Grays and Torrey‘s Peak
Valentines Wknd 2009
I‘m just going to try to keep this short and sweet. The plan was to climb Grays and Torreys on Saturday and then Evans and Bierstadt on Sunday. My partner and I left Laramie on Friday the 13th. We arrived at the bakerville exit around dark and unfortunately had some car issues. By the time everything was worked out it was after midnight. We decided to not ski up to the TH and went and got a motel room in Georgetown.
2/14/2009
We arrived at the Bakerville exit at around 10 or 11 am and started preparing our gear.
Once I was ready, some guy asked me if I would carry up a gallon of gas to his sled. Which was stranded 1.5 miles up the trail. I agreed to be his sherpa if he let me drive it down. I carried the gas up and got high/sick from the fumes. We then started the sled and I drove it down, first time driving a sled. It was nice. Then he gave me and my partner rides about halfway up the road.
I started skinning up the road and saw a ton of people on the way. Along the way, I stopped and took pictures of the slide paths on the side of the road. I met a guy named kyle when I was just about at the trailhead. We skinned up the road for a little while and talked. Turns out he owned some of the cabins up there. He showed me where a spring was to get water and a good place to camp.
I pretty much feasted all night long and then went to bed.
2/15
We woke up at 330 and it was pretty cold. We got ready and headed down to the spring to get some water:
AFTER DOING A BEACON CHECK, we were off by around 430-500.
Skinning up the basin was pretty nice. I had just quit smoking, and traveled with ease.
The sunrise was unreal:
If I had a tripod, I would have got some bomber pics.
After getting a glimpse of Gray‘s and Torrey‘s, we decided what route we would take. Then my partner turned around though. So I decided to go for Gray‘s first.
Looking back: ascent is in yellow. this route followed bare patches and avoided locations with snow above
Notice all the bare patches:
I don‘t have any better pics of the ascent up grays, but notice the lack of snow on the ridge in the middle right of the pic, i.e. lack of avy danger:
Just about at the saddle. Torrey‘s:

Summit of Grays: Looking towards Frisco?

Is that resort breck?

I hung out on the summit for a little while then headed for torreys.
Route up torreys:
I hung out and enjoyed the summit.
Then I got ready to start skiing:
It really does look beautiful:
I dug a pit, did a ski cut across the top, and jumped up and down all over the top of this line.
(Weak layer failed at C15, Q2shear plane, no major change in crystal type/size, no facets, no noticeable surface hoar, fist to 4finger hardness transition.) I gave it 2 lemons.
It was foolish for me to start skiing because I was alone.
Turn #1: ah this is f****** awesome
Turn 2: ahhhhhh I love snow
Turn 3: Oh fuck!
Right on turn 3 I luckily cut abnormally far to the left, I look over and just see the slab break off. I don‘t even know what happened really. It was so fast. It looked like a river of snow and just went sliding past me. It sounded just like a tidal wave at the ocean. WHoooooooosh. It broke at my skis and luckily I just stopped and watched it float away. As I was standing there more pieces of the snow started breaking off and sliding past me. I nearly had a heart attack.
I started freaking out. And for some reason I pulled out my camera!??
This is right after the fracture, all the snow seemed to slide down lightning fast creating the scariest sound ever. The debris cloud:
After the cloud: (You can see 3 separate "lines" of debris at the bottom. Who knows which one I would have been in)
One of my skis slid down the slope, I put on crampons and ditched the other one with haste and headed up to a rock directly above me. I sat around here for a good hour deciding which way to regain the ridge. I climb around to the left of the rock, grasping it with a death grip. I gained the summit and began hiking down.
Looking back:
I lost my other crampon regaining the summit. It sucked walking down with just one. My cramponless boot would slip and I would fall and the other foot would stab my leg. Ah. At about 12000 I heard someone yelling my name. I thought it was my partner and hurried around a bend. Then I saw 3 guys on sleds and was just like shit. I told SAR that I was fine and felt apologetic they got called out. It turns our my partner sent out a spot message or something when I wasn‘t back to camp by 12pm. They knew nothing about an avalanche. They gave me a ride back to camp and helped me pack up and carried out some of my gear. I got to the bottom and there was about 30 rescue members. I‘d like to thank the Alpine Rescue Team and Clear Creek Sheriff‘s office. They were so helpful and professional. Thankyou so much.
My partner is busy this weekend, so does anyone wanna belay me from the summit of Torrey's on saturday or sunday? I can provide all the necessary gear, (rope, harness, belay device, etc..) Theres two skis in the slide path, two poles, and a RENTED crampon near some rocks about 50 - 100 ft below the summit that I have to get to. The route up torreys is avalanche free and I can guarantee that there will be no danger of any kind for the person belaying. I'll carry everything up too! Any help would be greatly apprectiated. The skis arent in the slide debris, there ontop of the slide path so they arent buried right now, but if it snows.... if someone with a metal detector wants to come that be be absolutely great too.
This whole operation will only take 5-10 mins, so it is still a great oppurtunity to get a winter climb in with someone who knows the route, conditions, etc...
We could also go over to Grays if one is so inclined and if I recover my skis, I'll ski way less steep terrain if you are also so inclined.
Please let me know if anyones intrested,
I miss my skis terribly....
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