-covered and slicked out with verglass in places is now mostly dry on the tweto side and snowy but verglass-free on the buckskin side. Traverse didnt really feel class 4 today. More like high 2 low 3 because all of the class 4 rock steps can be kickstepped around instead on the steep snow right next to them. Snow conditions at 6-7 am were perfect, really nice and secure. Wouldnt do it without traction and an ice ax yet Treasurevault: probably still 80% snow from tweto saddle. Descending from tweto mostly dry though. All supportive in the mid-AM but could maybe be a posthole nightmare on the wrong day. Mosquito: descent from treasurevault made quick by snow in perfect condition for a heel-biting romp down. Still lots of snow going up mosquito but can be cherry-picked for talus instead most of the way if desired. Kuss: see above, pretty much the same. Big ol cornice still on much of the climbers left summit ridge , probably a solid 10-12 feet so stay away from the edge. Looks like a really nice ski all the way down into the gulch from the summit if you hit it at peak corn hour. London: getting down from kuss had a lot of really unpleasant trapdoor slush with loose talus underneath. Ridge to London is basically summer conditions. However large pieces of mosquito pass are still totally covered in snow so youll either have to do some rerouting or postholing. Postholing was pretty terrible by noon on the way out. Lower road is acting as a fairly significant tributary stream right now and has created a couple foot+ deep puddles on the 2WD part of the road unfortunately so proceed with caution. Dont do it on a day without somewhat of a freeze without bringing flotation, but this is a great option rn considering our late melt-off if youre looking for something without too much snow to deal with! |
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Route: Northeast Slope Posted On: 5/27/2023, By: 14er101 Info: Kite Lake is still closed about a mile below the lake with signage posted indicating Decalibron closure. Luckily, Busksin is USFS. Snow from Kite Lake to around 12300, then all avoidable until the summit ridge where traction was helpful. Snow was soft in the afternoon but flotation was not strictly required albeit you will posthole a bit without it. |
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Route: Northeast Slope Posted On: 4/16/2023, By: Wildernessjane Info: Skied Buckskin today in surprisingly good conditions for Wildernessdaves centennial finisher. Expectations were low but still we had some great turns off the new official summit. There were some rocks to contend with but not too bad. Overall, the surface layer was variable but the base was pretty consistent. It probably will not be in for long. We did have to carry skis for a bit going up the NW slopes but the skis stayed on once we were on the ridge. We did use ski crampons for a bit. Emma Chutes on Democrat also looked great from a distance but coverage above the chutes was thin (photo #2). |
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Route: From Loveland Posted On: 3/18/2023, By: 14er101 Info: Followed a similar route to the last person who posted a peak conditions report (https://www.14ers.com/php14ers/peakstatus_entry.php?recnum=25102) There was a snowcat track most of the way to the treeline and snow was supportive or windblown beyond. The ridge between Loveland, the old Buckskin summit, and the new Buckskin summit was a mix of rock and snow. Overall good conditions right now. Wanted to note that we dug an extended column test near the treeline on an East facing aspect, four little taps in it failed at ground level (1m) and propagated across and beyond our confines. |
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Route: South Ridge via Loveland Mountain Posted On: 2/17/2023, By: _coloradical Info: Parked off of CR8 and started the climb from FS192. There was a nice skin track for the first two miles (up to 11,300). From here I created a soft trench in snowshoes going up the south slopes of Loveland Mountain, the trench is in until 13,300'. I was hoping the wind would blown off some of the snow, but it hasn't yet. I stashed the snowshoes at 13,300 and used boots to summit Loveland Mountain, and followed the ridge to Buckskin. With the most recent snowfall, this route provided the safest route with minimal avy issues. The ridge between Loveland/Buckskin is not wind swept, I did post hole quite a few times and theres a few spots that you need to be mindful of. I wasn't able to get too many photos with the temps/sustained winds today, but the ones I do have are below. Didn't see anyone else out there today, and tracks up the standard route as I passed it. Total Distance: 12.25 miles/~4500 ft. gain. |
