| Report Type | Full |
| Peak(s) |
Mt. Eolus - 14,087 feet North Eolus - 14,042 feet Sunlight Peak - 14,061 feet Windom Peak - 14,089 feet Capitol Peak - 14,138 feet Pyramid Peak - 14,029 feet Snowmass Mountain - 14,105 feet Maroon Peak - 14,163 feet North Maroon Peak - 14,022 feet Mt. Wilson - 14,256 feet El Diente Peak - 14,175 feet Wilson Peak - 14,021 feet Mt. of the Holy Cross - 14,007 feet Little Bear Peak - 14,041 feet Longs Peak - 14,259 feet |
| Date Posted | 04/26/2026 |
| Date Climbed | 12/22/2025 |
| Author | illusion7il |
| SOLO Day Hiking the Winter 14ers |
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SOLO Day Hiking the Winter 14ers 
Climbing in the Winter Colorado is known to have some of the most dangerous snow pack in the world. The combination of dry and sunny weather is followed by high winds and heavy snow storms which creates a deadly combination of a solid slab over weak faceted (sugar) layers. These weak layers will often form early in the season and will sometimes take months to stabilize. To summarize, our snow here in Colorado is very scary and unpredictable. The CAIC (Colorado Avalanche Information Center) puts out a detailed report on daily basis. This is really important to follow if you are planning anything in the back country. Winter climbing is dangerous. So much can go wrong in split second. Know before you go. Climbs will be much longer because the Forest Service will close the access roads for the winter, sometimes adding many miles to the approach. Winter climbing adds a new set of logistics. So much more needs to be planned for. So much more gear needs to be carried. While daylight is shorter in the winter, climb times will be much longer.
The Rules The rules are quite simple. Touch the summit of all 59 peaks, under your own power, in calendar winter. Calendar winter runs from December 21st to March 20th. However, it is important to pay attention to the exact time of day winter starts and ends, as you cannot start your hike before the official winter solstice, nor end after the spring equinox for the summit to count. So sometimes the first and last day of winter are a wash. There are 58 officially named 14ers, so why is the winter list 59? Aaron Ralston decided to set a prescient in the early days of winter climbing and added North Massive to the list. Every finisher since, has followed this rule. For my own goals, I added two more rules. One was to go Solo (by myself), and since I absolutely refuse to camp, the other was to complete all of the summits from each trailhead as a single push, without the traditional use of a high camp. The Dirty Dozen The dirty dozen list includes Capitol Peak, Snowmass Mountain, Pyramid Peak, Maroon Peak , North Maroon Peak, Sunlight Peak, Mount Eolus, North Eolus, Windom Peak, Mount Wilson, El Diente Peak, and Wilson Peak. In a nutshell, these peaks are on another level and have significantly more risk and difficulty than than the remaining 47 peaks. If you have climbed 30 or even over 40 peaks in the winter and none of them are in the dirty dozen, you still have a long journey ahead of you. Many of these peaks are “not in” for safe climbing, for years, and with a very short window of opportunity. While the other 47 peaks are generally safe to climb at some point every winter. 
Making a Plan For me I think the hardest part about winter climbing is just being ready for it. You gotta be packed, conditioned, but most of all, available to get out in a moments notice during what is often a short window of opportunity. I always went out when the avalanche rating was green, or close to it. Since time is limited in the winter, I would make the best use of it by going out on the last perfect day with the lowest risk of avalanches, and a reasonable weather forecast, before the next storm to give the highest chance of success. I didn't use this strategy just for the hard peaks. I used it for the easier peaks as well. Traveling in the green is generally much easier and safer. The snow will be more consolidated, and firmer to walk on. But sometimes with a green rating early in the season, the snow is so dry, it's more like the consistency of sugar, also known as facets. You don't have to go for these peaks in a heavy snow pack. There are some winters where you can take advantage of a low snow pack early in the winter season. Colorado winters are extremely variable. Be patient and wait for easier conditions. The time will come. A Little History I believe this is the most accurate list of known finishers. I'm sure there are some that have kept quiet and wish to keep it that way. To me, it's surprising that the list is not significantly longer. I'm no expert on the history of the winter 14ers, so feel free to send me a message and I will get this updated.
Honorable mentions: Aaron Ralston was the first to complete them all solo. Sarah Thompson was the first female finisher. Mike Sylvestro was the first to complete the list of 73 which included the unranked points above 14,000 feet. He then moved on to become the first person to complete the highest 100 “centennials” in the winter. Amy Gray was the second person and first female to complete the highest 100 in winter. Will Seeber made a strong attempt to complete them all during the 16/17 season but came up short with 51 summits. He then went on to complete the remaining 8 summits and finished in early 2018. At that time, this was the record for completing all of the winter summits in the shortest amount of time, but Andrew Hamilton's journey was already underway. Hamilton went on to be the first to complete all of the winter summits in a single season during the 17/18 winter in just 84 days. On 1-6-2023 Chris Fisher started his journey in an attempt to break Hamilton's record during a big snow year. With Hamilton as his partner for the last few peaks, Fisher shaved 12 days off the record completing all of the peaks in 72 days. Will Erickson completed them all in just 6 years, made some deep trenches, and got the solo check mark on all of them as well. Paul Barish just completed the list of 73, solo. Class rating and the YDS YDS stands for the Yosemite Decimal System which is used to give climbers a general idea of the difficulty of the climb, however these ratings can really vary from one area to another.
Calendar of Climbs This report covers all 59 winter 14er summits over a 14 year journey. Warning: When I say a route is generally safe, it does not mean there is no risk. Climbing after a storm , or even a wind event can change the conditions in an instant. Anything can happen at anytime in these mountains. Dangerous avalanches can happen when the rating is in the green. Know before you go. I have also included a people stat that says approximately how many people I actually saw on the mountain while I was up there to give a sense of how few people climb these peaks in the winter. I do not count the people I see on the approach or hanging out in the basin below.
Notes: Quandary Peak is considered to be the easiest winter 14er. The east ridge route is generally avalanche safe and the route is the same as the summer with just one area of concern that can be avoided. It's a popular peak, sometimes requiring little to no winter gear gear. I was staying in Breckenridge with family. The snow conditions were not very favorable at the resort, so I skipped a day of snowboarding and decided to go for Quandary Peak. 
Notes: The Mount Elbert east ridge route is generally avalanche safe, and the route is almost the same as the summer. Just a little more ridge direct. The start in winter is at the lower trailhead which adds about two miles each way. Elbert is also a popular peak, sometimes requiring little to no winter gear gear. The upper slopes are usually windswept, and the winds can be quite brutal up there in the winter time. Snowshoes stayed in the car but I did have to post hole for a good stretch near treeline. 
Notes: The Mount Humboldt east ridge route is generally considered avalanche safe, and the route is the same as the summer. The winter start is at the lower trailhead which adds about 2.5 miles each way. Humboldt is also a popular winter peak, but snowshoes will more than likely be needed. I was able to drop my snowshoes at treeline and continue up the wind swept ridge to the summit. 
Notes: The Mount Yale east ridge route is generally considered avalanche safe, and the route is the same as the summer. With a few cars at the trailhead, I gambled and left the snowshoes in the car thinking the trench would be solid. The first part of the trail was completely dry. I ended up post holing like crazy up to the ridge. The ridge is long but moves quickly. The snow softened a bit on the way down and the post holing was even worse. 
Notes: The Mount Princeton east slopes route is generally considered avalanche safe as long you avoid the north slopes of the summer route and climb directly over “Tigger Peak” The start in winter is at the lower trailhead which adds 3.2 miles each way. At this time we were having a late start to winter so I left the snowshoes in the car and post holed the last mile up the road. I ascended over “Tigger Peak” to the summit. Due to the the thin snow coverage, I was able to return via the standard summer route crossing a few gullies along the way. 
