TR: Pacific Peak, North Couloir 13,950' 5.17.06
Pacific Peak 13,950'
Tenmile Range
North Couloir
http://www.biglines.com/photosv2/200...ines_57817.jpg
Pacific Peak sits only 50' shy of being a 14er, but its complexity combined with its staggering and intimidating north face make it much more interesting than a lot of the surrounding 14ers. Pacific Peak is best recognized for its classic pyramid shape when viewed from the north and along HWY 91 coming from Copper Mountain.
The main attraction of Pacific is the North Couloir, a 60 degree narrow-walled couloir that runs just below the summit down to the Spruce Creek drainage. This route is a well-known mountaineering and ice climbing route later in the spring once the snow has turned into a bulletproof sheet of glazed ice.
Closeup of the line from a recon mission a few weeks ago:
http://www.biglines.com/photosv2/200...ines_57801.jpg
There's something about skiing climbing routes that really makes me excited. All my climbing friends tell me that I am crazy for trying to ski routes that are rated as ice climbs or technical pitches without protection. That's what makes this sport fun and keeps me fresh each time I go out into the backcountry. Why not try to push the limits a little farther? Why not attempt something that others think can't be done? In my opinion everything can be skied. As long as there is snow, there is a way down that route with skis on your feet. Plain and simple. There is no, "That can't be skied..." in my book. This is what keeps the sport fresh for me and gives me different perspectives on mountains.
This would be the third attempt at skiing this gem. Last summer Kya and I reached the summit to find out that we were too late in the season to make a safe descent down the couloir. It had already turned into some of the nastiest bulletproof ice I have seen. Without ropes and protection there was no way I was going to commit to that line.
A couple of weeks ago a group of us got shut down on an attempt to ski the north couloir. We were slowed down by the class 3/4 west facing knife ridge that leads up to the summit. Weather moved in and out the entire time, leaving the summit in a cloud and zero visibility. We decided to bag it and go for a shorter run down the fun and steep NW facing slopes.
Early morning creeping up on Drift Peak:
http://www.biglines.com/photosv2/200...ines_59808.jpg
With the milder weather we've had over the past week I thought it would be a good time to give it a go one more time. After a long day in the hot sun the previous morning, I was a little drained, but itching to get on that route. mbsc and I decided to give it a shot and take things slow since I wasn't up to par. We skinned up from the Mayflower Gulch TH into the basin that separates Pacific from Atlantic Peak.
Bright morning sun coming over Pacific:
http://www.biglines.com/photosv2/200...ines_59925.jpg
Skinning up the lower drainage:
http://www.biglines.com/photosv2/200...ines_59920.jpg
The last time we were up there we noticed a continuous snowfield that ran from the bottom of the basin up to just below the summit. We had both agreed it would be an easier approach, so we went for it.
mbsc climbing her way up:
http://www.biglines.com/photosv2/200...ines_59796.jpg
Turns out it was much easier and saved us some time. The snow on the boot pack was well consolidated and froze over nicely the previous night.
Drift Peak holding good snow:
http://www.biglines.com/photosv2/200...ines_59798.jpg
We were in the shade for most of the climb which made it much more comfortable and cooler for the climb up.
mbsc approaching the last steep climb to the summit:
http://www.biglines.com/photosv2/200...ines_59797.jpg
We reached the dramatic summit block sometime after 10:00AM and spent some time checking out the views and taking in this most beautiful day.
Standing atop the sub-summit of Pacific:
http://www.biglines.com/photosv2/200...ines_59911.jpg
I was spent and felt like garbage, but couldn't back down again. So, we sat back and took a small nap on the summit to rest up for our descent.
Relaxing on the summit looking towards the snow-less Mosquito Range:
http://www.biglines.com/photosv2/200...ines_59931.jpg
I woke up about 45 minutes later and felt even worse than I did before. Short naps like that make me more tired and sluggish, so it took me a bit to get myself together for the descent.
mbsc on top of the summit block:
http://www.biglines.com/photosv2/200...ines_59799.jpg
We down climbed off the summit block and poked around the top of the couloir. We found some soft snow resting on a well-consolidated base. The sun had just begun to creep up the couloir and soften things up. Along the lower ridgeline draining into the same basin we noticed a bunch of wet releases coming down off the rock bands. Things were beginning to get sloppy down lower, so time was of essence.
