Mt. Sniktau Trip Report 01/18/2012

Report Type	Full
Peak(s)	Mt. Sniktau - 13,239 feet "Cupid" - 13,126 feet
Date Posted	01/18/2012
Modified	01/20/2012
Date Climbed	01/14/2012
Author	rking007

Wind is windy! My first attempt at a winter peak
I find that viewing trip reports with large photos brings them a little more alive... Wind is windy... no really... I had originally planned on going with the group up Quandary on Saturday the 14th but as my shift at work doesn't get out until 1am and I get to bed at 2am, the 4:30am alarm I had set was useless. So, rousing myself up at 7am, I decided to fall back on plan B which was Loveland Pass for Mt. Sniktau, Cupid, and Grizzly Peak D. This would be my first ever attempt at anything above tree line in the winter and after months of saving and researching and buying winter gear, I felt like it was time to give it a go. (thanks again to all for the insurmountable information on winter gear through the forums!) I admit that I was a little nervous and worried about being alone and cold but that was all for not. When I got to the parking area, there were maybe three or four other cars with people either crossing the street to ski or getting ready to head up, the direction I was heading as well. Winds were forecasted at 35-40mph constant with 50+ gusting and when I got out of my car to put on some of my bulkier layers, I quickly retreated back into the car to keep the -20 something wind chill off my hands and face. Finally, after much struggling in the front seat, I got back out and headed straight up to point 12,915. Beginning the day with about 1000 feet of gain to 12,915 The winds were relentless, or so I thought until we gained the ridge, and actually considered turning back a few times before I even reached 12,915 but after a bit I was warmed up and had started building my rhythm so I decided to stick it out. Looking back down towards the parking area There were 4 others on trail and we all took the opportunity to say hi to each other and tell each other our plans for the day - Mark (red jacket) and Cecilia (yellow jacket), and two others with a dog (can't remember your names! sorry...). I put them in this trip report because they were there too and shared in the adventure and it really puts scale to these pictures... (if you see yourself in any of these pictures, message me and I can e-mail these and others! ) Just about to top out on 12,915 As I topped out on 12,915, the wind showed us it's true face - unabated and unrelenting. A few of us agreed that it had to be around 50mph sustained. My only gauge was that if I leaned back into it, I was almost totally supported by it. That, and the fact that every step you took was on an angle towards the direction of the wind and I felt like a V-8 commercial all day trying to walk straight. I was thankful I had microspikes because I though I would have for sure been blown into submission without traction. At this point, after chatting with Mark (red jacket) and Cecilia (yellow jacket and poles) I decided to get Sniktau at the very least and then re-asses when I got back to 12,915. Cecilia heading over to Sniktau's ridge Wind is a very interesting force. It can be refreshing, annoying, powerful and dangerous. Huge spindrifts traveled up the slopes all day spitting any loose snow up in the air like tornadoes, creating a visual for the torrent we felt blasting us all day. Spindrifts abounded everywhere... It also leaves it's traces given enough time. Sastrugi abounded everywhere and in every possible shape and it became quickly apparent to me that it would be my subject of photography all day. I decided to get my abstract on... What I thought would be the only picture of me all day We all plodded on, fighting the gale, leaning into it to stay on a straight path. Mark getting it done I think at this point Mark headed back down... didn't see you the rest of the day Mt. Sniktau on the left and Long's Peak dominating even from here Sniktau, sastrugi style After pushing through the wind on the ridge and messing around with the rock hard sastrugi the summit run of Sniktau came into view. Cecilia pushing to the summit - can you spot her? I slowly but surely put it behind me and gained the summit at about 10:40am. On top we snacked and Cecilia offered to take a few pictures of me (thanks again!), the views from here of Torrey's were pretty awesome too... (photo credit: Cecilia) Torrey's, Grizzly and an eliptical cloud formation - a sign of a very windy day After texting my wife and chatting about climbs and jobs and all that it was time to head on to Cupid. As we left, we passed the two climbers I had seen with the dog that morning on their way up. They told us they had tried for Cupid first but the wind was even worse so they turned back and came for Sniktau. On the way back down. Looks like the edge of the world. Pretty sure that's Quandary off in the distance, hope that grou Me heading back down (photo credit: Cecilia) (photo credit: Cecilia) Another shot of Torrey's further down the ridge - I loved the glossy quality of the rock hard snow ...since wind is almost impossible to photograph, and to remind of the constant conditions... The wind did get worse on the other side of 12,915 but I had the energy so I went for it. I gained the summit of Cupid at about 12:00 and I met up with Cecilia again. She was going to go on and try for Grizzly but I was feeling it pretty good and I had also started building a cramp in my right leg so I hung out for a bit, took some photo's and headed back to the pass. Last few steps to Cupid (photo credit: Cecilia) Taking it all in... (photo credit: Cecilia) Do mine eyes spy Mt. Holy Cross in the distance? Correct me if I'm wrong but Hagar, The Citadel, and Pettingell? Overall, an amazing day! I can say that I am bitten by the winter bug. All my new gear was bomb proof - BD Mercury mitts and Asolo Ergo boots get my award for the day, and I never felt cold except when I took my gloves off to use my iPhone for videos and the area of my face I couldn't cover with my balaclava or goggles. A few things I did notice however was I must have been clenching my jaw in the cold and wind all day and was sore and stiff when I got back to the car and I hard time breathing and getting full gulps of air through my balaclava. Any advice? Cecilia, Mark, and the other two I met with the dog, it was a blast being up there and sharing the day with you guys, please message me and I can e-mail all the pics I have of you all. Hope to meet up with you again in the future! As always, thanks for reading! Blessings. Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):

