OTHER Trip Report 03/28/2016

Report Type	Full
Peak(s)	Colorado Mines Peak - 12493
Date Posted	03/28/2016
Modified	05/17/2017
Date Climbed	03/26/2016
Author	jmanner

New Ski Line on the West Slopes
First ski descent of Colorado Mines Peak's West Slopes D2 above tree line- below tree line D4 R1 Elevation gain: 1,200 Net; 1,500 gross Mileage: 2.25 miles Time to summit: 42 minutes Time to car with 300' ascent: 21 minutes I would like to tell you guys (and gal) about the new, previously unskied, line I pioneered down Colorado Mines Peak. I've had my eye on this line for several years now and I've known that due to the typical snow conditions there was no possible way that anyone had ever skied this spectacular line off the mountain. March had dumped 91.5 inches of snow at Winter Park Resort, only a few miles north. I hoped that would mean that the snow conditions might be right for the first time in a century or more, maybe since the last ice age. Who can know for sure? Knowing that it's now or never to take the plunge, I awake up at 4:30 AM on Saturday March, 26th 2016 intent on an alpine start. After a hurried 45 minute breakfast while watching CNN's coverage of Donald Trump discussing the merits of marrying a fashion model, I kissed my wolf, hugged my kids, scratched my wife and drove up to Berthoud Pass, the location of my advanced base camp. The drive was nerve racking, in addition to my fears and anticipation of skiing this mountain; I saw at least two cars with Texas license plates driving erratically on I-70! I just hoped I'd be able to survive the drive to Empire. I thought of calling my wife to tell her I love her, but I didn't want her to worry... Perry Peak with the usual Lencular on its summit. Knowing that there might be other ski mountaineers also planning to grab the first descent of this soon to be epic line, I made sure to get my skins on my skis and my pack on quickly. I moved rapidly and I was skiing uphill at 6:50 am. There had been a two thirds foot of snow over the night, and over 90 inches in March, so I was forced to break trail on the initial pitch, knowing that I would have at least 30 more minutes of ski touring I made sure to save some energy for the upper slopes of the mountain. Alpineglow on Englemann Peak I could only hope that the snow coverage up high would be enough to allow me to gain the first descent of this noble peak's west face. Looking up valley during my ascent More Englemann As I broke treeline, I could see that yes(!!) I would be able ski the epic line, all I needed to do know was pay attention and keep my wits about me, I was above treeline now and this is where the danger level really gets high. It had taken about 25 minutes to treeline and I begin to feel the extreme altitude. Breaking above treeline The incline at this point increased to the 20 degrees and I knew if that I was going to make it up the mountain I would need to slow the pace down. I began to follow Ed Viesturs' advice and pick short term goals to accomplish; I'd pick a point tour to it and then stop and catch my breath. On one occasion, I turned around and could see some intrepid skiers on the other side of the pass struggling to break trail in the deep spring snow. I thought, "Good speed men"; I hope they achieved their goals for the day. More Englemann alpine glow After ten hard minutes of struggling uphill I met the final switch back of the communications tower maintenance road, I knew that I only need to keep my spirits up and I'd be on the summit soon. I tried to stay positive, but I could not help think about the men who built this road. I thought, 'How many men died blasting this road to the top?', 'What was life like for them, why did they come up here for this, were they forced by circumstances to work on such a project or did they seek out the danger, as I do?' Suppressing these thoughts, I turned uphill and began the last push up the final 50 foot summit pitch. I arrived on the summit at 7:37 am and although I knew now that there was enough to ski my new line, I couldn't suppress the fear and anxiety of knowing that the most dangerous part of my morning was yet to come. Summited! Wonder views of Flora, Eva and Perry. I took a few moments to take pictures of my surroundings in order to prove my ascent, I feared the controversy that Uli Steck found after his solo climb of Annapurna. How did they get these machines up here?! Beautiful day Proof I skied to the summit. Your hero. Perry and Eva. As I readied myself for the descent I tried to suppress my doubts and fears. "Would I have the skills to pay the bills? Was a boy from Memphis, Tennessee cut out to pull off this kind of audacious ski descent? I tried to shut my demons up. With much anticipation, at 7:50 AM, I stepped into my trusty Dynafit Radical LTs bindings and Dynafit Stoke skis and began my descent into history. The initial turns off the summit were challenging, the deep snow from the March storms made the going rough, but I persevered. The calming of effect of action stilled my doubts and fears and I was able to begin to make turns. If I stayed near my ascent route, I knew that I could avoid the worst of the difficulties and I would soon be in the trees again, safe and sound. With focus, I had descended the worst of the initial pitch off the summit and again found myself on the great snowy slopes below the summit pyramid. Although the worst was behind me, I made sure to think about my smooth turns knowing that most accidents happen on descent. Mid descent. The first ski tracks to ever grace these slopes. During my descent, I realized that I was transcended my prior skiing and was now skiing at a much higher level than before. More descent View of my companions skin track across the pass. I had risen to the challenge of this peak and did in fact have the skill to pay the bills. After several minutes of the most arduous skiing, I again found myself in the trees! I gave a Rebel yell! I had done it! Now all I had to do was ski back to base camp and then make my way home. Location where I realized I skied to far. I quickly discovered that in my excitement I had skied too far north and below my Camp! Trying to calm the growing panic, I continued to ski down in the hopes of find one of the many gaper-snowboard lines that ski off the top of Berthoud Pass. Luckily I found one that took me too a staging point where I found a stable platform to attach my skins and tour back to my car. The relief was palpable. Little did I know, the worst ordeal of the trip was yet to come. The smell was intense. Once I began my climb back to base camp, I discovered the most odious smell!! The hordes of tourists and hitch hikers skiers and boarders bathroom trips were permeating the air! Due to the cold air the smell of the toilet was sinking downhill and right into my uphill route! Knowing my only salvation lead through the smell of urea, I soldiered on and tried to think of my children. After the hardest 300 feet and nine minutes of my life I again found myself at my advanced base camp, among the teeming hordes of tourists and hitchhiker boarders. It was hard to contain my excitement, but knowing that none them knew of my conquest or the trials I'd faced, I kept my excitement to a minimum. It occurred to me that I couldn't simply drive away with my excited stated and decided I would cross the highway and take a victory lap on the west side of the pass. It had been a good morning. The first time it has been skied from the summit. Thanks for reading, John Never Stop Exploring My GPS Tracks on Google Maps (made from a .GPX file upload): Login required to view this map... Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):

