Mt. Sherman Trip Report 12/04/2011

Report Type	Full
Peak(s)	Mt. Sherman - 14,043 feet
Date Posted	12/04/2011
Modified	12/06/2011
Date Climbed	12/03/2011
Author	RJansen77
Additional Members	tmathews, SurfNTurf, Brian Thomas, Upstate Hiker, dillonsarnelli

Whiteout on Mount Sherman
"Is this safe?" Those were the first words out of SurfNTurf's mouth as he greeted me on his front porch at 5:30am Saturday morning. Curtains of white were descending upon Denver, and I felt more inclined to grab my planks and Epic Local Pass than my ice axe and microspikes. Despite the heavy snow in town that morning, SurfNTurf, Breanna, Dillon and myself drove up to Fairplay and met Brian Thomas and upstatehiker for an attempt on Mount Sherman. Driving up the snowy Fourmile Creek Road, we met up with Terry (tmathews) about 0.9 miles below the Leavick Mine site and geared up. The snow here was maybe 8-10 inches of powder over a packed base, and it got deeper as our group of seven set off up the road around 8:30am. Looking up the Fourmile Creek Road The group hiking up Most of the group started in snowshoes and stashed them near the gate on the road. We then changed into microspikes as the terrain steepened. Conditions above the gate were anywhere from 2 inches of powder to knee-deep drifts. It didn't seem that any consolidated snow was sitting under the powder, as we regularly slipped downhill on the loose scree underneath. Terry after the gate Jeff made some wands the night before in case of a whiteout. While conditions weren't too dire, they were used nonetheles We meandered towards the mine buildings, trying to avoid deep postholing and elevation loss when possible. Looking up toward Sheridan Once we passed the highest mine buildings, we were faced with the decision to take the direct snow climb to the ridge or the long, gradual route that switchbacked above the mine buildings. We all had microspikes on, and elected to take the direct line to the ridge. It wound up being much shorter than we had all anticipated, and the slope was composed of great step-kicking snow; firm enough to take weight but soft enough for good purchase with boots. We gained the ridge quickly and stared up at the summit ridge. Dillon approaching snow climb to the ridge Breanna, Jeff and Terry Looking up the summit ridge Mount Sheridan The forecast had called for cloudy skies with 1-3 inches of snow, but visibility had improved on our approach. Alas, that changed in an instant when we reached the ridge, as the wind picked up, the clouds moved in, and we all agreed the temperature dropped ~15 degrees in a ~90 minute time span with the loss of the sun. Jeff, Breanna and Terry in deteriorating conditions We continued climbing the ridge, while the conditions changed from blue sky above, to foggy and everything in between. It made for some neat conditions and really gave you that "milk bottle" feeling! Dillon on the ridge Dillon climbing the ridge Looking back at Dillon and Terry The final push The ghostly figure of Dillon appears. Dillon appears out of the smoke We reached the summit around 2:35pm, and lingered in the whiteout only to take a few pictures and grab some water. The only view we caught besides those of the greater Sherman massif was a 30 second glimpse of the upper reaches of Massive and Elbert. We knew we would have to boogie if we wanted to reach the cars by dark, and we started the descent around 2:50pm. Approaching the summit Dillon, myself and Terry on the summit Terry descending the snow slope from the ridge with Dillon having glissaded below White Ridge looking cold A chilly hike out We scurried down toward the road, and once we hit the gate thoughts of food and beer sent us into cruise control. Upon reaching the cars around 4:50pm, Terry informed us that his dashboard was reading a temperature of -3F. By the time we reached Fairplay for a post-climb meal, it had dropped to -11F! Thank goodness it was uncharacteristically calm up there. It was great climbing with you guys, lets do it again soon! If you have questions about the road / route conditions, feel free to PM me. Thanks for reading! Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):

Whiteout on Mount Sherman

"Is this safe?"

Those were the first words out of SurfNTurf's mouth as he greeted me on his front porch at 5:30am Saturday morning. Curtains of white were descending upon Denver, and I felt more inclined to grab my planks and Epic Local Pass than my ice axe and microspikes. Despite the heavy snow in town that morning, SurfNTurf, Breanna, Dillon and myself drove up to Fairplay and met Brian Thomas and upstatehiker for an attempt on Mount Sherman. Driving up the snowy Fourmile Creek Road, we met up with Terry (tmathews) about 0.9 miles below the Leavick Mine site and geared up. The snow here was maybe 8-10 inches of powder over a packed base, and it got deeper as our group of seven set off up the road around 8:30am.