Notes: The Mount Antero west slopes route is generally considered avalanche safe with some modification. With a fairly low snow pack, I left the snowshoes in the car. Even on above average years, this has to be one of the driest peaks in the state. I had to post hole a bit near treeline. The route should probably be called the west rib route. Its best to leave the road around 11,800 feet and ascend a rib to Point 13,800 feet and rejoin the summer route to the summit. Taking the the rib skips all the switchbacks on the road. This is the only route that is actually shorter in the winter, if starting from the lower trailhead. 
Notes: The Mount Shavano east ridge combo route is generally considered avalanche safe with some slight risk near treeline and an east ridge direct ascent. The ridge is usually wind swept above treeline. You can't drive to the summer trailhead , but I was able to make it to the junction of Forest Service roads 250/252, three miles below the summer trailhead. Most of the road was either snow packed or dry so I was able to get to the summer trailhead rather quickly. I didn't have to use snowshoes till near tree line. The ridge was devoid of snow but it was super windy especially between the two summits. 
Notes: The Grays Peak north slopes combo route could be considered avalanche safe as long as the the southeast slopes of Kelso Mountain are avoided. In fact someone had just lost their life due to an avalanche on these slopes thirty days prior to my ascent. The route starts at I-70, two miles below the summer trailhead. With easy accessibility, this can be a popular route in winter and the snowshoes stayed in the car. The road was hard pack and moved quickly. The day felt like I was cheating, as it didn't feel any harder than in the summer. On the ascent I noticed two other climbers on Kelso ridge. I hit the summit of Grays Peak first and met the other two climbers (Ryan Kushner and Alan Arnett) on Torreys Peak. 
Notes: The Mount Columbia east ridge route is generally considered avalanche safe, and the route is the same as the summer. The upper trailhead is closed in the winter, so I had to start at the road closure just 1.2 miles below at 9,100 feet. It's a fairly short distance on the Colorado Trail to the southeast ridge and I only had to use snowshoes near treeline. It's a very long ridge to the summit but was enjoyable in warm and windless conditions. 
Notes: The Mount Blue Sky west ridge route is generally considered an avalanche safe with some slight modification. The winter closure is at 10,800 feet, 1.5 miles below the summer trailhead. Instead of the gully, I took the more gentle slopes towards Gray Wolf Mountain and then joined the standard route to the summit. Glad I brought the snowshoes or travel through the willows would have been rough. 
Notes: The Decalibron loop is generally considered avalanche safe and and the route is the same as the summer. The winter closure is at the Paris Mill site about three miles below the summer trailhead. My approach was in the fog but it was a beautiful day above the clouds. I had to snowshoe up to the Democrat / Cameron saddle but other than a few snow crossings, the ridge was mostly swept clean. 
Notes: Mount Sherman south slopes route is generally considered avalanche safe and is also one of the easiest winter 14ers. The winter closure can vary from year to year, as it just depends how far you can make it up the road without getting stuck. I'm not one that likes take these chances and would rather walk anyway, but I was happy to be able to drive up to the four mile campground. It's a nice gradual ascent up the drainage to the summit. This peak rarely gets enough coverage, but when it does, it can be a great peak to ski. 
Notes: The Longs Peak Keyhole route is a technical winter climb and should only be attempted when the snow is stable. The approach is usually well trenched, but traction and an ice axe will be needed as soon you pass the keyhole. The snow crossings along the ledges and the narrows can be exciting. I was lucky enough to climb this peak on a day where the snow on the narrows and the homestretch was rather minimal. 
Notes: The Mount Belford and Mount Oxford combo route is generally considered avalanche safe, and the route is the same as the summer. The winter closure can vary from year to year, as it just depends how far you can make it up the road without getting stuck. I was was able to drive all the way to the summer trailhead. Snow showers were in the forecast. Getting to the summit of Mount Belford was a non issue, but I was socked in with a snow shower on the out and back to Mount Oxford. When I got back to Mount Belford, I decided to do a last minute route change and dropped down the northwest gully which is a little more direct to the Missouri Gulch Basin below. 
Notes: The Huron Peak northwest slopes route needs to be approached with some caution. A stable snow pack is needed as there are a few terrain terrain traps just below and above treeline. Since I already knew that I could drive to the Missouri Gulch trailhead. I figured this might be as good as it's gonna get for Huron Peak, although there are reports of others being able to drive all the way to Winfield. Parking at the Missouri Gulch trailhead is still a long approach, and there was a snowmobile track all the way to the upper trailhead. From there I had to bust a trench to around 12,500 feet where I switched to microspikes and a good portion of the upper route was windswept. Amazing view of the Apostles group. 
Notes: The Little Bear Peak southwest ridge route is generally avalanche safe, but it is long, technical, and tedious. Where I parked was questionable, so I put a note on my dash; “Went up Little Bear, Please don't tow, I will return this evening” with today's date. I believe the proper thing to do now is to park on Lake Como Rd and cut over to the southwest ridge, but even doing that, you are still might be cutting through private property. The ridge was mostly dry till I reached the crux sections. I had an ice axe with me, but the only winter gear I used was microspikes. This route is super time consuming. While my route was only ten miles, I was a shocked that it took me 13 hours. 
Notes: The Mount Harvard east ridge route needs to be approached with some caution. A stable snow pack is needed as there are a few suspect slopes above treeline to gain the east ridge. The start is just off the highway and its a long approach up Frenchman Creek to treeline. I then cut up the south slopes with thin snow coverage to ridge. The ridge is time consuming, with a moderately steep snow crossing just before the summit. Excellent weather. 
Notes: Blanca Peak and Ellingwood Point is a technical climb, and a stable snow pack is needed. The start depends on how far you can drive up Lake Como Rd, but most people like myself can't drive any higher than the lower trailhead that sits at 8,000 feet anyway. The road was either dry, packed or ankle deep up to 11,500 feet where I put on the snowshoes and trenched all the way to a rib below the saddle of Blanca Peak and Eliingwood Point. I transitioned to crampons and climbed on snow and rocks to the summit of Blanca Peak. I then stayed on the ridge to the saddle and this was where things got interesting. It was a complicated route, up and down, down and up, scramble. I did my best to stay as close to the ridge as I could to the summit of Ellingwood Point. On the descent I retraced my steps back to the saddle where I retrieved my snowshoes and trekked back down to the car. 
Notes: The Mount Lindsey Northwest ridge route is generally considered avalanche safe, however this was probably my worst mistake in climbing all of the winter 14ers. I had planned on doing this route for over a week, but there was a snow storm that over delivered two days prior to my ascent. Local Snotel stations were showing around 20-30 inches of new snow from the storm. This was the day I had to go out, so I ignored the considerable (orange) avalanche danger and went anyway. I parked at the Aspen River Ranch and put a note on my windshield. There were literally no parking signs in every direction. I started with snowshoes but then came to a nice stretch of dry road which gave me some hope. It wasn't long till I was back in snowshoes and the snow got deeper the farther I went. I wasn't even to the upper trailhead yet and I was trenching knee to thigh deep snow, and I was thinking there was absolutely no way I was going to make the summit. The day was still young so I figured I would at least make it to the upper basin. Maybe put in the trench and come back a few days later. Crossing the river was difficult, but I eventually found a place to pick my way across. Still deep trenching, I meandered through the woods for a while, and popped out of the trees with suspect slopes above the boulder field. A little more deep trenching and I finally reached the upper basin where the snow pack was much thinner, and the ridge looked completely windswept. I felt like I still had the time to summit, but it was going to be later than my original plan. The crux on the ridge didn't feel hard at all, and I was on the summit at 3pm. The descent went quickly and I was back down to treeline in no time. But this is where I made a mistake. Instead of just following my tracks along the boulder field which were a little scary on the ascent, I decided to continue my descent down the drainage making deep tracks and...Whoomph! It felt like an earthquake with a loud rumble that echoed all around me. I was shaken by how loud it was. I paused for a second and retraced my steps back to the boulder field. Following my trench back to the car, all I could think about was the rumble. Yup. I guess this is why your not supposed to go out in the orange. 
