TR: Peak 1 & Tenmile Peak 4.3.06
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Spring fever has officially set in. Longer days, a stabilizing snow pack, and warmer weather always puts the mind into high gear for those big spring lines you’ve been thinking about all winter long. The transition from a winter snow pack to spring pack has begun across much of the state. The transition period can be one of the most difficult and frustrating times of year for backcountry travel as things can change very quickly. Many changes are happening to the snow pack which makes it very difficult to figure out whether or not the slope you want to ski will be safe enough. Time of day, aspect, elevation, weather, terrain features, temperature, etc. are all amplified when it comes to figuring out a transitional snow pack. What could be a bomber pack on one slope could be a time bomb waiting to blow on the next slope.
The transition period can also be a time of opportunity. Opportunity to knock off some of those bigger lines you has been dreaming about since the beginning of the winter with good snow. If you play your cards right and get a little help from Mother Nature, good days can come out of the transition period. On Monday we hit the sweet spot and got the best of both worlds.
The plan was to do the Tenmile range ski traverse (17 miles, 8,700’ vertical gain, 10 peaks) in one day. It’s been on my list for a couple years now, as it combines a fun technical ridge climb with some very good skiing. Jumping into the unknown on a big day is always a challenge. Having never been on the ridgeline, I had no idea how fast we would move and if we would make it to Peak 10 by sunset. Guidebooks, topo maps, and photos only go a short way on a project like this. Actual experience and time spent on the route make a huge difference. We set out with the goal of completing the traverse, but we both agreed that if we didn’t get it this day it wouldn’t be a big deal. We were out there to get a feel for the terrain and take things as they came.
We arrived at the trailhead around 4:30 AM to a cool and calm morning. We skinned up the bike path towards the Mt. Royal trail and quickly began our ascent. The trail zigzags up the SE aspect of Mt. Royal through the ghost town of Masonville. The town was destroyed by an avalanche that ran from the top of Victoria Mountain in the early 1900s. The climbing got steeper as we ascended up J-chute, an old avalanche path between Mt. Royal and Victoria Mountain.
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The climbing got challenging as the crust made it impossible to skin, yet was thin enough to break through for boot packing. We ended up burning way more energy than we had expected on this part of the climb. After some struggles we attained the north ridge of Peak 1.
Early morning light:
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The climbing became much more straightforward as we ascended the 2-mile ridgeline all the way up to the summit.
The ridge to the summit:
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Fritz climbing the ridge:
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We hit some nice class 3 climbing along the final summit push, making for a great finish for Peak 1. By the time I made the summit, I knew we were behind schedule, but didn’t worry all that much, as there were endless opportunities for some great skiing if we decided to bag the traverse.
Looking back on Lake Dillon:
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Fritz:
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Nearing the summit:
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Looking over at Tenmile Peak:
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Playing with the cornice:
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After a short break on the summit of Peak 1 (12,805’), we pushed along the class 3 ridgeline to Tenmile Peak (12,933’). I reached the summit of Tenmile Peak a little while ahead of Fritz, so I continued along the ridge towards Peak 3.
Self-portrait shot with timer:
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Looking back at Peak 1:
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I didn’t get far until I came across the first major crux of the traverse. A time and energy consuming class 4+ climb for the next .5 mile made me rethink our plan to complete the traverse before sunset. It was already 2 PM, and at the pace we were traveling, we easily had another 7 hours of climbing before coming to our final descent.
Fritz coming up on Tenmile Peak:
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Where's Waldo?:
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As I waited for Fritz to summit Tenmile Peak, I gazed across the rest of the traverse and realized that it wouldn’t go down today. I wasn’t upset, as there will be many more days to give it another shot. I now have a good sense of what to expect for this traverse and what type of gear I need to bring to make it happen. Patience is key, and I’m willing to wait for that next golden opportunity to get it done.
We decided to ski the NE face of Tenmile Peak. Fritz dropped in first and skied some nice boot-top pow from the summit. It had been very warm during the day, but elevation and aspect helped keep the snow on the upper face light and dry.
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We managed to get a nice 2,500+ vert run down the main face and bowl, before entering into the trees down to Miner’s Creek.
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Overall it was an adventurous day with some fun climbing and skiing. The hunger to bag this traverse grows more and more each day since our first attempt. I’m confident I’ll get sooner or later, so I’m not too worried about failing this first attempt.
