Disclaimer:
(1) Do not attempt.
(2) Featured snowskater was tripping on something, got lost on his way to the park.
(3) Anyone hurting themselves on a poorly built rock-gap jump at the bottom of Box Creek Cirque, please accept our condolences.
(4) I apologize.
Who: KansasBoarder, Non-Mag Wade
What: Ascent of Mt. Elbert (14,433) SE Ridge. Snowboard/snowskate descent via Box Creek Cirque/Humphrey's Drainage shitwack.
When: May 1st, 2009
Where: See Above
Why: Because by-gones are by-gones, and so on and so on.
While I have yet to fully comprehend my roomate's oft unique snowsports motivations, I feel obligated to bring you the following report. Perhaps a first descent needs be claimed, perhaps a first descent by snowskate is not worth claiming.
But what I witnessed last Friday on the highest peak in Colorado was pretty darn incredible; a remarkable display of athleticism, coordination, determination, courage, and stupidity.
Without further adue, I bring you the first documented snowskate descent of Mt. Elbert.
Before you get to slide down, you gotta get up:
Yup, the sun rose at some point during the day. Right behind a conveniently placed snowskating backcountry user:
The guidebooks put this route at Class I, but shit got overhangy near the summit block:
Future snowskating potential (La Plata):
And then I realized I hadn't been to Mt. Elbert:
Nothing like 4,000+ feet of the most variable, rotten, dust-affected, grossness to break one into backcountry snowskating....
Jokes aside, snowskating a 14er, especially one with the expected variation in terrain and conditions, is damn tough. There were several aspects that bordered on no-fall zones. Not deadly Capitol Peak no-fall zones. But mess up your day "french fry when you should have pizza-ed" high speed tumbles into exposed rock zones. Wade handled suck zones as any experienced rider would, with a focused commitment. At the bottom of his line, he collapsed; physically exaughsted from his less-than-efficient choice of equipment, mentally fatigued from the focus required to guide the skate down the Cirque safely.
Wade, in disbelief:
As any good partner would do, I decided to give Wade a rest before descending back to the TH. In other words, I hiked back up to the top of Box Creek for a second, NORTHERLY facing shot [photos Wade]:
The snow in the NE facing couloir was buttery smooth, a nice inch or two of windblown deposited ontop of a firmer underlayer. This surface condition was a HUGE changeup from every other aspect, where the dust-layer rules the day...
But I guess it's easy to let her loose on the apron with your feet strapped in:
At this point, following several photo-ops with confused/interested hiking groups, the altitude must have gotten to us, as things got EXTREME.
Rock-Gapper (see disclaimer):
Surfer style in the rotting mank:
A parting Lake County Scenic:
PS - If anyone knows how to fix a Nikon Telephoto lens that refuses to focus past 15 feet at any zoom, please send me a PM. Taking pictures with this parameter sucks...
Oh, and for those of you still wondering about Wade's abilities on a board...
Yeah, I hit it too...
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