Notes: Kit Carson Peak and Challenger Point by any route is a technical winter climb and stable snow is a must. The Spanish Creek approach with an ascent up the south couloir seemed like the best fit for a winter route because south facing snow is usually the safest aspect. The Spanish Creek approach starts on a road but then gets a bit rough with down trees and it's not very well defined. I followed whatever tracks I could find, but with the downed trees I kept losing the path. I really thought I was all alone until I reached the upper basin and heard someone shout in the distance “On belay” It then dawned on me that there must be people climbing The Prow. I switched over to crampons and climbed the south couloir which was easy snow up to the Kit Carson Avenue. I could still hear the other climbers yelling at each other on there way up. I decided to cross the avenue, taking my time, making sure every foot and ice axe placement was secure. A slip in this area would most certainly be fatal. I hit the summit of Challenger Point, but on my way back to the avenue I had the pleasure of running into the other climbers while they were on their way up. Here it was Derek Wolfe and his partner. I crossed back over the avenue and tagged the summit of Kit Carson. The descent was quick going down the snow but I still had trouble following my route back, even with GPS. 
Notes: Sunshine Peak and Redcloud Peak from the Mill Creek trailhead is a steep and direct route, which would normally require the south and southeast aspects to be safe. This year the San Juan Mountains were having there worst start to winter since the 70s, and I needed all of them, so it was time to get started. To avoid spending a night in the cold, I left my home in Granby at 3am and made the long drive to the Mill Creek trailhead. It was a steep ascent up to treeline which was around where the snow started. Snow coverage was thin, and so I was able to just boot it up the slope to the summit of Sunshine. I then could see that the traverse was completely dry over to Redcoud Peak. The wind gusts on the traverse were some the worst I have ever experienced, often times bringing me to ground. I was able to skirt the summit of Sunshine Peak on the return around the northeast side. These are some easier winter peaks and are generally in for safe climbing at some point every winter. With the exceptionally low snow pack, any other peak would have been a better use of my time. 
Notes: The Uncompaghre Peak south ridge route is generally avalanche safe with a just a few areas of concern if climbing after a storm. The winter closure is right at the start of Nellie Creek Rd where I was able to find a nice area to car camp. When I went to bed the temperature was in the negatives, but it was nearly 30 degrees when I got started in the morning. With the exceptionally low snow pack, no winter gear was needed, and I just followed the summer route up to the summit. Once again, any other peak would have been a better use of my time. 
Notes: Mount Sneffels by any route is a technical winter climb and stable snow is a must. The San Juan Mountains were still in a drought, with little to no snow depending on aspect. To save myself a night in the cold, I left my home in Granby around 3am and made the long drive down to the winter closure heading into Yankee Boy Basin. With the exceptionally low snowpack, I was able to do the tour of Mount Sneffels with a southwest ridge ascent and the south slopes descent in nearly dry conditions except for microspikes in a few sections. 
Notes: El Diente Peak and Mount Wilson are in the dirty dozen. By any route these peaks are technical, difficult, and require a very stable snow pack. The winter closure for Kilpacker basin adds an extra five miles each way, however most people like to get these peaks from the Cross Mountain trailhead starting with Mount Wilson and doing the double traverse out to El Diente Peak and back. With the exceptionally low snowpack, and being able to drive to the Kilpacker trailhead, my plan was to get all three peaks in the Wilson group. This was a such rare opportunity in the San Juan's and I was actually starting to think that if I could get the Chicago Basin group a few days later, that just maybe, I could get all the winter 14ers done without camping. So if this went well, I was going to gear up a few days later and make a run at the Chicago Basin group before the next storm came in. It was a cold night at the Kilpacker trailhead. I woke up shivering a few times and had to turn on the car for some heat. It was -10 degrees when I got started, but it immediately warmed up as soon as I got into the trees. The ascent up El Diente Peak went smooth and from the summit it was amazing to see how dry every thing was. I put on microspikes and cruised across the traverse. Towards the end I dropped down and joined the southeast slopes route and climbed the rubble and loose snow up to the summit of Mount Wilson. 
I was exhausted at this point, but I still wanted to go for Wilson Peak. I started working my way down the north slopes, and something just didn't feel right. The whole day didn't feel right. I wasn't sure if I had the gas in the tank for another peak. There's like, no snow. I'm wearing microspikes and my summer hiking boots. I don't have crampons, or an ice axe. Does this even count? I'm all for easier conditions, but this felt like cheating. However, there is a train run right now of people with far more experience, and much farther down the list than I. Other people believe this counts. So of course this counts. The object of the game is to stand on the summits during the calendar winter. But it felt lame, more like early fall. So I thought, come back and climb Wilson Peak the right way. And just like that. I found a reason that justified turning around. I retreated back up and descend the southeast slopes of Mount Wilson and called it a day. Even though I just got my first two peaks in the dirty dozen, I was actually kinda bummed because this meant I was going to miss out on a once in a lifetime opportunity to get the Chicago Basin group in a single push. I just didn't have the fitness at the time. 
Intermission Since this is a winter trip report, it wouldn't be complete without showing off how cool my kids are. They love the Rail yard and Dark Territory jumps in Winter Park Resort. I've had a few scary moments climbing peaks, but it's far more nerve racking watching my kids launch off of 50 and 60 foot jumps. This kind of stuff is really dangerous.
Notes: Crestone Peak by any route is technical and requires a stable snow pack. The Sangre de Cristo Mountains at the time were much below there normal snow pack levels, so an an ascent of Crestone Peak and a traverse to Crestone Needle was the plan. This would be the first time I would do the Cottonwood Creek approach and of course it took a lot longer than I had planned. There are a few places on the approach where route finding is difficult and sometimes turns into a scramble. Am I supposed to climb this slab? It was mixed conditions at the start of the red gully but it quickly turned into a white gully. I scoped out the traverse on the way up but by the time I hit the summit and made my way back down to the turn for the traverse, it was too late. With how short the days are this time of year I would have been descending the Needle in the dark so it was an easy decision. At least this allowed me to do most of the deproach with the remaining daylight. 
Notes: Crestone Needle by any route is technical and requires a stable snow pack. Snow levels were still fairly low so it was back up the Cottonwood Creek approach. Having just been up the route a few weeks prior, I can't say I made that much better time. Just past Cottonwood Lake, I stepped in some trap door snow and sunk down to my crotch and twisted my ankle a little. Looked like a marmot hole. The gully was mostly mixed conditions, but the crux was the traverse to west gully as it was quite slippery being covered with rime and ice. More snow would of been easier. The Needle is still one of my most favorite peaks to stand on. 
Notes: Missouri Mountain west ridge is the safest route to the summit in the winter. There are a few areas of concern near treeline but most of these areas can be avoided by ascending exposed ribs to get to the west ridge. I had to start at the Sheep Gulch trailhead since that was the farthest I could make it up the road. The route starts out on what would be a 4wd road and moves quickly for the first three miles. Upon reaching Clohesy Lake I trenched through relatively open trees to treeline where I dropped my snowshoes. I was able to ascend wind swept ribs easily avoiding any avalanche danger till I reached the more prominent west ridge. The west ridge then joins the summer route which has the same crux as the summer, but is then followed by a moderate steep snow crossing to regain the ridge to the summit. 
