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After climbing Pyramid the day before, I headed out for Snowmass for my second peak in the Elks that weekend. I decided to head up the West Face route from Lead King Basin, so I drove to the west side of Snowmass through the town of Marble.
I was pleased to find the upper road (FS 315) open to Lead King Basin. My stock 1997 Isuzu Rodeo did just fine. One of the more difficult spots on the road was the river crossing:
I spent the night in Lead King Basin fighting flies and mosquitoes. I was on the trail at 3:40 am after a 3:30 alarm. The hike up the Geneva Lake is pretty. Here's the trail junction a short ways after the trailhead:
The basin was pretty -- lots of wildflowers in bloom:
The route stays on the left side of the waterfalls, and cuts above the main waterfall:
A look back at Lead King Basin:
Lots of people were camping at Geneva Lake. It's a nice spot right now:
I made my way to the base of the West Face Route above Gem Lake:
A short climb above the grassy slope led to the first scrambling move of the day:
In general, I found it easier to stay on top of the rib than just to the right of the rib (and to the left side of the snow). Looking back down on the lower part of the route:
The upper route was straight above me:
I climbed up on the rib on the left side, and stayed on the rib until the summit ridge:
After a short scramble along the ridge, I was on the summit. I arrived at 7:05, for a climbing time of 3:25. Here's a view of Snowmass Lake on the east side:
Here's a view of the ridge line leading to the saddle of the standard route, as well as the S-Route:
I had a great view of the Snowmass - Capitol ridge. Here's a picture looking across it in the early morning light:
Looking back at Geneva Lake and Lead King Basin below:
Here's a self-portrait on the summit:
I headed back down to the car, and decided that Capitol would have to wait. Two peaks in a weekend was enough for this trip. Luckily, I only have two more to go: Capitol and San Luis.
Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):
It must be the Vitamin Water. CytoMax is good stuff, too. You‘ll need a bunch of that next year on the West Buttress...
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