Wind is windy! My first attempt at a winter peak

I find that viewing trip reports with large photos brings them a little more alive...

Wind is windy... no really...

I had originally planned on going with the group up Quandary on Saturday the 14th but as my shift at work doesn't get out until 1am and I get to bed at 2am, the 4:30am alarm I had set was useless. So, rousing myself up at 7am, I decided to fall back on plan B which was Loveland Pass for Mt. Sniktau, Cupid, and Grizzly Peak D.

This would be my first ever attempt at anything above tree line in the winter and after months of saving and researching and buying winter gear, I felt like it was time to give it a go. (thanks again to all for the insurmountable information on winter gear through the forums!) I admit that I was a little nervous and worried about being alone and cold but that was all for not. When I got to the parking area, there were maybe three or four other cars with people either crossing the street to ski or getting ready to head up, the direction I was heading as well.

Winds were forecasted at 35-40mph constant with 50+ gusting and when I got out of my car to put on some of my bulkier layers, I quickly retreated back into the car to keep the -20 something wind chill off my hands and face. Finally, after much struggling in the front seat, I got back out and headed straight up to point 12,915.

Beginning the day with about 1000 feet of gain to 12,915

The winds were relentless, or so I thought until we gained the ridge, and actually considered turning back a few times before I even reached 12,915 but after a bit I was warmed up and had started building my rhythm so I decided to stick it out.

Looking back down towards the parking area

There were 4 others on trail and we all took the opportunity to say hi to each other and tell each other our plans for the day - Mark (red jacket) and Cecilia (yellow jacket), and two others with a dog (can't remember your names! sorry...). I put them in this trip report because they were there too and shared in the adventure and it really puts scale to these pictures... (if you see yourself in any of these pictures, message me and I can e-mail these and others!

)

As I topped out on 12,915, the wind showed us it's true face - unabated and unrelenting. A few of us agreed that it had to be around 50mph sustained. My only gauge was that if I leaned back into it, I was almost totally supported by it. That, and the fact that every step you took was on an angle towards the direction of the wind and I felt like a V-8 commercial all day trying to walk straight. I was thankful I had microspikes because I though I would have for sure been blown into submission without traction.

At this point, after chatting with Mark (red jacket) and Cecilia (yellow jacket and poles) I decided to get Sniktau at the very least and then re-asses when I got back to 12,915.

Wind is a very interesting force. It can be refreshing, annoying, powerful and dangerous. Huge spindrifts traveled up the slopes all day spitting any loose snow up in the air like tornadoes, creating a visual for the torrent we felt blasting us all day.

It also leaves it's traces given enough time. Sastrugi abounded everywhere and in every possible shape and it became quickly apparent to me that it would be my subject of photography all day. I decided to get my abstract on...

What I thought would be the only picture of me all day

We all plodded on, fighting the gale, leaning into it to stay on a straight path.

I think at this point Mark headed back down... didn't see you the rest of the day

Mt. Sniktau on the left and Long's Peak dominating even from here

After pushing through the wind on the ridge and messing around with the rock hard sastrugi the summit run of Sniktau came into view.

Cecilia pushing to the summit - can you spot her?

I slowly but surely put it behind me and gained the summit at about 10:40am. On top we snacked and Cecilia offered to take a few pictures of me (thanks again!), the views from here of Torrey's were pretty awesome too...