Notes: Capitol Peak is in the dirty dozen. Out of all the 14ers, Capitol is considered by many the most difficult technically, to summit in the winter as well as the summer. The peak had recently claimed five lives in the summer of 2017. So with that looming around in my head, I was very nervous about making this attempt. The approach requires a very stable snow pack, and consolidated snow on the ridge. I rolled up to the trailhead around midnight during a light snow shower and rested my eyes for about an hour. Attempting this peak on no sleep didn't really help my confidence so I rolled up a $2 bill, snorted a line across the dashboard, chased that with some meth, and I was ready to go! Just kidding. But what is the difference between that and a Rock Star energy drink? Most people choose to rope up on the ridge, so I brought some webbing and cord so I could rig up an emergency rappel if needed. No prior tracks were found after the creek crossing, where I got myself in a mess trying to get through the trees. This time of year, the sun doesn't come up till around 7am, so the sleep demons really bothered me on the approach to Moon Lake. At Moon Lake I fell in some trap door snow down to my chest. Climbing out was no problem, but kinda scary. My pace was slow, but I kept working my way into the upper basin walking under some steep slopes. 
When I reached the base of “K2” I geared up for the ridge; snowshoes off, crampons on, ice axe out. I noticed I had less than a liter of water, so I stuffed my water bladder full of snow. I made a few moves up “K2” but was having a difficult time. I was exhausted, dehydrated, and dealing with leg cramps, so I stepped back down thinking it was time to turn around due to exhaustion. I then popped a couple gels and gave it another shot reaching the summit of “K2” at noon. The ridge consists of mostly third class mixed climbing with a few sections of fourth and fifth class climbing with a very high level of exposure. I slowly worked my way across the knife edge and up the ridge with a few brief passing snow showers. 
I was now at the crux of the route, which requires a traverse across some very steep, sketchy, poorly bonded snow, followed by some low fifth class mixed climbing to regain the ridge. This is the section most people rope up for. Crossing that slope may have been the most dangerous thing I have ever done as it just felt like the snow was going to blow out beneath me, and send me tumbling 1,500 feet down the mountain. I just kept saying to myself; Good gosh, am I really doing this? This is so irresponsible. I have two kids at home. A little bit more third and fourth class ridge climbing and I reached the summit at 2:40pm! The view of Pier Lakes Basin was spectacular. 
A few pictures of the ridge taken on the descent. Top of "K2" - After climbing over "K2" - The knife edge The down climb went a little faster and I was back at the base of “K2” at 5:00pm with just two hours of daylight remaining. My crampon straps were so frozen I had to use a lighter to melt the ice to get them off. The hike out was extremely slow. I was so tired my pace was down to just one mile an hour and the sleep demons were really persistent. At midnight, I finally made it back to the car. 
Notes: La Plata Peak northwest ridge route is generally considered avalanche safe, but only if the winter variation is followed which stays more ridge direct and avoids the west slopes of the summer route. This route can be quite popular and tracks up this route will be common. I was able to ditch my snowshoes at treeline, just before the head wall. The climb of the head wall is a little steep and loose and microspikes or crampons can come in handy here. Then it's a nice gradual walk to the summit. 
Notes: Mount Of The Holy Cross is one of the longest winter 14er routes. This is because of the Tigiwon winter road closure, which adds 8.5 miles each way. The route requires a stable snow pack as there is an unavoidable north facing slope that you must cross under. Sometimes this slope can be wind swept. Brad McQueen and his crew were up there a week prior, but with a good storm in between, I figured their tracks would be gone. I parked right at the locked gate on Tigiwon Rd, laid down, and fell into a deep sleep when suddenly I was woken by a loud bang on my window with flashy light all around me. Scared the crap out of me. It was the police. I rolled down my window and the officer said, “There is no camping in the town of Minturn!” I just said' “Sorry officer, I was just trying to get some quick rest. I'm planning on heading up Holy Cross in a few hours.” He then ran my license, came back and said, “Be safe up there.” and that was the end of that. But now I'm up and starting earlier than I had originally planned. The road was groomed and well packed by snowmobiles which made for quick travel. I hustled and made it up to the summer trailhead much faster than I was anticipating. I didn't want to be on top of Half Moon Pass in the dark. I had to kill some time, so I sat in the cold bathroom for about 30 minutes. There were lots of tracks up Half Moon Pass from back country skiers, but on top of the pass, all traces were gone. 
I descended Half Moon Pass and crossed the suspect slope right at treeline. I then continued trenching north down low angle terrain where I picked up some old tracks most likely left by the previous party. Snowshoeing continued up to 13,400 feet and then rock hopped to the summit. Now having a solid trench in place through Cross Creek, I trekked back up and over Half Moon Pass and hustled down the road and finished in just under 17 hours. Everything went so much faster than what I was thinking, as I was planning on a 20+ hour day. 
Notes: So why do we have to do North Massive? Because Aaron Ralston said so. North Massive is not even a ranked peak, however I believe all winter 14er finishers have completed this summit just because. It really isn't much more effort anyway. Mount Massive east ridge route is generally considered avalanche safe. Starting from the Leadville Fish Hatchery, the area is popular among back country skiers and the Highline Trail will almost always be tracked up to the junction with the Colorado Trail. I had been up Mount Massive previously in the winter, but this time I wanted to add in North Massive as well. Once I reached treeline on the Highline Trail, instead of going straight to the Mount Massive east ridge, I headed towards the North Massive east ridge. I was able to find a safe ascent route up to ridge which was wind swept all the way to the summit. Getting off the summit of North Massive requires a little bit of a scramble and I continued over Massive Green to the final summit of the day, Mount Massive. Having been up there before, the east ridge route moves fairly quickly and I used my GPS to get back to the Highline Trail. 
Notes: Wetterhorn Peak by any route is technical, requires a stable snow pack, and comes with the added bonus of a long approach. The winter closure starts at the Nellie Creek trailhead and it's 6.5 miles to the summer trailhead. I was able to follow an old snowmobile track to the junction with Matterhorn Creek, where I put on snowshoes. With the avalanche rating in the green for all aspects, trenching wasn't that difficult and the snow was rather supportive. This is what I would call a golden snow day, where the snow was nothing less than perfect for winter travel. The most dangerous part of the entire route is probably on the approach near 11,200 feet where you have to cross under a southwest facing slope. I chose to stay low in this area close to the creek and then ascended in the trees where I rejoined the summer route. The basin was beautiful with smooth untouched snow as far I could see. Wetterhorn Peak finally came into view and I worked my way across the basin and up to the ridge. At this point I was down to just a single layer of clothing. The weather was warm and windless. Most of the scrambling sections along the ridge were melted out but traction was still necessary. The crux summit pitch was no more difficult than the summer. This was a very enjoyable winter summit with the most perfect conditions. 
Notes: Wilson Peak is the dirty dozen, but some say it's the easiest peak of the dirty dozen. Any route is going to be technical and requires a very stable snow pack for a safe ascent as the approach and the climb require crossing many avalanche prone slopes. With the avalanche rating in the green, I chose to start at the Cross Mountain trailhead with an ascent up the south slopes to the west ridge. This area is popular among back country skiers and I had some old tracks to follow up to Lizard Head Pass. Trenching was effortless as the snow was very supportive. This was another golden snow day. It's a scenic approach going over Lizard Head Pass, and then the face of Wilson Peak comes into view. Travel through Bilk Basin moved quickly. 
When I reached the south slopes, I switched over to crampons, however the snow had softened quite a bit, and I was sinking down past my knees. I just kept aiming for the dry rib above me. I scrambled up the steep rib and the the rest of the route came into view. Wow, this just got real! The scrambling along the west ridge was was slow, tedious, and exciting. This is also part of the summer route that would be rated class three, however with snow, this route requires you to be more ridge proper making this section of the climb more like class four. With careful steps, and the weather being warm and windless, I finally reached the summit. The descent went quick, because I could just plunge step down the south slopes. This was another very enjoyable winter summit with the most perfect conditions. I only had to use a headlamp for maybe the first 30 minutes of the approach. I'm really glad that I made the decision a few years ago to come back and do this peak the right way.