New Ski Line on the West Slopes

First ski descent of Colorado Mines Peak's West Slopes
D2 above tree line- below tree line D4 R1
Elevation gain: 1,200 Net; 1,500 gross
Mileage: 2.25 miles
Time to summit: 42 minutes
Time to car with 300' ascent: 21 minutes

I would like to tell you guys (and gal) about the new, previously unskied, line I pioneered down Colorado Mines Peak. I've had my eye on this line for several years now and I've known that due to the typical snow conditions there was no possible way that anyone had ever skied this spectacular line off the mountain.
March had dumped 91.5 inches of snow at Winter Park Resort, only a few miles north. I hoped that would mean that the snow conditions might be right for the first time in a century or more, maybe since the last ice age. Who can know for sure? Knowing that it's now or never to take the plunge, I awake up at 4:30 AM on Saturday March, 26th 2016 intent on an alpine start. After a hurried 45 minute breakfast while watching CNN's coverage of Donald Trump discussing the merits of marrying a fashion model, I kissed my wolf, hugged my kids, scratched my wife and drove up to Berthoud Pass, the location of my advanced base camp. The drive was nerve racking, in addition to my fears and anticipation of skiing this mountain; I saw at least two cars with Texas license plates driving erratically on I-70! I just hoped I'd be able to survive the drive to Empire. I thought of calling my wife to tell her I love her, but I didn't want her to worry...

Perry Peak with the usual Lencular on its summit.

Knowing that there might be other ski mountaineers also planning to grab the first descent of this soon to be epic line, I made sure to get my skins on my skis and my pack on quickly. I moved rapidly and I was skiing uphill at 6:50 am. There had been a two thirds foot of snow over the night, and over 90 inches in March, so I was forced to break trail on the initial pitch, knowing that I would have at least 30 more minutes of ski touring I made sure to save some energy for the upper slopes of the mountain.

I could only hope that the snow coverage up high would be enough to allow me to gain the first descent of this noble peak's west face.

As I broke treeline, I could see that yes(!!) I would be able ski the epic line, all I needed to do know was pay attention and keep my wits about me, I was above treeline now and this is where the danger level really gets high. It had taken about 25 minutes to treeline and I begin to feel the extreme altitude.

The incline at this point increased to the 20 degrees and I knew if that I was going to make it up the mountain I would need to slow the pace down. I began to follow Ed Viesturs' advice and pick short term goals to accomplish; I'd pick a point tour to it and then stop and catch my breath. On one occasion, I turned around and could see some intrepid skiers on the other side of the pass struggling to break trail in the deep spring snow. I thought, "Good speed men"; I hope they achieved their goals for the day.

After ten hard minutes of struggling uphill I met the final switch back of the communications tower maintenance road, I knew that I only need to keep my spirits up and I'd be on the summit soon. I tried to stay positive, but I could not help think about the men who built this road. I thought, 'How many men died blasting this road to the top?', 'What was life like for them, why did they come up here for this, were they forced by circumstances to work on such a project or did they seek out the danger, as I do?' Suppressing these thoughts, I turned uphill and began the last push up the final 50 foot summit pitch.

I arrived on the summit at 7:37 am and although I knew now that there was enough to ski my new line, I couldn't suppress the fear and anxiety of knowing that the most dangerous part of my morning was yet to come.

Summited! Wonder views of Flora, Eva and Perry.

I took a few moments to take pictures of my surroundings in order to prove my ascent, I feared the controversy that Uli Steck found after his solo climb of Annapurna.

How did they get these machines up here?!

