After as great a season as we had this year, and after 83ski
days, I got a pretty severe case of “ski season postpartum”. I decided to cure
that, or rather mitigate that, with an end of season “treat”. So, I thought,
how about skiing a 14er? If you live in Park City, the closest ones are in
Colorado. So, I looked for one not too far from an I-70 Exit and decided on
Grays Peak. At 14,270 it is the 10th highest 14er in Colorado and
being off Exit 221 just about a 7:30 hr. drive from Park City.
Grays Peak (39.633820°
N -105.817520° W) is close to Torreys Peak 14,267, so I was even
thinking a twofer maybe in the cards? As it turns out it wasn’t because the
snow got slushy long before a typical corn cycle time, so adding time for a
second peak was not in the cards if getting a decent ski out was the objective.
And it certainly was!
With an easy 10:00 am start from Park City, I got to the trailhead
Saturday late pm and set up the car for the night. For a one-nighter, at a
trailhead, I no longer bother putting up the tent. I sleep in the back of my
4-door Jeep which gets me a full-length bed. This saves a lot of time both in
and out.
Phil and I started walking at 4:27 am with our skis on the
backpacks for the first two miles to the summer trailhead. That is an average
experience in my 4-buckle ski boots. At the TH we started skinning and were
able to summit without taking the skis off once. At elevation the overnight
refreeze was at 27F, so we were mostly skinning on ice until sunrise.
We put in
a nice pace and summited at 8:45 even though, on the last 1,000’ elevation gain, the
shortage of oxygen made itself felt for both of us. In any case, we were first
to summit so we got first tracks. The skiing was good in most parts, but you do feel
this is June skiing, and as soon as next week or for sure two weeks from now, with
forecasted temps in the 70s, this may not be worthwhile anymore.
The main point of the exercise: the get a 14er in and extend
the ski season by a bit was all achieved on a ski which was, in most parts, really
fun.
To get there
From I-70, take the Bakerville exit, Exit 221. Coming from
Park City that’s the second exit after the Eisenhower Tunnel (from Denver two
exits short of it) and about a 7:30 hr. drive. Still assuming you are coming from
PC, turn left and go over a bridge to a large dirt parking lot. At the parking
lot, there is one obvious paved road to the left, that’s not the one you're
looking for. You are not going to immediately see Forest Road 189 aka Stevens
Gulch Rd. You will need to cross the parking lot to its end and take the dirt
road that climbs up into the woods to the south (left) and goes three miles up
to the trailhead. The road is rocky, rutted, and quite bumpy and steep in
places, add snow to that (yes even in June) and the adventure can start right
here! This road is clearly better approached in an SUV on the dry as clearance at
times will be an issue. If you are driving over any snow the SUV becomes
compulsory but will still not take you all the way up to the official TH. I stopped
1.6 miles from the actual trailhead adding that distance to the approach and on
the way back down.
Here are the pictures (click to enlarge):
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Ski lines everywhere... |
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...you look. |
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This is Torreys Peak, 14,267 (the next one over). The central couloir is Dead Dog Couloir. For an idea of the gnats, we are to these hills, look in the lower third of the couloir for the party of three climbers. |
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This would be, from Grays Peak, the easiest route to the summit of Torreys. |
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Phill enjoying summiting a 14er... |
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...as well as yours truly. |
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In the distance, at the bottom f the valley, the trees that constitute the woods above the trailhead. |
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Kelso Mountain with its famous class 3 ridge. |
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How Kelso ridge lines up to Torreys ridge |