South slopes approach - West ridge difficulties 
Notes: A reservation is required to climb Culebra Peak. I attempted to get a reservation for myself earlier in the season but was denied, as I received a response stating that they will not allow solo reservations in the winter. I had seen reports of others getting solo reservations, so I tried again a few weeks later and got the same response. If those are the rules, then so be it. Culebra Peak isn't a very exciting peak in the summer or the winter, so I really didn't care about not getting the official solo check mark. The ranch requires that there are other people on the mountain anyway. I've been on the ranch a few times previously, and it seems like their rules are always changing, and an argument isn't gonna go anywhere. Lauren also needed Culebra Peak for her 14ers, so we booked our reservation together. Culebra Peak northwest ridge route is generally considered avalanche safe. If avalanche conditions are heightened, the ranch will most likely cancel your reservation for you. The day before our reservation, we were at the Sand Dunes National Park and the entire world shut down due to Covid. Disney Land is shut down. The kids school is shut down. Just about every corporation in America is shutting down. Is our reservation for Culebra Peak still good? We spent the night in front of the gate at the ranch and we were relieved when someone came and opened the gate at 6am. There was one other couple climbing as well, so we took off a little before them. I wasn't going to let anyone take any of the trenching away from me. We had a snowmobile track to follow part of the way but the trenching got a little deeper past four way. It was a cold day up there with more rime than I have ever seen. I told Lauren that if she has any desire to complete the Centennials, then we better go over and tag Red Mountain as well. Don't make the same mistake I did. They really don't give you very much time to get both peaks. The ranch requires that your checked out by 6pm so we didn't have a lot of time time to spare, and we move at a more than reasonable pace. 
Summit selfie - Rime 
Notes: Castle Peak and Conundrum Peak are slightly technical and require a very stable snow pack. The approach through Montezuma basin is often referred to as the valley of death as you will be crossing under steep snow on mostly southerly aspects followed by a climb on a northeast aspect. The winter closure starts at Ashcroft adding 1.8 miles each way. The Elk mountains hadn't had snow for weeks, and the avalanche rating was in the green. The road was groomed, and I didn't have to put on snowshoes till near Pearl Pass. There were so many boot prints, snowshoe prints and ski tracks everywhere. There were other cars at the trailhead. Are there people in front of me? As I got higher up into Montezuma Basin, I could see a group of people in front of me climbing up the snow towards Castle Peak. I crossed under the steep slopes of Malamute Peak and started climbing up. When I caught up with the group, I realized it was Travis, who I had known from a Colorado Springs 14ers happy hour a few years prior. This was also when I noticed that I was completely out of water. With it being cold and windy with intermittent snow showers, there was no way to melt snow in my pack. I was just going to have to deal with being a little dehydrated for a few hours, until I got back to the creek crossing. The climb up Castle has just one short class 2+ scramble just before the summit. I pushed on over to Conundrum Peak, tagged both summits and returned back over Castle Peak. I got to chatting with Travis for a bit on the descent, and we played leap frog a few times before parting ways. 
Notes: I few days prior I got a message from Brad McQueen that him and Justin Becker were gonna go for Snowmass Mountain. I was literally planning for the same climb on the same day. Amy Gray was also going to be there, but she was going for Hagerman Peak and that route breaks off at Geneva Lake. The group got started about an hour and a half before me. I caught up with them near the first steep snow crossing just past Crystal. I took control of the trenching efforts from here, with the snow being mostly supportive. At around 9,800 feet in Lead King Basin, I trenched up the south slopes east of the summer route. Trenching was deep and steep, and it was a fight up to the shelf before Geneva Lake. However, the group didn't follow my tracks, as they opted to stay near the summer route and crossed the east slope of Meadow Mountain. It didn't feel right leaving anyone behind so I waited for them for about thirty minutes, which gave me some time to fuel and hydrate. Amy broke off from here, and I continued up with Brad and Justin to the base of the west slopes. We transitioned to crampons, but the snow immediately changed around 12,500 feet. We were pretty much swimming at this point as the snow was just bottomless facets. The only way to get traction was to dig to the bottom. I was a little bit above Brad and Justin fighting away at the snow. Progress was extremely slow. Then Brad yelled from below and said they were turning around. I was a little torn by this decision. Had I been on my own, I probably would of kept fighting the snow. It's doubtful I would I would have made the summit, but the day was still young. But I will admit. It was starting to feel a little sketchy. Wet slides were in the forecast. I wasn't gonna be a headline. This defiantly wasn't a good experience either. It just wasn't meant to be. Maybe there was a reason we ended up planning this climb for the same day. So I retreated and we had great conversation on the hike out. The next day, Amy Gray reported that she had success on Hagerman Peak. 
On March 19th, which was the last full day of winter, I went back to go check out the conditions hoping for a miracle. There was a good storm since the the last attempt, but I had to go see what I could find. Trenching was difficult and when I made it to the first steep snow crossing after Crystal, it was obvious that no miracles were going to happen. 
Notes: Lauren and I were on the Resolution lift at Copper Mountain, when I saw the report from Brad McQueen that he was able to successfully summit Sunlight Peak and Windom Peak on January 10th. I was shocked to read this. Oh my gosh. The trench is in. Snow is predicted next week. This might be as good of an opportunity as I'm going to get. There is no way I have the fitness for this, but ready or not I gotta try. I spent the next couple days trying to fast track my fitness, and gearing up for the big push. I then made the long drive down to the San Juans, parked at the Purgatory resort, and got started around 10pm. The trench was bomber. Completely frozen and I was cruising down the Purgatory Flats Trail, but something just didn't feel right. Everything had just been so rushed trying to get ready for this. My bag was too heavy at 35 lbs. I don't think I calculated my splits correctly. Maybe I should of started earlier? I felt tired already. I don't have the fitness for this. Here I was only about 2.5 miles down the trail and I just thought. I ain't doing this s**t today. The Elks are about to go green. My bag is already packed. Cut your losses. Go back home and get ready for Snowmass. Maybe by some miracle, conditions will get even better and I can take another shot at this. So I turned around, and got some great some great sleep in the parking lot. On the way home I stopped and did two laps on Mount Garfield in Palisade to break up the drive. 
Notes: Snowmass Mountain is in the dirty dozen. Any route to the summit will be technical, and requires a very stable snow pack. The most popular route seems to be the west slopes from the town of Marble using the low road through Crystal for the approach. Boom! Since the start of the winter season this was the first day that the CAIC put the Elks in the green for all aspects and elevations. This was an incredibly rare opportunity, because even when the forecast is in the green, it almost always comes with some strong warnings as well. There was a snowmobile track all the way to Crystal where I put on the snowshoes. The snow was so solid, they were barely even needed. I worked my way past the suspect slopes and reached the summer trailhead. This was another golden snow day where the snow was so firm I was barely even leaving a print, so this time, instead of going up the south slopes through the trees, I decided to stay on the Geneva Lake Trail and crossed the big east facing slope of Meadow Mountain. At 10,800 feet, I left the trail and worked my way through the trees to Geneva Lake. It wasn't even light yet at this point, and I was way ahead of schedule. I took the same route to the base of the west slopes that was taken the previous year on a failed attempt. 
The snow was so much firmer than the last time around. At around 12,400 feet, I was gearing up for the remaining climb, when I looked down and noticed a pair of climbers working there way up the the west slopes. They were moving fast and it wasn't long till they caught up with me. Here it was Justin Becker going for his final winter summit. The remainder of the climb goes up snow and a rib like feature with a few scrambling moves near the top. 
Considering I spend so much time by myself on these peaks it was a special moment to share the summit with with a brand new winter finisher. I got to chatting with Justin and his partner for a good part of the descent. We watched each other cross the east slopes of Meadow Mountain where we parted ways. I was very pleased with the way this climb went as it gave me a real kick in the butt that I needed to get the confidence that maybe I could physically do the Chicago Basin group in a single push. 
