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#8 Pacific Peak – 13,950 ft.

Team: Christy, Ted
Route: Southeast Face
Date: April 8, 2013

ski 13ers, atlantic pacific peak,
Skinning up to Pacific’s summit.

We started off the spring 2013 Centennial Skiing season with a trip to Atlantic and Pacific peaks. These two high 13ers, just south of Breckenridge, are part of the Tenmile Range and are easily seen from I-70 as it nears Copper Mountain. Access for peaks in this range is very good, with multiple trailheads and somewhat short approaches. And since these two peaks are connected by a high ridge, they’re a good pair to do together.

The map shows our approach to the two peaks. We opted to come in from the east, starting from the popular Quandary Peak trailhead and following the snow-covered road and the trail up McCullough Gulch. This part of the state is often windy, and as far as ski routes go, the wind-scoured west side of these mountains is often thin on snow and the east aspects can fill in nicely.

mccullough gulch
The approach up McCullough Gulch. Atlantic Peak and its couloirs can be seen out ahead.

It was straightforward skinning up to a high bench between the Pacific and Atlantic, and then up the South Ridge of Pacific to the summit. About four inches of new snow the night before made for some pretty fun skiing down the Southeast Face. We made a short skin up over a little ridge and then continued skiing down towards Atlantic. The weather was in-and-out at this point (there was a small storm forecasted to arrive), and we often found ourselves in mini squalls and high winds.

ski 13ers, pacific peak
Christy skis the Southeast Face of Pacific. Atlantic is the big wind-scoured peak out to the right, and Quandary is the larger mountain to the left.

We’d recommend Pacific (& Atlantic) to others in the future. The access is really good here, the approach is reasonable in effort, and the terrain is fairly moderate for what ski mountaineering can involve. Give these peaks a visit.

Here are some more photos:

ski 13ers, atlantic pacific peak,
Off the top of Pacific.
ski 13ers, atlantic pacific peak,
Christy skiing down to the snow-covered “Pacific Tarn”, one of the highest lakes in Colorado.
ski 13ers, atlantic pacific peak,
Stacking the turns off Pacific.
ski 13ers, atlantic pacific peak,
Climbing up over the little ridge before skiing down towards Atlantic.

______________________________________________________________________________

Date: April 30, 2013
Team: Dav, Pete Gaston, Max Taam
Route: Fletcher to Atlantic to Pacific to Crystal

This was a big linkup. We skied the east side of Fletcher Mountain, then traversed up and over towards Atlantic Peak. From Atlantic we descended north towards Pacific Peak, climbing to its summit and skiing the steep NE Couloir. From there, a fourth skin put us atop Crystal Peak, where we skied the East Face down towards Francie’s Cabin and down to the road where we caught a ride back to the car at McCullough Gulch, the start of our day.

Four Centennial 13ers in one push– this was a great day in the mountains.

fletcher mountain, ski 13ers
Looking down from the summit at the upper East Face of Fletcher. The line descends through the small couloir at center.
Max Taam, mount fletcher
Max Taam lower on Fletcher’s East Face.
pete gaston, max taam, ski 13ers, fletcher mountain
Max and Pete Gaston using their rando gear for something other than racing
NE Couloir Pacific Peak, max taam, pacific peak
The NE Couloir on Pacific Peak. Max Taam skiing.
pete gaston, pacific peak
Pete Gaston lower down in the couloir on Pacific
Pacific peak NE couloir
Pacific peak and the NE Couloir
Chris Davenport, ski 13ers, fletcher mountain
A closing POV shot from a GoPro skiing through the tight spot on Fletcher.
Ski the Centennial 13ers trip reports

Pages

  • #1 Grizzly Peak – 13,988 ft.
  • #2 Stewart Peak -13,983 ft.
  • #3 Columbia Point – 13,980 ft.
  • #4 Pigeon Peak – 13,972 ft.
  • #5 Mount Ouray – 13,971 ft.
  • #6 Ice Mountain – 13,951 ft.
  • #7 Fletcher Mountain – 13,951 ft.
  • #8 Pacific Peak – 13,950 ft.
  • #9 Cathedral Peak – 13,943 ft.
  • #10 French Mountain – 13,940 ft.
  • #11 Mount Hope – 13,933 ft.
  • #12 Thunder Pyramid – 13,932 ft.
  • #13 Mount Adams – 13,931 ft.
  • #14 Gladstone Peak – 13,913 ft.
  • #15 Mount Meeker – 13,911 ft.
  • #16 Casco Peak – 13,908 ft.
  • #17 Red Mountain – 13,908 ft.
  • #18 Emerald Mountain – 13,904 ft.
  • #19 Horseshoe Mtn. – 13,898 ft.
  • #20 “Phoenix Peak” – 13,895 ft.
  • #21 Vermillion Peak – 13,894 ft.
  • #22 Cronin Peak – 13,870 ft.
  • #23 Mount Buckskin – 13,865 ft.
  • #24 Vestal Peak – 13,864 ft.
  • #25 Jones Mountain – 13,860 ft.
  • #26 North Apostle – 13,860 ft.
  • #27 Clinton Peak – 13,857 ft.
  • #28 Dyer Mountain – 13,855 ft.
  • #29 Crystal Peak – 13,852 ft.
  • #30 Mount Edwards – 13,850 ft.
  • #31 California Peak – 13,849 ft.
  • #32 Mount Oklahoma – 13,845 ft.
  • #33 Half Peak – 13,841 ft.
  • #34 Atlantic Peak – 13,841 ft.
  • #35 Hagerman Peak – 13,841 ft.
  • #36 Turret Peak – 13,835 ft.
  • #37 PT 13,832
  • #38 Holy Cross Ridge – 13,831 ft.
  • #39 Jupiter Mountain- 13,830 ft.
  • #40 “Huerfano Peak” – 13,828 ft.
  • #41 Jagged Mountain – 13,824 ft.
  • #42 “Lackawanna” – 13,823 ft.
  • #43 Mount SiIverheels – 13,822 ft.
  • #44 Rio Grande Pyramid – 13,821 ft.
  • #45 Teakettle Mountain – 13,819 ft.
  • #46 PT 13,811 – 13,811 ft.
  • #47 Dallas Peak – 13,809 ft.

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