#24 Vestal Peak 13,864 ft.
Date: May 9, 2014
Team: Christy, Dav, Ted, Ian Fohrman, Sean Shean
Route: South Couloir
We had been looking forward to skiing Vestal Peak since we began this project. So it seemed fitting that we would get to attempt it on the final day of what was already agreed to be an epic trip, our Weminuche Traverse (read here).
After four challenging days of moving through the mountains, we found ourselves at camp along Vestal Creek. Above us was the mountain’s dramatic North Face, a ramp of quartzite known as the Wham Ridge. The next day, we were hoping to climb and ski this awesome mountain and then break camp and make the big move down and out to the Animas River for the train pick up that afternoon at 2:55 pm. It would be a big effort.
Despite being a classic Colorado climbing route, the Wham Ridge wasn’t our ski goal. It only seems to hold skiable snow on its lower half, and a summit ski descent is what we wanted. So we set our sights on the mountain’s south side, where a narrow couloir led to a steep upper face and a continuous (though very thin and rocky) ski line right from the top.
The climbing was really exciting. The semi-technical, mixed terrain increased in angle as we moved higher, and wind and blowing spindrift made everything more gripping. But once we were on top and could look down the line of Grenadiers to the east and the impressive Needle Mountains to the south, we were all keenly aware that we were experiencing something special.
The skiing was pretty fun, committing off the top with some delicate moves through the exposed rock, but it was filled in enough to allow for a continuous descent. At the bottom of the couloir, we traversed back to the mountain’s long east ridge and the saddle with West Trinity Peak. From there, we cruised north-facing powder all the way back down to camp.
Vestal delivered. It was a memorable outing, augmented by the hustle that ensued to catch the train. Many beers were consumed to honor this five-star day (and week).
Check out Vestal. The big effort to get there will definitely be rewarded.