Notes: All four peaks of the Chicago Basin group are in the dirty dozen. It's not that these peaks are all that hard technically. It's that they are just so difficult to get to, and the area gets some of the highest snow levels in the state. A very stable snow pack is a must. With the route being over 40 miles long, and a great deal of elevation gain, I knew that I would only be able to get these peaks in a single push one of two ways. An insanely dry start to winter like the 17/18 season that I couldn't make happen, or a well established trench with the most perfect snow conditions imaginable. The San Juan's had an amazing amount of snowfall for the month of December, but so far, other than a couple of weak storms, snowfall was very light in January. I was watching the forecast like a hawk, waiting for the last perfect weather day before the next storm to go for it. January 30th was looking perfect. Wind picks up and temperatures drop on the 31st, and then snow on February 1st . Of course I was watching the conditions reports come in as well. Paul Bearish went in on January 20th and got the Eolus's. Will Erickson got all four on the January 24th. I knew this was going to be the ultimate punishment route. I was worried about my body not being conditioned enough until I heard a quote from the FKT podcast...”If you have a dream, go for it, because there will never be a perfect time. Be proud that you are going to take the risk.” Weather forecast is perfect. The snow pack is around 110%. Avalanche conditions had been in the green for weeks now. Go! On January 29th, I made the long drive from Granby to the Purgatory resort and rested my eyes for a few hours. I'm not sure if it's legal to park there overnight but I parked at the far end of the lower Columbine lot and didn't have any problems. Then it's almost a half mile approach to the trailhead. My journey began at 7:45pm and this was going to be the longest walk in the dark, as well as the longest single push I had ever done. I got my pack weight down to around 30 lbs. I just couldn't get it any lighter. I packed 20 bars and 20 gels. I even left the crampons in the car and took a chance that microspikes would be enough, which turned out to be a great decision. I carried about a dozen hand warmers and a bivy, just in case I needed to hunker down for the night.
The picture of the train tracks is misleading as they were not dry - Morning glow from the east slopes of Mount Eolus For the approach, I was able to boot about 90% of it up to 11,000 feet. There is a really exposed spot on the third mile of the Purgatory Flats Trail. With no run out to self arrest, one slip will quickly send you over the cliff and into a free fall down to the icy Purgatory River. I reached the Animas River bridge at 9:35pm and then took the train tracks which were really terrible to walk on, and crossed the Animas River again at what would normally be the summer train stop. Taking the train tracks adds about two miles each way. It was now 12:15am, and I was now working my way up the Needle Creek Trail. I reached Chicago Basin at 10,800 feet, and filled up with water at 4:00am. I continued up to treeline where I followed some faint frozen snow shoe tracks that I assumed were Will's that were heading towards the Eolus's. Around 12,500 feet, in the bowl below the Eolus's, I noticed I was walking on what appeared to be a bunch of collapsed wind slab. It was so dark that even with my headlamp on max brightness, I had zero visibility of my surroundings. I was still in snowshoes, and I punched through the snow a few times. I was so confused. This wasn't the bulletproof snow that Will had reported days prior. Am I on the right slope? I kept checking my GPS, and sure enough, I was on route. The snow conditions firmed a little higher up and the slope got steeper. At this point the snowshoe ice axe technique was working well when I stopped for a minute and looked around. Here I was over 20 miles from my car. I had been hiking for over ten hours. There was no wind. Nothing but silence. It's very dark and I'm at 13,500 feet when I saw the most amazing view I had ever seen in the mountains. There was tiny glow on the horizon, abundant stars with maybe a ten percent illuminated crescent moon. Like something you would see out of a sci-fi movie. A picture could not capture this moment. The sun came up in the time it took me to get to the saddle between the Eolus's. I then dropped some gear, and scrambled to the summit of North Eolus at 8:10am. 
The sun was out in full force but my sunblock was still frozen. I then scrambled the class four ridge direct to the summit of Mount Eolus at 9:15am. While I had been up Mount Eolus several times in the summer, I had never climbed the ridge direct, and I found it to be much more efficient and enjoyable than the summer route. 
My body was already tired, but it was still early and I had a lot of daylight left to get Sunlight Peak and Windom Peak. No way was I going to abandon them. I followed my tracks down the east slopes of Mount Eolus, and trekked across Twin Lakes to the base of Sunlight Peak. 
Inversion heating is real. It had to be one of the warmest days I have ever experienced in the mountains as I was down to just one layer and it still felt really hot. The snow had really softened and my pace was slowing. I'm pretty sure the caffeine gels I was consuming were all duds. Being so tired, the scrambling along the ridge felt hard, reaching the summit at 1:45pm. The summit block was completely dry. 
To get down the slopes of Sunlight Peak, it was face in down climbing with snowshoes. The ridge to Windom Peak was mostly windswept. My body just didn't want to move. I was down to taking a knee every ten steps. The rock hopping was annoying and slow, and I reached the final summit of the day at 4:25pm. 
When I got back down to Twin Lakes the sun had already dropped behind the ridge line. It's around a 22 mile walk back to the car from here and this is where the real suffering began. My body was so tired. I was sure I was going to have to take a nap, but I just kept putting one foot in front of the other. The snow had softened, so I wasn't able to boot the Needle Creek Trail. It was a slow snowshoe back down to the summer train stop. It was now 10:15pm. I had never really pushed passed the 24 hour mark before, and it's amazing what happens to the mind and body after that point. Somewhere near the Needle Creek bridge is where things started to get weird. There was a sign with two characters. One male and the other female. They were dancing. I didn't realize what was happening at the time. I continued walking the tracks and it was almost as if I wasn't alone anymore. I kept hearing voices and they continued to get louder. I would even shout out hoping for a response, but no response followed. I then realized, this was all in my head. I was hallucinating. The temperature felt like it was dropping. I was wearing everything I had, including hand warmers and toe warmers and I was still cold. At one point the hallucinations were so bad, I sat down and shut my eyes for a few minutes just to make them stop. The relief didn't last long, but it was now 2:30am and I was at the Animas River bridge. I just kept looking down at my feet. It's 4.5 miles of uphill from here, and my pace was around one mile per hour at this point. Part way up the Purgatory Flats Trail, there appeared to be an object with spinning flashy lights that resembled the shape of a UFO. As I got closer to the object, I realized it was just a pile of snow. I made it back to the car at 6:15am just before sunrise and I had just walked through two cold winter nights. I hit my “I'm OK” button on my spot tracker and Lauren immediately called and asked how I was feeling... My response was, “I think a normal person would check them self into a hospital right now.” I took a nap, drank a rock star energy drink, and made the long drive home to Granby. My wonderful Lauren made me cake in celebration. 
Notes: Mount Bierstadt is know for being one of the easiest 14ers in the winter, and the route is the same as the summer. The west slopes route is generally considered avalanche safe and the route is the same as the summer. The road is closed 1.5 miles below the summer trailhead, and there is a slide path on the approach that should be considered suspect. It's a popular peak, requiring little to no winter gear gear, as the area is usually windswept. I left the snowshoes in the car, and traveled light. 
Notes: Handies Peak is sometimes referred to as “The Elusive One” as the peak is far away from any town. While not technically difficult, the winter route travels through an avalanche trap, so a very stable snow pack is required for the approach. The last thing I ever want to do is camp, so I left early and made the long drive from Granby down to the Cataract Gulch trailhead. The first 2.5 miles are on road, but the terrain gets steep heading up into Boulder Gulch. Your basically walking in or near the creek bed with steep walls of snow on both sides. This might be the most dangerous terrain trap of all of the winter 14ers. When I got to the ridge, it was completely windswept, and I dropped my snowshoes there. For me the ridge was mostly tundra walking with a few short scrambling sections of easy class three climbing to the summit. My plan was to go for San Luis Peak the next day, but as I was driving to Creed over Slumgullion Pass, a herd of elk ran out in front of me and I hit one of them. It was dark, and I couldn't have been going over 25mph. The elk that I hit fell down, but got right back up and ran away with the herd. The car took all the damage. Busted the bumper, bent the hood, and broke the headlight, yet my little jeep compass made it to the town of Creed just fine. 