Torrey's, Grizzly and an eliptical cloud formation - a sign of a very windy day

After texting my wife and chatting about climbs and jobs and all that it was time to head on to Cupid. As we left, we passed the two climbers I had seen with the dog that morning on their way up. They told us they had tried for Cupid first but the wind was even worse so they turned back and came for Sniktau.

On the way back down. Looks like the edge of the world. Pretty sure that's Quandary off in the distance, hope that grou

Me heading back down (photo credit: Cecilia)

Another shot of Torrey's further down the ridge - I loved the glossy quality of the rock hard snow

...since wind is almost impossible to photograph, and to remind of the constant conditions...

The wind did get worse on the other side of 12,915 but I had the energy so I went for it. I gained the summit of Cupid at about 12:00 and I met up with Cecilia again. She was going to go on and try for Grizzly but I was feeling it pretty good and I had also started building a cramp in my right leg so I hung out for a bit, took some photo's and headed back to the pass.

Last few steps to Cupid (photo credit: Cecilia)

Taking it all in... (photo credit: Cecilia)

Do mine eyes spy Mt. Holy Cross in the distance?

Correct me if I'm wrong but Hagar, The Citadel, and Pettingell?

Overall, an amazing day! I can say that I am bitten by the winter bug. All my new gear was bomb proof - BD Mercury mitts and Asolo Ergo boots get my award for the day, and I never felt cold except when I took my gloves off to use my iPhone for videos and the area of my face I couldn't cover with my balaclava or goggles.

A few things I did notice however was I must have been clenching my jaw in the cold and wind all day and was sore and stiff when I got back to the car and I hard time breathing and getting full gulps of air through my balaclava. Any advice?

Cecilia, Mark, and the other two I met with the dog, it was a blast being up there and sharing the day with you guys, please message me and I can e-mail all the pics I have of you all. Hope to meet up with you again in the future! As always, thanks for reading! Blessings.

Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):

Comments or Questions

dehrlich101	Wind sucks 1/18/2012 10:22pm .. but the awesome drifting pictures wouldn't be possible without it. Great pictures!
thatnissanguy	Great photography! 1/19/2012 1:49am Your pictures are fantastic and your TR is well written, although I especially admire your enthusiasm. You are correct in identifying Hagar and the Citadel. Those make a fine winter/spring scramble. Pettingel to the Citadel is a little more technical. Keep up the good work and keep us posted!
as350b3	Great Pics! 1/19/2012 3:27am Hi Russ, this is Mark, Great narrative and pictures! is535@hotmail.com
Ceastar	Good Company 1/19/2012 4:00am You nailed the description of the day. It's a beautiful view. Glad to have shared it with you.
Papillon	Sweet photos 1/19/2012 10:15pm Way to persevere and get some great images. Photography is the furthest thing from my mind when there is winter wind in my teeth but you managed to capture some slick shots. No worries on missing Grizzly. You don't have to retrace too many steps to get back to Cupid. Grizzly will always be there...
huffy13	I feel your pain, dude... 1/20/2012 10:20pm I had planned on bagging Grizzly the day I hit up Loveland Pass, but the wind had other plans for me, so I just got Cupid and Sniktau also. It was a great hike anyways...I wish I had thought about getting a picture of Long's Peak. I will have to go back and look at all my pics from that day and see if maybe I inadvertently got her in a shot. I just thought that Gray's and Torrey's looked awesome, as did Holy Cross.
rking007	Thanks! 1/21/2012 6:36am Thanks for your comments everyone. Gotta figure out where to go in February now... Thatnissanguy - How long of a day did you have when you did that Hagar and Citadel climb? Mark and Cecilia - Really hope we meet up again! Hope you like the other new shots I sent over Papillon - It was hard for me to focus on photography at first because of the cold and the wind but after I saw all the cool sastrugi, it was like I instantly new I needed to shoot it. For some of the shots I wondered if anyone thought I was injured because I was laying face down for minutes at a time to shoot! Haha Huffy13 - I was just really impressed with how clear it was up there! The citadel looks cool for sure and so does Long's and Holy Cross. Although, I have always loved how Long's peak looks especially from Parker or Greely, it just dominates!
thatnissanguy	Citadel TR 1/24/2012 5:41am Our day was 12 hours long. It was a bit of a slog towards the end. I wrote a TR on it a while back. Let me know if you have any questions.
advntur101	Awesomeness 2/3/2012 4:15pm That's my brother out there braving the awesome wind getting those great pics and footage, great job man! Wish I had been there with ya...gettin ready for Feb. 18th!

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