4/27/2019 Route: Ne couloir Posted On: 4/28/2019, By: cottonmountaineering Info: Very warm for this time of year, snow was good enough for climbing and great skiing. The NE couloir is pretty mellow except for the exit which is about 50 or 55 degrees for about 10 ft. The road is plowed to Virginia mine pending the gate opening. |
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6/7/2018 Route: Ridge standard Posted On: 6/7/2018, By: illusion7il Info: Very Steep snow ?70 degrees? to get to reach the upper ridge. Crampons and axe mandatory. |
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8/17/2017 Route: Yankee Boy Basin Posted On: 8/17/2017, By: TravelingMatt Info: Dry to summit. Goes Class 2. Leave the Blue Lakes Trail at the junction with the Wrights Lake Spur and head for the southern end of the Gilpin/Sneffels col, maintaining your elevation until you can ascend an obvious grassy slope. North ridge is very loose in spots with packed dirt and chiprock angle-of-repose scree. A climber's "trail" (mostly an indentation in the scree) exists but may not provide the best footing in places. Generally you hug the north ridge as closely as possible while staying below gendarmes. Once on Gilpin's main upper ridge (the ridge that goes to Dallas) it is virtually Class 1 to the summit. |
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8/3/2017 Route: Yankee Boy Basin Posted On: 8/5/2017, By: JasonKline Info: Snow was avoidable. Route was pretty loose up to the ridge, but became much more solid on the ridge. |
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7/6/2016 Route: Northeast Ridge Posted On: 7/7/2016, By: TravelingMatt Info: This was an abandoned attempt for several reasons, primarily a blister on my toe that made every step excruciating. Anyway, I started from Yankee Boy Basin and gained the ridge via Blue Lake Pass on the north end of the ridge. I went this way because substantial snow blocked easy access to the south col much closer to Gilpin's summit. Ascending to the south col is recommended, due to the ridge's undulating nature and a loose, steep section just to the north of the south col that must be negotiated when traversing from the (more northerly) Blue Lake Pass. See first pic; didn't try the steep part but may go Class 4. From the south col, the route up to Gilpin's summit involves ascending the gully on the ridge's left/east side, and snow seemed to block easy entrance to this gully. At the top of the gully is a deep cornice as well. See second pic. Long story short, "summer conditions" on this peak still seem a couple weeks away. |