Notes: This was a rough day. After wrecking the car, I had spent the night at the staging area at the start of the Bachelor Loop. In the early morning hours, I tried driving up West Willow Creek Rd, CR 503, but it wasn't plowed so I went back down and parked at the staging area. I guess I'm starting from here. I don't mind adding a few extra miles, but this was not what I was planning on. After walking four miles up CR 503, I came to an intersection with a road that was plowed. What the heck. Is there another road that comes up here? I was little frustrated at this point, thinking I should of done more research and of course this haunted me for the rest of my hike. I continued up West Willow Creek Rd to the summer trailhead and trenched my way up to the top of the pass. I looked out at San Luis and decided. This just wasn't my day. I screwed up the route. The car is wrecked. I'm done. When I got back to my car where I had cell phone service, I looked at google maps and realized that there is another road that goes up there. So before leaving I figured I should drive it and see if it goes. I drove up CR 504 to the point where it intersects CR 503 right where I was just a few hours earlier. Wow! This would have been a lot easier. 
Notes: San Luis Peak from the southwest could be called an avalanche safe route. Most of the terrain traps can be mitigated but it's best to get this one done in ideal conditions with a stable snow pack. Knowing how to get to the trailhead this time around, it was time to get this peak done. I spent a cold night up there and got an early start. Snowshoes were on and off for the approach. I then trenched up to the top of the pass were San Luis Peak comes into view. The pass has an elevation of 12,300 feet and the route descends to the base of the mountain at 11,000 feet. Trenching through the trees and navigating the dead fall is probably the crux of the entire route. The entire face of the mountain was completely dry so I picked a rib and ascended it to the summit on a warm and windless day. 
Notes: Pikes Peak northwest slopes route is generally considered an avalanche safe, and the route is the same as the summer. There is one area of concern just above treeline, but it's usually windswept. With this route in close proximity to Colorado Springs, it can be a popular one. This is the only peak that offers food, drink, and bathroom facilities on the summit. The route starts at the Rocky Mountain Mennonite Camp just 1.5 miles below the summer trailhead. I had lived in Colorado Springs for seven years, and have done a few winter ascents of Pikes Peak, but none of them were on my own so I had to go back. When I rolled up to the trailhead, there were maybe seven or eight cars, so I left the snowshoes behind. The wind can be quite brutal above treeline. Even with my late start, I saw around a dozen people on route. Some of the them were going to take the train down. I stopped in the summit house for about thirty minutes and refilled water. Of course I forgot my wallet, so no donuts for me. The summit house can be an extra friendly place with all the tourists asking how the hike was, while giving you a look as if your crazy just for walking up a mountain. I ran into Andrew Gagnon and his wife on the summit. This route can be a cruiser on the way down. I just wanted to get out of the wind as fast as I could. 
Notes: North Maroon is in the dirty dozen. Any route to the summit will be technical and requires a very stable snow pack. The safest route requires a long approach up Snowmass Creek to the base of the west slopes. The winter closure is just over a half mile below the summer trailhead. While it is possible from the east with a shorter approach, that would require the east slopes to be stable which is a rarity in the Elks. I'd been watching the avalanche rating waiting for the west slopes to go green. With the route being such a long approach, success would be determined on how supportive the snow is. When the green light finally came in, it just so happens that Chris Fisher was going for the winter record and was joined by Andrew Hamilton the day prior. They completed the double bells traverse. When I was at the trailhead getting some gear together, I got to meet the dream team and congratulate them on their success. At this point in my winter 14er journey, I needed just three more peaks to finish at the start of the season, and Fisher was going for all 59 in a single season. He was now closer than I was with just one peak remaining. The forecast was calling for sunny skies, but with high winds. I laid down at the trailhead and got a few hours sleep prior to my start. The first few miles of the Snowmass Creek Trail were boot packed as usual, but what helped the most was how supportive the snow was. The approach has a lot of open areas and Chris and Hamilton's ski tracks were completely swept away. When I popped out of the trees the snow was bulletproof, and I was able to take a break from the snowshoes and boot it to the base of North Maroon Peak. 
I looked up the slope that leads to the Gunsight Tower and there were no tracks to be found. Hard to believe people were up there just a day prior. With it being so cold, I had to thaw out my water line, and put down some nearly frozen Reeses peanut butter cups. The snow was excellent for climbing. The traverse around the Gunsight Tower was the steepest snow crossing I had ever had ever done. After the traverse I found the route finding to be complicated. The route up and along the northwest ridge is an impressive one that really tests all skills with lots of third and fourth class climbing. It was cold and windy which made for a less than desirable summit experience. It was one of those situations where you can't have any exposed skin. 
I hadn't eaten or drank anything for hours. I made quick work of the descent, and was able to glissade down the slope to where I had dropped some gear. It was much warmer once I got into the tress and out of the wind. With this route being so long, it was a big relief to get this one done. 
Notes: Pyramid is in the dirty dozen. Any route to the summit will be technical and requires a very stable snow pack. The avalanche rating was green. The forecast was calling for some light snow showers, and I needed just two peaks to finish this project. Maroon Creek Rd is closed at the T-Lazy-7 Ranch which adds over six miles each way. The great thing about this road is that it's usually groomed on a daily basis and it's a popular place for Nordic skiers. I had thought about using skis for the approach, but for me, I knew that would take even longer. When I got to the Maroon Lake parking area, I was surprised to see that the summer bathroom was open and had a light on. No tracks past Maroon Lake, and the trenching was difficult. This was one of those times where the avalanche rating was green, but the snow was just bottomless, unconsolidated sugar. My track through the willows was a mess of a maze to the base of the west couloir. I dropped my snowshoes, put on crampons, and started climbing the snow. For the next maybe 200 feet the snow was supportive and great for crampons, until I started sinking down to my thighs with every step. So I moved left and climbed the rib with a mix of snow and unpleasant loose rock. Every time I would step in the snow I would just sink to the bottom, so I tried to put together as many rock sections as could. The top of the rib leads to the northwest ridge where the real difficulties began. There was a light dusting of snow from the day prior which made the crux head wall a little sketchy. I couldn't believe how slow this route was moving. 
Below the rubble gully - Above the rubble gully - 4th Class "crux" Section It's now 1:30 pm and the summit is in view with maybe 200 feet to go. With stable snow conditions I cut right across the bowl on steep snow and it was a fight to get to the JP sneak. For me the crux was the JP sneak as it was full of sugar like snow. I basically had to clean it out on my way up to find the holds. Then I was having problems finding the safest line up to the summit ridge. After trying several lines, I made some tuff exposed moves on an arete like feature which finally got me up there. I hit the summit under a light snow shower at 3pm when all of the sudden there was a large burst of thunder. Upper mountain temps were mild and comfortable with no wind while everything below was cold. Inversion heating is a real thing. 
With very little daylight left I needed to get down the difficult sections of the mountain before dark. I had a hundred feet of cord with me, so I reinforced the anchor at the top of the crux wall and used my line as a hold to down climb. Darkness set in at the start of the northwest ridge and I was still 1,500 feet above treeline. When I got back down to my snowshoes, the temperature had really dropped. I made an attempt to warm up in the bathroom, but even with hand and toe warmers, it was a long shivering walk back to the car. 