As I readied myself for the descent I tried to suppress my doubts and fears. "Would I have the skills to pay the bills? Was a boy from Memphis, Tennessee cut out to pull off this kind of audacious ski descent? I tried to shut my demons up. With much anticipation, at 7:50 AM, I stepped into my trusty Dynafit Radical LTs bindings and Dynafit Stoke skis and began my descent into history.
The initial turns off the summit were challenging, the deep snow from the March storms made the going rough, but I persevered. The calming of effect of action stilled my doubts and fears and I was able to begin to make turns.
If I stayed near my ascent route, I knew that I could avoid the worst of the difficulties and I would soon be in the trees again, safe and sound. With focus, I had descended the worst of the initial pitch off the summit and again found myself on the great snowy slopes below the summit pyramid. Although the worst was behind me, I made sure to think about my smooth turns knowing that most accidents happen on descent.

The first ski tracks to ever grace these slopes.

During my descent, I realized that I was transcended my prior skiing and was now skiing at a much higher level than before.

View of my companions skin track across the pass.

I had risen to the challenge of this peak and did in fact have the skill to pay the bills. After several minutes of the most arduous skiing, I again found myself in the trees! I gave a Rebel yell! I had done it! Now all I had to do was ski back to base camp and then make my way home.

Location where I realized I skied to far.

I quickly discovered that in my excitement I had skied too far north and below my Camp! Trying to calm the growing panic, I continued to ski down in the hopes of find one of the many gaper-snowboard lines that ski off the top of Berthoud Pass. Luckily I found one that took me too a staging point where I found a stable platform to attach my skins and tour back to my car. The relief was palpable. Little did I know, the worst ordeal of the trip was yet to come.

Once I began my climb back to base camp, I discovered the most odious smell!! The hordes of tourists and hitch hikers skiers and boarders bathroom trips were permeating the air! Due to the cold air the smell of the toilet was sinking downhill and right into my uphill route! Knowing my only salvation lead through the smell of urea, I soldiered on and tried to think of my children.

After the hardest 300 feet and nine minutes of my life I again found myself at my advanced base camp, among the teeming hordes of tourists and hitchhiker boarders. It was hard to contain my excitement, but knowing that none them knew of my conquest or the trials I'd faced, I kept my excitement to a minimum. It occurred to me that I couldn't simply drive away with my excited stated and decided I would cross the highway and take a victory lap on the west side of the pass. It had been a good morning.

The first time it has been skied from the summit.

Thanks for reading,
John
Never Stop Exploring

My GPS Tracks on Google Maps (made from a .GPX file upload):

Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):

Comments or Questions

AlexeyD	LOL 3/28/2016 1:50pm That is quite the accomplishment! I think I may have you beat, however. Yesterday, at approximately 3 PM, I managed a historic, first-ever ski descent of the mighty Sugarloaf. Yes, you heard that right! The one above Boulder Canyon, soaring proudly at 8,917 feet above sea level. The half hour of effort expended for this mighty beast was arduous, but the glory and pride well worth the pain.
Jay521	Sorry.... 3/28/2016 2:19pm but you two guys pale in comparison to the mighty SurfNTurf with his first ascent of Shermapangma. I still get chills when I read this report..... Most Epic TR ever! Seriously, John - fun report!
AlexeyD	not bad! 3/28/2016 2:37pm but not quite as epic as my recent FA on the NCAR mesa. This sick new line, the location of which shall remain anonymous until access issues are resolved, takes a bold path directly up the southwest face, culminating in an improbable Class 2C+ crux (C for "cactus" - a truly heinous obstacle to be underestimated only the climber's great peril). Truly a classic gem worthy of Gerry Roach himself.
gspup	you guys... 3/29/2016 7:55am On time I skied down the road on North Table, it was so scary I couldn't even relive it by writing about it here.
AnnaG22	BAHAHA 3/29/2016 10:27am This, sir, is some quality satire. :lol: Looks like a gorgeous morning of skiing. Did you eat any soup for lunch? I've heard the ying yang variety is pretty radalicious.
jmanner	Thanks guys! 3/29/2016 12:13pm Alexey: I don't do this for competition, I just want to have a zen like connection with the mountain. Pretty kick ass that you have now completed two first ascents in Boulder County!!! You might be my new hero. Jay: I know of the Shermapangma Expedition, it was an amazing ascent. I make no claims to have reached the heights that Mr. SurfNTurf has attained!! I just hope my ski line just continues to push the sport of Ski Mountaineering forward. Gspup: Unfortunately, I need validation of my accomplishments. :( Anna: Gnar was definitly shred! I am confused as to what satire you speak of.
PaliKona	Phenomenal 3/31/2016 9:19pm That is an incredible feat in a barren wilderness land far far away. How you got past the Texans I'll never know. Thank you for the inspiration.
jmanner	I know... 4/2/2016 4:44pm I do what I can. I just try to motivate others to achieve. Go out and find your own Colorado Mines Peaks to conqueror.
dubsho3000	Really? 4/29/2016 4:51pm You have a wolf? that's cool
jmanner	Totally cool!! 5/8/2016 12:26pm Yessir, he's an interesting fellow. You can see his beautiful mug on my James Pk TR.

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