Continued from the peak…
We put the skins on and began the short journey up to the head of Cottonwood basin.
Photo: Joe
Photo: Jordan
I chose to skin to broken hand pass, Joe opted to boot.
We re grouped just below the pass where the traverse starts. The group of 3 climbers were about halfway done descending the couloir on the needle. We followed their steps and greatly appreciated the steps.
Photo: Joe
Photo: Jordan
Photo: Joe
We reached the down climb in to the couloir right as the group of 3 were headed back up it. After a few panicked words from the climber in the rear worried about us coming down on top of them we waited for them to pass and then began our own downclimb.
Photo: Joe
Photo: Jordan
I was feeling motivated now. I had been wondering if the Crestones were going to allow me to ski them this year, and the further up the couloir we got, the more excited I got, not to mention we were following a bootpack that was already set for us.
Photo: Joe
Photo:Joe
Photo:Jordan
Photo: Jordan
Photo: Joe
A little way above the ice fall it was Joe’s turn to head on up.
Photo: Jordan
Photo: Jordan
Summit Shots…
Joe:
Photo: Jordan
Jordan:
Photo: Joe
Now one thing I hadn’t mentioned yet is that it got REALLY windy around the time we got to the top. Not just a breeze, but REALLY windy. As I watched Joe drop in to the first couloir off the summit all of the snow chunks and slough that he kicked off came up the couloir instead of down! Let’s get the hell outa here!
Joe skiing:
Photo: Jordan
Photo: Jordan
Jordan Skiing:
Photo: Joe
Joe:
Photo: Jordan
Photo: Jordan
Jordan: I like to bend skis apparently
Photo: Joe
Photo: Joe
Joe:
Photo: Jordan
Photo: Jordan
The skiing was fun:
Photo: Joe
We climbed out of the couloir and traversed over to broken hand pass:
Photo: Jordan
Joe was ahead of me coming in to the pass. As I arrived i found him laying on his side with his hands over his face. We were standing in some of the most insane winds either of us had ever experienced. I have about 50 lbs on Joe, and it was a struggle. Joe couldn’t stand up. Any time I lifted a ski off the ground it tried to take flight. I turned my back to the wind and just leaned against it for a couple minutes. It became apparent that the wind wasn’t going anywhere any time soon. I carefully sidestepped to the nearest snow and sideslipped off the edge. The relief was incredible, in just 5 feet the windspeed must have dropped about 50 mph. We billy goated down to the decent snow below and enjoyed some recycled pow turns down into south colony lakes and back to the sled.
Photo: Joe
Back at the sled Joe went ahead and I towed him up any uphills on the way out. He got to ski around this though:
Photo: Joe
We headed out to the truck and drove in to westcliffe for some beers and food. The next day (sunday) I headed up solo to bag Humbolt and finish off the Sangre’s.
Thanks For reading:
JW