The Maroon Peak Crux Maroon Peak is in the dirty dozen. I might be a little biased, but I would argue that Maroon Peak is the hardest one to get. It's not that the climb is all that difficult technically, or length. It's just never "in" for safe climbing. The CAIC occasionally puts the Elk mountains in the green, but it almost always comes with a warning on the east slopes. The only way to avoid the east slopes is to do the double traverse from Snowmass Creek. Most people climb the Bell Cord couloir which is a steep 3,000 feet east facing snow climb. I was kicking myself for not climbing the Bell Cord on the day that I had success on Snowmass Mountain in January 2022 when the light was green with no warnings. 
Notes: The CAIC had put the avalanche rating in the green, but it came with a warning. Wind had created stiff slabs on east facing slopes. I started from the winter closure at 2:21am which was the first official minute of calendar winter. I had my mind set on climbing the Bell Cord, but if that didn't go well, I was going to check out the standard route. On the approach, there were good signs of snow consolidation and my confidence was high. Trenching from the trailhead to base of Maroon Peak went smooth. When I reached the apron of the Bell Cord at 6:30am, the snow changed to stiff bulletproof slab. This was the exact slab the CAIC had issued a warning about, especially on steep slopes. An avalanche was going to be unlikely but possible. At this point I was just looking for any reason to turn around. The stiff slab made for excellent traction and I was making great time. No signs of instability. The lower garbage chute looked like it had some ice flow farther up in the choke, but I wasn't planning on going that way anyway. I worked my way up between the cliff bands and was stopped by another ice flow. I then backed off and tried going up and around the cliff bands to the right when I noticed some weird holes in the snow. I looked down in there and it was a deep crevasse covered by a thin layer of snow that could of easily swallowed me up. This was more than enough warning for me to call it. Even though the snow cover was thin, it just didn't feel right. I had only made it up to around 11,200 feet. The day was still young, so I decided to go check out the standard route. I don't know why, because I had never heard of anyone ever doing the standard summer south ridge route in the winter, but I needed to go see it for myself. The trail was of course buried, but I stayed rather close to the summer trail up to 11,200 feet again, and I scoped out a possible route. At this point it was too late in the day to even make an attempt, but I could see why no one had ever reported doing this route in the winter before as it would require crossing several big snow filled gullies and slopes. 
Notes: The avalanche forecast was green, but it came with the same warning as my previous attempt earlier in the season. I didn't have much confidence going into this day, but I had to go see what I could find. When I got to upper portion of the apron, there was wet slide debris off to my right. The snow felt like the same hard slab from my previous attempt and I could already tell that it was over. It was so dark that even with my headlamp on max brightness I had no view of the surrounding cliff bands. The wind was gusty and I had a very eerie feeling. Right when I was below the chimney, the snow beneath me suddenly went whoomph! Scared the crap out of me. Called it. There was another big whoomph heading down the apron, which confirmed my decision. 
Notes: These early winter climbs are such a tough time of the year for me where I'm just coming off my very busy work season. I had basically been glued to a chair staring at a computer screen for for the last eight weeks. My only source of exercise were the 40 minute Insanity workouts everyday. The avalanche rating had been in the green for days but it came with a warning for east slopes above treeline with small slides possible. I really wanted to climb the Bell Cord, but I was concerned about the warning. I didn't want to be climbing bottomless facets either. The snow pack was only around 60%. My gut was telling me to go for the standard summer south ridge route. I figured that with it being early season and a low snow pack, if there was anytime the standard route would go. It would be now. It looked like I was going to have a three day window to get this peak done so if the standard route didn't go, I could take a rest day and then try the Bell Cord. I rolled up to the winter closure to see what the road was looking like, when some guy popped out of his car and asked if I was climbing something tomorrow. It was Paul Bearish. He said he was going to head in the next day, camp, and climb both Bells via the Bell Cord the following day. We got to chatting for a bit and exchanged stories of our winter adventures, but it was time to get a few hours sleep. I got started at 2:20am and the temperature was a mild 30 degrees. The forecast was calling for sunny skies, but breezy with wind gusts up to 45mph. Trenching was easy and there was an old ski track past Maroon Lake. I trenched near the snow covered Maroon Peak Trail to 11,200 feet to right where I stopped the previous year. Even though I was sure I would be off the mountain before dark, I ran a GPS track on my phone from this point to follow just in case. The route I had scoped out crosses under several huge gullies to a rib on the east face. I was sure this would be the most dangerous part of the route. These gullies are much longer, wider and steeper than the bell cord. I sure hope this is the right decision. This is my last peak. Lauren and I just got married over the summer and have full custody of my two kids. I can't mess this up. There is no way this route is safer than the Bell Cord, but at least I wouldn't be climbing steep snow. I made an ascending traverse across the east face to the rib I was aiming for. Not knowing what I would find above, I decided to pack my snowshoes and take them up with me. The rib was somewhat dry, but the last 200 feet was a little more challenging with a steeper grade and sugary snow. 
I reached the top of the ridge at 11:30am and transitioned to crampons. I was expecting the west slopes to be windswept and maybe I could just follow the standard trail, and the ridge was going to be the easy part. Wrong! The first chimney was clean, but as soon as I rounded the corner, the slopes and ledges were loaded with snow. The route from here required lots of steep, fifty plus degree snow traverse. The exposure was extreme, but the snow felt great, as if I were locked in every step of the way. It reminded me of the snow traverse on North Maroon, except steeper, longer, and more consequential. I opted for gully number one, and the broad gully was mostly dry. 
At 2:25pm I reached my final winter summit. There was no summit party or even a selfie. I don't think I was on the summit for more than a minute, as I was worried about getting back through the difficulties before darkness. 
It then took me two hours to get back to the point where I had gained the ridge, and I cruised down the rib with what little light I had left. Now I needed to transition back to snowshoes, but one of my crampon straps was frozen. With it being windy, there was no way I could melt it with a lighter. I didn't even hesitate for a second as I reached for my knife and cut the strap, because at this point I could care less if I ever use these things again. My prints across the east face were erased by the wind and I was glad I had my GPS track follow. I don't think I've ever felt more relieved to be off a mountain and back to the main trail. I soon came across Paul's base camp, and we got to chat for about 15 minutes, before I took off and started the long walk back to the car. Here I had walked past the Bell Cord twice, and with it being so dark, I never even saw it. There were big sections of Maroon Creek Rd that had melted out during the day. Getting this final peak done was more of a relief than it was exciting. The next day the CAIC had put the avalanche rating in the green with no warnings. A few days later Paul reported that he had great conditions on the bell cord. Well that would have been a lot easier, but the final summit was fitting to my journey through the winter 14ers. An unusual route, in an unusual conditions. I touched all 59 summits in calendar winter. PROJECT COMPLETE ! Fun Facts
Decalibron bathroom. How does this Happen ? - Lauren Learning to walk in snowshoes. This is a rather common hazard when using snowshoes and happens to me almost every time I'm out. Conclusion To each their own, but winter summits are far more exciting, interesting, challenging, colder, longer, heavier, slower, dangerous, sketchier, riskier, but most of all, far more rewarding than summer summits. Nowadays you really can't compare with the early finishers. The game has changed. While the number of people going for the winter 14ers is incredibly small, more people are just out taking hikes and establishing trenches. More information is available on the routes. Better avalanche forecasting. Better weather forecasting. I can't say I'm made for winter climbing. I've always had a very difficult time fueling and hydrating no matter what the season, but it's more difficult for me in colder temperatures. I will often go ten hours with just three liters of water and little to no food. This was an incredible way to experience the 14ers. Scott Patterson has a nice write up on summit post on climbing 14ers in the winter. https://www.summitpost.org/colorado-14ers-in-winter/337648 I believe this will be my last Solo Day Hiking report. Lauren and I are currently working on all of the ranked peaks in the Gore Range peaks together. While I still remain active outdoors, my focus has shifted more towards writing music. I plan to release my album in the fall. It's a solo project of course. So for now I leave you with my latest single, “Pointless.” For more Solo Day Hiking adventures, check out my other reports SOLO Day Hiking the Indian Peaks 58 Live the Dream 
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