Mt. Buckskin

Route: Northeast Slope
Posted On: 6/2/2025, By: L1zzz1ee
Info: Climbed Buckskin and Loveland. The road is closed at the winter gate. Started off with Buckskin because we didn’t see an easy ford for the creek by the parking lot. Wore snowshoes for a good chunk from about Kite Lake TH area with some postholing. The last 1000’ ft of elevation gain are clear with just a few small snow patches to the summit. Clear traverse to Loveland. Avoided snow on the way down until the very end when we snowshoed again through willow and tree patches. Ended fording the creek just below the parking. 

Route: From Loveland, loop
Posted On: 5/24/2025, By: d_baker
Info: Started at 6:20am from the closed gate next to signs for Fee Area. Carried snowshoes, didn't use them. Carried microspikes (in favor of crampons for this route) but didn't need them either. Axe stayed on pack too. Dropped from the road at the gate and ascended E slopes of Loveland. On firm snow starting off from bottom but quickly got on dry slopes to ridge. Patches of snow along ridge to Buckskin's former "summit" (pre-LiDar) but traction with boots worked well for us. Descended NE slopes of Buckskin to the road, connecting a little below summer TH for Kite Lake. Snow stayed firm on descent for most part for us. Tried staying in wideopen areas with snow vs. getting close to vegetation/willows. ~5 miles ~2500' gain, per gaia track I was slowww. 6.5hrs. 2nd time doing this loop. (1st time followed Roach loop description for these two.) 

Route: Northeast Slope
Posted On: 4/16/2025, By: rocks512
Info: Pretty good conditions, traction is nice depending on your experience, floatation was nice when coming back down the valley after the sun softened the snow. Road open until about 1.5 miles from Kite Lake so adds about 3 miles RT. Fantastic views and had the whole mountain to ourselves, no one even on the 14ers. 

Route: Northeast Slope
Posted On: 6/1/2024, By: jeffh7
Info: Road is dry to the closed gate at 39.31615, -106.12183. Snow starts shortly after but we dropped into the marsh to go up when it was firm. I was able to skin all the way to the summit and ski on continuous snow back to the car, but it is starting to get thinner out there. Some rock dodging was required during the descent, sharks lurking for sure. The face is no longer as filled in as the last report, and you kinda have to stick to snow-filled lines now. We skied from the NW false summit where coverage was better. 

Route: Northeast Slope
Posted On: 5/17/2024, By: Veory
Info: Skied well, great coverage on pretty much all aspects except W straight off the summit. The decalibron bunch are looking super filled in, plan on going for Democrat and Bross combo tomorrow so we'll see. Basin was amazing corn at 11am, had a good overnight freeze. I climbed back up a few slopes for extra skiing. 

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. 

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! 

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. 

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. 

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. 

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. 

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 

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! 

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. 

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).