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Route: Northeast Slope Posted On: 1/27/2023, By: Will_E Info: Cold, windy, and miserable on Buckskin today, made even better by the lack of views. There are some decent sized snow drifts on the way to the gate, I parked a few miles down. If you have a well seasoned beard and a white 4Runner, you'll probably get further up, but probably not all the way to the gate. I put snowshoes on just before the trailhead, used them for maybe a mile to the start of the ridge. Ridge was mostly windblown, I didn't use any traction today. |
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Route: Northeast Slope Posted On: 10/6/2022, By: petkovip33 Info: Laid fresh tracks in the snow to the summit. Snow ranged from a foot deep in some wind blown spots, to rocks poking out and a few exposed grassy areas above 12,300. Highly recommend boots and microspikes. Not a pole guy but strongly recommend for those that are. Surreal fall day with no clouds in sight. Fun hike! @Chipconnoisseur |
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Route: Northeast Slope Posted On: 7/8/2022, By: PikaSteve Info: Summer conditions. Flowers are blooming from top to bottom. Creek crossings manageable with a short jump. With care, it's possible to keep feet dry crossing spongy basin after creek. Summit register is now at “new” northwest summit. Only saw two other people on the mountain. Friday 8:30am arrival, but still plenty of parking spots available for 2WD at switchbacks, for AWD just past switchbacks and for 4WD at Kite Lake. |
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Route: Northeast Slope Posted On: 6/28/2022, By: cougar Info: Dry again. Snowdrift below summit ridge not on route. Creek is flowing fast. Loveland clear too. |
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Route: Northeast Slope Posted On: 6/26/2022, By: Istoodupthere Info: Decided to do an evening hike. Nobody else on the mountain or doing Decalibron. Started at 5pm in light rain. I went probably .25 miles up the trail, past where you're supposed to make the left across the creek. It's what I do. Snow started around 13,000'. A couple squalls along with whatever happened earlier in the day left 2 inches from here to summit. Slippery going on the boulders/screw/talus on the traverse. Not sure what the best route is once you cross the power lines. Skies cleared at sunset. A couple campers at the TH at 9pm when I got back. Otherwise had the entire kite lake basin to myself. Not bad |
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Route: Northeast Slope Posted On: 6/27/2022, By: CheapCigarMan Info: Summited both the old Buckskin summit and the new LiDAR summit which is stated as the Northwest Summit on this site. I only summited the old Buckskin summit a few years ago so I needed to go back to get its newly discovered true summit. Seen from my picture the red arrow is the old summit and the blue arrow is Northwest Summit (LiDAR true summit). You can clearly see that the Northwest bump is higher. Summer conditions. NOAA's forecast was death and destruction however, was a bluebird morning. There were more cars at Kite Lake TH than at Park Meadows Mall. It's been a while since I've been around such large crowds climbing a peak. Just a few minutes after I started I filled my boot up with water as I slipped off an icy rock. As I came over a bump on the descent I came face to face with a goat. Nothing surprising there, but was when a couple of seconds a coyote came strolling up (circled). The coyote and goat eyed each other as the coyote continued up the hill. Everyone kept cool and we all went our ways. |
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Route: Northeast Slope Posted On: 6/25/2022, By: Ssgustafson Info: Nice early day on Buckskin yesterday - noone else on the mountain. Residual snow is avoidable. Still not sure which of the two summits is higher, but will use the Peakbagger identity in the caption below (i.e., true summit is NW of the subpeak). Probably a good idea to walk the short ridge and get 'em both to be sure! |
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Route: Northeast Slope Posted On: 5/15/2022, By: merrion13 Info: Climbed the NE Slope then skied off the NE summit. Was able to nearly 100% piece together a descent from this summit, one small section needed walking. Melting FAST, going to be much more sporadic in a week. South of Democrat looked fantastic! |
