Mt Bierstadt, 14,060 feet, may 17th 2015
So, another attempt to round up some partners for another 14er ascent/descent was unsuccessful... we had been getting lots of snow up high and it's been raining here forever. I wanted to do another 14er this spring via splitboard and I had a lot of time constraints this weekend, so needed to choose one "close by" and one that would not (or so I thought) take too long. Mt Bierstadt was the perfect choice since it is so rocky most of the season and is rarely in shape to ride, but it was now. This mountain is rated D3/R on the ski mountaineering difficulty/risk scale, so it's no Mt Everest, for sure...
I can’t remember exactly when I got to the winter trailhead (maybe sometime after 7:00 AM, but it was snowing. I made a mistake here in leaving my ski crampons in the car. Also, I didn’t eat enough for breakfast and this came back to haunt me at about 13,000 feet. But at this time, I didn’t realize I made these mistakes.
the road beyond the winter closure gate
So it started with hiking up a slightly snow covered road with the board on the pack. Eventually you get to a switchback where you leave the road and put on the split skis and thrash through the woods for a mile or two ??
leaving the trees and getting into the meadow above timberline
I eventually got to timberline and it was quite windy, but the snow was firm enough to support my weight.. The next drama was crossing a wetland where the ice broke on me and I am in water (splitboard with skins totally submerged) almost above the top of my boots. Getting out of that was a pain, but I managed. I had to scrape the snow off the board that was clumping on due to it being soaked.
a very rare moment where the clouds parted for a minute or so allows me to at least start choosing a route
Ascending the peak was an exercise in trusting the GPS, since it was impossible to see most of the time. There was a cornice and large drop to climber’s left that would have been really bad to fall off of. There were a few other climbers and one skier I saw here and there. I was beginning to realize that I should have taken the ski crampons at this point. I was also starting to bonk. It was harder than I thought to deal with the altitude this day and it was a struggle to gain the summit ridge. Up top, there was another cornice dropping 1500 feet on climber’s right. It was a relief to gain the summit, as I was exhausted from not eating enough beforehand. My hands were going numb just wearing the light gloves I started with and it was time to put on my mid-winter clothes.
summit view (complete with finger in the way) where the heck do I go down?
A few pictures and transitioning to snowboard mode and I was ready to start the descent, but was worried about choosing a line. I didn’t get a good sense of the mountain on the climb since I could not see and I sure couldn’t see any better now.
another rare short break in the clouds allows a view down the mountain
I started slowly, picking my way through rocks and avoiding the 1500’ drop on rider’s left (as you can see from the vid). Eventually it occurred to me to hold my GPS so I could stay somewhat close to my ascent path and that way, I knew I would not get too far off-route.
looking down the ridge, with a skier coming up..
It was very weird riding without being able to see, as I could not see distinguish the snow surface from the sky and I had no idea how fast I was going. The vid isn’t great, but it gives an idea of the long length of the descent and the visibility limitations..
another short view window allows me to see to the east for a few seconds
I had to keep my speed up to get through the willows at the bottom and was able to avoid the spot where I fell into the water on the way up.
during the transition back to tour mode, I looked back at the mountain, and it was pretty clear !! If I would have waited 15 minutes at the top, I could have actually seen where I was going.. DAMMIT !!!
it is momentarily clear
After riding and losing all my speed, I had to transition back to tour mode and ski out (it took maybe another 45 minutes or so?). All in all it was about an 8 mile round trip and took about 5 hours.
not a very good vid, but it gives an idea of conditions, and length, etc..
So, another attempt to round up some partners for another 14er ascent/descent was unsuccessful... we had been getting lots of snow up high and it's been raining here forever. I wanted to do another 14er this spring via splitboard and I had a lot of time constraints this weekend, so needed to choose one "close by" and one that would not (or so I thought) take too long. Mt Bierstadt was the perfect choice since it is so rocky most of the season and is rarely in shape to ride, but it was now. This mountain is rated D3/R on the ski mountaineering difficulty/risk scale, so it's no Mt Everest, for sure...
I can’t remember exactly when I got to the winter trailhead (maybe sometime after 7:00 AM, but it was snowing. I made a mistake here in leaving my ski crampons in the car. Also, I didn’t eat enough for breakfast and this came back to haunt me at about 13,000 feet. But at this time, I didn’t realize I made these mistakes.
the road beyond the winter closure gate
So it started with hiking up a slightly snow covered road with the board on the pack. Eventually you get to a switchback where you leave the road and put on the split skis and thrash through the woods for a mile or two ??
leaving the trees and getting into the meadow above timberline
I eventually got to timberline and it was quite windy, but the snow was firm enough to support my weight.. The next drama was crossing a wetland where the ice broke on me and I am in water (splitboard with skins totally submerged) almost above the top of my boots. Getting out of that was a pain, but I managed. I had to scrape the snow off the board that was clumping on due to it being soaked.
a very rare moment where the clouds parted for a minute or so allows me to at least start choosing a route
Ascending the peak was an exercise in trusting the GPS, since it was impossible to see most of the time. There was a cornice and large drop to climber’s left that would have been really bad to fall off of. There were a few other climbers and one skier I saw here and there. I was beginning to realize that I should have taken the ski crampons at this point. I was also starting to bonk. It was harder than I thought to deal with the altitude this day and it was a struggle to gain the summit ridge. Up top, there was another cornice dropping 1500 feet on climber’s right. It was a relief to gain the summit, as I was exhausted from not eating enough beforehand. My hands were going numb just wearing the light gloves I started with and it was time to put on my mid-winter clothes.
summit view (complete with finger in the way) where the heck do I go down?
A few pictures and transitioning to snowboard mode and I was ready to start the descent, but was worried about choosing a line. I didn’t get a good sense of the mountain on the climb since I could not see and I sure couldn’t see any better now.
another rare short break in the clouds allows a view down the mountain
I started slowly, picking my way through rocks and avoiding the 1500’ drop on rider’s left (as you can see from the vid). Eventually it occurred to me to hold my GPS so I could stay somewhat close to my ascent path and that way, I knew I would not get too far off-route.
looking down the ridge, with a skier coming up..
It was very weird riding without being able to see, as I could not see distinguish the snow surface from the sky and I had no idea how fast I was going. The vid isn’t great, but it gives an idea of the long length of the descent and the visibility limitations..
another short view window allows me to see to the east for a few seconds
I had to keep my speed up to get through the willows at the bottom and was able to avoid the spot where I fell into the water on the way up.
during the transition back to tour mode, I looked back at the mountain, and it was pretty clear !! If I would have waited 15 minutes at the top, I could have actually seen where I was going.. DAMMIT !!!
it is momentarily clear
After riding and losing all my speed, I had to transition back to tour mode and ski out (it took maybe another 45 minutes or so?). All in all it was about an 8 mile round trip and took about 5 hours.
not a very good vid, but it gives an idea of conditions, and length, etc..