Most of the group started in snowshoes and stashed them near the gate on the road. We then changed into microspikes as the terrain steepened. Conditions above the gate were anywhere from 2 inches of powder to knee-deep drifts. It didn't seem that any consolidated snow was sitting under the powder, as we regularly slipped downhill on the loose scree underneath.

Jeff made some wands the night before in case of a whiteout. While conditions weren't too dire, they were used nonetheles

We meandered towards the mine buildings, trying to avoid deep postholing and elevation loss when possible.

Once we passed the highest mine buildings, we were faced with the decision to take the direct snow climb to the ridge or the long, gradual route that switchbacked above the mine buildings. We all had microspikes on, and elected to take the direct line to the ridge. It wound up being much shorter than we had all anticipated, and the slope was composed of great step-kicking snow; firm enough to take weight but soft enough for good purchase with boots. We gained the ridge quickly and stared up at the summit ridge.

Dillon approaching snow climb to the ridge

The forecast had called for cloudy skies with 1-3 inches of snow, but visibility had improved on our approach. Alas, that changed in an instant when we reached the ridge, as the wind picked up, the clouds moved in, and we all agreed the temperature dropped ~15 degrees in a ~90 minute time span with the loss of the sun.

Jeff, Breanna and Terry in deteriorating conditions

We continued climbing the ridge, while the conditions changed from blue sky above, to foggy and everything in between. It made for some neat conditions and really gave you that "milk bottle" feeling!

The ghostly figure of Dillon appears.

We reached the summit around 2:35pm, and lingered in the whiteout only to take a few pictures and grab some water. The only view we caught besides those of the greater Sherman massif was a 30 second glimpse of the upper reaches of Massive and Elbert. We knew we would have to boogie if we wanted to reach the cars by dark, and we started the descent around 2:50pm.

Terry descending the snow slope from the ridge with Dillon having glissaded below

We scurried down toward the road, and once we hit the gate thoughts of food and beer sent us into cruise control. Upon reaching the cars around 4:50pm, Terry informed us that his dashboard was reading a temperature of -3F. By the time we reached Fairplay for a post-climb meal, it had dropped to -11F! Thank goodness it was uncharacteristically calm up there.

It was great climbing with you guys, lets do it again soon!

If you have questions about the road / route conditions, feel free to PM me. Thanks for reading!

Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):

Comments or Questions

EmmaM	SO MUCH SNOW! 12/5/2011 2:10am Wow. Things can really change in a week.
Monster5	Congrats! 12/5/2011 5:18am Looks like a well-earned summit.
dillonsarnelli	brrrrrrrr 12/5/2011 3:41pm My first post... I guess I can officially climb 14ers now that i have a screen name. This was a great trip with great people. I think we realized how cold it actually was when our bare hands froze to the ice axes back at the car... Jeff - thanks for putting it together, Rob - well done report. See you all soon.
SurfNTurf	Still can't feel my fingers 12/5/2011 4:49pm Talk about cold! Thanks for putting together this nice trip report Rob, it was a great day in the mountains despite everything.
greglohr	Can't wait! 12/5/2011 8:13pm Wow, great looking climb guys. I'm doing this in 3 weeks and I'm pretty excited!
Dancesatmoonrise	Nice 12/6/2011 4:17pm Sherman can sure throw some interesting weather this time of year, huh? Looks like a fun trip. Nice write-up and photos, Rob!
MountainHiker	Nice report. 12/6/2011 6:01pm Wintery! One of the many faces Sherman can show you!
tmathews	Yo 12/6/2011 10:29pm Great seeing you guys again!
SnowAlien	Sherman is almost ready for skiing! 4/2/2015 7:45pm I felt more inclined to grab my planks and Epic Local Pass than my ice axe and microspikes. Good thing you did not! There was NO new snow in Breckenridge on Saturday. :evil:
Steve2	Excellent report 11/28/2020 5:39pm Looks like you all had a great time.

Caution: The information contained in this report may not be accurate and should not be the only resource used in preparation for your climb. Failure to have the necessary experience, physical conditioning, supplies or equipment can result in injury or death. 14ers.com and the author(s) of this report provide no warranties, either express or implied, that the information provided is accurate or reliable. By using the information provided, you agree to indemnify and hold harmless 14ers.com and the report author(s) with respect to any claims and demands against them, including any attorney fees and expenses. Please read the 14ers.com Safety and Disclaimer pages for more information.

Please respect private property: 14ers.com supports the rights of private landowners to determine how and by whom their land will be used. In Colorado, it is your responsibility to determine if land is private and to obtain the appropriate permission before entering the property.

14ers.com

Social

Mobile App