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Report Type 
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Peak(s)  Storm Peak  -  13,495 feet
Date Posted  06/05/2026
Date Climbed   06/04/2026
Author  KTags
 Heavy Load In Velocity Basin   

David and I arrived in the showy Velocity Basin north of Silverton, Colorado just after sunrise on June 4th, 2026 with the intention of getting one last ski mountaineering trip in for the year. What ended up playing out was an ascent of a steep couloir in ski boots, a roped traverse on a very loose ridge with incredible exposure, and weather forcing a long glissade down a classic Silverton area backcountry ski couloir.

Full report here:https://medium.com/@kurttagliareni/heavy-load-in-velocity-basin-san-juan-mountains-colorado-3d00c87cda0f?postPublishedType=repub




Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):
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Comments or Questions
blazintoes
User
Reincarnation
6/8/2026 10:13am
Image

Reading through your report on your site and my heart exploded. I wondered how you reincarnated my partner Kurt Blair. I read and reread then realized how much you remind me of him. Thank you for sharing your experience! Gnar deserves Gnar tacos!
The San Juan’s stole my heart long ago. I’m loving being able to read about so much exciting lines in my favorite range. Nice work Kurt and David!


KTags
User
Heavy heart
6/9/2026 9:01am
Thank you for sharing Blazintoes, I just read that report. my condolences... That's absolutely the most challenging aspect of our chosen hobby, and I keep that in mind often and try to make conservative decisions.

I am glad you enjoyed the write up! I intend to continue doing so to cement lessons learned, recall friends made, and remember the experiences had. I have lost too much information over hundreds of ascents that I took poor notes on, and have resolved to do better. Thanks for sharing in our adventure!


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