Mt Whitney Zone Forums Trip Reports Snowmass Mountain Trip report #58/58!

Hi guys,

I thought you'd like to see some pics and details from my climb of Snowmass Mountain in Colorado last week. With this summit, this was #58/58 and with it, I've completed the Colorado 14ers!

http://14ers.com/php14ers/tripreport.php?trip=15518&cpgm=tripmain&ski=Include

Congrats on the accomplishment! Do you have a favorite summit? I'm hoping to shoot for Elbert next next summer...

That's a tough one! Longs has a lot of sentimental value, being the first one, though Snowmass was pretty special too.

Elbert was fun! There are two trailheads, the standard or the South Elbert TH. I like the scenery from the South trailhead, but the route could be a bit complicated with a few options to go up, including one option/route to bag South Elbert (unranked 14er) first then traverse to Elbert itself.

nyker, congrats - very nice accomplishment! How long did it take you to manage this, presumably living in New York? I tagged four during a one-week trip a few years ago and got the sense that, even though they're often clustered together, it would take a while for even a local to notch all 58.

I'm also curious where you began on Evans and Pikes - so many tempting options!

Hey Bulldog, Thanks!

I started in Sept 2007 with Longs Peak.

As you mention living in NY made me need to be pretty efficient with my trips out relating to timing, acclimatizing, training, and route planning. The fact that I used 2wd rental cars meant starting from the lower trailheads also, which I didn't mind since after all, I come to the mountains to climb MORE not less!

This made the bigger difference on peaks like Grays/Torreys/Antero/Princeton/Uncompahgre/Blanca Group, which were all 14-17 mile trips each given where you stop with 2wd, with a good +5500-7000ft gain, compared to some 4x4s which can make it up to 11k or 12k! - sort of defeats the purpose of a climb, right??

For Pikes, we did the Crags route, which is approx. 14 miles r/t and +4500ft gain. Evans has a couple of options, I did it climbing first over Spalding then to the summit.
I actually would like to try the Barr Trail next time out.

There are a few that are close like Democrat/Lincoln Group, Belford/Oxford/Missouri, etc. The best ones are long and isolated like The Chicago Basin, Capitol, Snowmass, Holy Cross, etc.

As you mention, so many options!

Next for the Sierra 14ers! Aiming for Shasta in May/June.

I think a lot of folks start out with Longs - it's a very cool climb through the keyhole and along the narrows. It wasn't my first Colorado fourteener - Pikes was. Aided by a day of acclimation beforehand at that very same 14,210', chowing down on greasy grill food and watching tourists get off the cog railway and stumble about for a while before the AMS really belted them. Strange experience, knowing 30-40 people just go to work every day as cooks, clerks, trash-haulers and drivers at 14K'. I asked if they had a to pass any type of acclimation test before being hired and I was told, "Not really - you can either handle it or you can't. You find out pretty quick if you can't."

I've always felt that the altitude studies that are done on White Mountain should really take place on Pikes Peak. After all, on a nice summer day hundreds of people head up there to be sick . . .

Good luck knocking out the remaining Cali fourteeners. Once that's out of the way, all that's left in the L48 are Rainier and one other peak in Washington (name escapes me).

Then you can start on Alaska!

Congratulations, Rob! Your report brings back memories... and makes me feel old. I did the Colorado 14ers over five summer trips in 1988 - 1992. We had the advantage of living within a day's drive of the Colorado border so we could bring a 4x4 pickup with a camper.

Thanks Bob. We'll have to get out and get some more peaks together...if I can keep up with you!

Congrats! - those photos are beautiful.

Snowmass has been on my list for a while - your pictures make me think I'll move it up higher on the list.

nyker,
Congratulations on an awesome feat! Colorado Fourteeners rock!