We were able to get up high and have several views of the Interstate 70 corridor and James Peak Wilderness. Here is what we found!
Stevens Gulch: Many lines on the North Face of Mount Edwards are intact. The slopes of Grays Peak look like they could be connected from near the summit to the Torreys saddle. Lost Rat Couloir is still in one piece. The grand face of Torreys Peak including Dead Dog Couloir, East Face Direct, and South Paw looks good. Dead Dog has a runnel formed in the middle. The Emperor Couloir and Tuning Forks on the North and Northwest Face look great! The Southeast Bowl on Kelso is in and a short outing right above the summer parking lot. Earlier this week one could drive to a few hundred yards below the summer parking lot.
Grays (left) and Torreys Peak
Torreys Peak: South Paw, East Face Direct, Dead Dog
Mount Edwards North Face
Mount Spalding: Mount Spalding is accessed at Summit Lake on the Mount Evans Road. The deep Chicago Lakes cirque has a few routes still holding on. Chi-Town looks skiable but is spotty at the bottom. Goldfinger is in and looks steep! The south side of Mount Spalding is above the Summit Lake parking lot. The Sunrise Couloir, Southeast Face, and Top Gun Couloir (to looker’s left of Sunrise) are in. The East Couloir on Gray Wolf Mountain is still skiable, but the lower descent in the bowl is melted out.
Mount Spalding Chicago Lakes Basin
Goldfinger Couloir
Mount Evans North Face: There are many routes still skiable on the North Face of Mount Evans. The North Face Moderate route has a hike down on talus from the upper parking lots to access the snow. The Diamond Couloir looks great and the Apron Bowl looks like a fun ski (access these from Summit Lake). Many people are also skiing the east shoulder from the upper switchbacks.
Mount Evans North Face.
There were many other mountains and faces that we could view from our tours. In the Guanella Pass area, Square Top’s North Couloirs look spotty and measly from the distance. Argentine Peak’s Southeast Face and Northeast Face look good. The Northeast Face holds the Voltage Drop, Amped, and Short Circuit lines. The Santiago Bowl on McClellan Mountain is in, but the lines do not connect to the summit. Bard Peak’s Shakespeare is disconnected in the upper third portion of the route. Pettingell Peak’s Southeast Slopes look skiable but will probably be done after the past few hot days. Hagar’s Southeast Face looks good and skiable! The east slopes of the James Peak Wilderness are holding snow and the descents from Eva, Ida, Bancroft, and James Peak all appeared to be in from the distance. The Abyss Face on Mount Bierstadt looks like a great ski down into the basin below the South Face of Mount Evans.