Download Agreement, Release, and Acknowledgement of Risk:
You (the person requesting this file download) fully understand mountain climbing ("Activity") involves risks and dangers of serious bodily injury, including permanent disability, paralysis, and death ("Risks") and you fully accept and assume all such risks and all responsibility for losses, costs, and damages you incur as a result of your participation in this Activity.
You acknowledge that information in the file you have chosen to download may not be accurate and may contain errors. You agree to assume all risks when using this information and agree to release and discharge 14ers.com, 14ers Inc. and the author(s) of such information (collectively, the "Released Parties").
You hereby discharge the Released Parties from all damages, actions, claims and liabilities of any nature, specifically including, but not limited to, damages, actions, claims and liabilities arising from or related to the negligence of the Released Parties. You further agree to indemnify, hold harmless and defend 14ers.com, 14ers Inc. and each of the other Released Parties from and against any loss, damage, liability and expense, including costs and attorney fees, incurred by 14ers.com, 14ers Inc. or any of the other Released Parties as a result of you using information provided on the 14ers.com or 14ers Inc. websites.
You have read this agreement, fully understand its terms and intend it to be a complete and unconditional release of all liability to the greatest extent allowed by law and agree that if any portion of this agreement is held to be invalid the balance, notwithstanding, shall continue in full force and effect.
By clicking "OK" you agree to these terms. If you DO NOT agree, click "Cancel"...
I arrived at the Paris Mill winter road closure at about 5 AM on April 12. The forecast called for a big storm the next day and deteriorating weather for today. As this was a much shorter hike than the day before, I was confident I could get my climb in before the "snow hit the fan" (please excuse all mixed metaphors).
I didn't think I would have any trouble navigating in the dark on the road but it was snow covered and there were snowmobile tracks going in every direction so I did manage to get off the road a couple of times. Thank God for pre loaded GPX tracks. Looking down on Kite Lake
Given the soft snow I had experienced on Shavano, I was worried about what I would find on the South Slopes here. As I got above Kite Lake it became evident that there was a one to two inch crust on top of soft snow. The crust make it difficult to skin on anything steep but when I transitioned to crampons I was breaking through and trail breaking became very difficult. I broke trail for about 1100 ft. in two phases: First, in the small bowl above Kite Lake and then in the chute I chose to get to the upper part of the mountain. The chute ascending to the upper mountain
This cost a lot of time (2 hours) but that's "snow business". (Yet another mixed metaphor!) When I got to Emma Lake Basin under the cliffs I could see a lot of wet avalanche activity from previous days. I took some comfort in the fact that it was colder and the snow was hard and dry. Under the cliffs above Lake Emma
Upon summiting I took photos of various aspects for the benefit of the community: The North Ridge of Democrat Cameron, Lincoln Bross Summit of Democrat
The wisdom of the adage "climb what you are going to ski" served me well today. I was quite sure that I did not want to ski this breakable crust back to Kite Lake but I didn't know what things would be like on the East Face. I searched for wisdom in Donald Rumsfeld's treatise on "knowing what you don't know versus not knowing what you don't know versus not knowing what you do know" but I just got confused and decided to ski the east slopes because it couldn't be any worse than what I had just climbed. In this case the goddess of corn snow smiled on me and I had 2,000 feet of great skiing down to Kite Lake. Looking back on the Kite Lake approach. I passed two climbers coming up the east ridge with some difficulty and without crampons or axes . I hope they made it ok.
The trip back down the road was uneventful. I actually skinned a good part of the way. At this point the clouds were coming in and the winds were kicking up. As I was finished pretty early I was able to make it all the way back to Utah on the same day to a beautiful wife and dog who were very happy to see me.
Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):
Looks like you made the most of your trip in to Colorado! I was out yesterday on Elbert and found similar miserable snow conditions below tree line. Nothing like finishing the day working just as hard as earlier in the day!
Looks like fun! I'm planning to hit Democrat this Saturday. How snow-covered was the road on the approach from Paris Mill? It looks pretty good from the last picture - enough to keep the skis on?
I had my skis on the whole way going up to Kite Lake.
Coming down I took them off once and for the last half mile or so I actually put my skins back on!
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.
. I hope they made it ok.
