Torreys Peak NW Face 5-14-05

[Artie Fufkin]

This was my first 14er(though I raced the Mt Evans Hillclimb two years ago, but the finish line is a 14,200, just short of the summit).

We climbed the NW face of Torreys(14,267) via Grizzly Gulch. I believe the snowfields are known as the Tuning Fork. We were able to ski off of the summit, but we had take the skis off after a couple hundered feet to downclimb through some rocks.

Torreys Peak


NW Face, we climbed and skiied the right side of the fork.


Climbing


More climbing


14,267, friends getting ready for the descent


Top of the descent


A few thousand feet of spring skiing


The snow was fair:

[freshie247]

Bery Nice!

[Lone Star]

way to get 'er done!!!

[surftb15]

good work and way to get some snow. wish i had some snow in these mtns of nj

[squirrelmurphy]

The snow was fair

nothing about this looks fair to me

[skier666]

14'er has been....Milked!

[shera]

Nice.

How far were you able to drive up the gulch?

[Artie Fufkin]

How far were you able to drive up the gulch?

We parked about 1/3 mile past where the road forks left to Grays and right to Grizzly Gulch. There were some rundown buildings/shacks where we camped. We were able to skin to the base of the route and ski back to the cars(except for a couple longer sections of dirt where the skis came off.)

[lemon boy]

Nice-

Good to see that much snow up there, while I've long since officially conceeded that what you skied was actually called the "tuning fork" I cannot help but continue calling all the (much burlier) N. face stuff the "Tuning Fork" in real life. Luckily, everyone who knows me knows that when I say tuning fork in real life I'm talking about the N. stuff. Sorry for rambling. Way burl climbing via that route, I always puss and go via the trailhead for G&T.

[Artie Fufkin]

Nice-

Good to see that much snow up there, while I've long since officially conceeded that what you skied was actually called the "tuning fork" I cannot help but continue calling all the (much burlier) N. face stuff the "Tuning Fork" in real life. Luckily, everyone who knows me knows that when I say tuning fork in real life I'm talking about the N. stuff. Sorry for rambling. Way burl climbing via that route, I always puss and go via the trailhead for G&T.

The other name I saw was the Big Ol' Strip/Patch of Snow, which is probably a more accurate description. Because it is a big strip of snow, I was amazed at the quality of the snow on Saturday, it was incredible.

Here's a better photo(not mine, I lifted from 14ers.com) of how we climbed up and skied down:

the lookers left of the fork probably has higher excitement factor due to the choke towards the bottom. We went in where there was the shortest down climb through the rocks at the top.

Hopefully I'll be back up in the area for some more soon.

[Ireallyliketoski2]

Nice work, it's good to see the climb it first traditional is still alive and well.

[lemon boy]

For your pleasure next time:


Gunner's Left chute may be melted out and require a jump/downclimb/rap depending on your level of radditude but the GRt chute usually stay good for quite a while.

[pde20]

For your pleasure next time:


Gunner's Left chute may be melted out and require a jump/downclimb/rap depending on your level of radditude but the GRt chute usually stay good for quite a while.

Is Gunners Left (and right) lookers left or skiers left? Is this picture recent or file? Interested in heading up there next weekend, haven't been past Berthoud pass area in a while so wondering on conditions.

Edit: FYI for anyone looking to get out in Front Range, Stanley Slide was money this past weekend...2000 ft of primo corn to w/in 50 yds of highway and a quick thumb back up. No pics, solo venture.

[lemon boy]

gunner's (aka avalauncher/howitzer operator) = looker's, sorry.

that is just a file pic I stole from 14ers.com reconning is easy cause you can see most of it from I-70.

Also, those lines end up in one hell of a terrain trap and I wouldn't want to be in there with avy worries

My red circle is where you might get stopped on gunner's left.

Green = typical route

Blue = stuff that should also go but the last bit to the terrain trap *may* melt out early

Yellow = Artie's line

there is a lot of spicy skiing off Torey's

The typical blue line is a fair amount steeper than the yellow line but is not otherworldly steep (under 50*s, prolly maxes at 45 but that's pure guesswork)

[Artie Fufkin]

Is this picture recent or file?

Here is a photo of the North Face on the evening of 5-13-05:



Edit for a smaller picture

[Huckwheat]

Anyone have a picture of the Dead Dog Coulouir off Torreys? I think it is straight North.

Did you guys look down that?

[lemon boy]

artie, is the left chute continuous right now?

[lemon boy]

huckwheat, here's dead dog (again from 14ers.com)

[lemon boy]

To elaborate Huckwheat:

Dead Dog is the chute on the right side of the photo from near the summit, it faces almost directly due east. DD and the E. face stuff is sketch b/c a) some dumbasses attempt to climb it WAY too late, b) some dumbasses attempt to ski it WAY too late (and on top of the late climbers) and c) that face heats up very early making "WAY too late" be just about on route time for the north facing stuff.

A few years ago I watched the whole east face get washed with a wet avy while still hiking up the standard route in order to ski the N. face off torrey's.

In big snow years there are a couple of much more serious skiiable lines on that east face but they're "creative"

edit- while a gem DD is IMO a little too popular a climbing route, on a too popular peak to be on my "to ski" list.

[Artie Fufkin]

artie, is the left chute continuous right now?

Huckwheat here is a link to some info on Dead Dog as well the some of the north facing terrain:

Dead Dog

Due to some cornice buildup I was not able to get a look down that side

lemon boy here is a photo up the gully to the left of the "Tuning Fork", is this what you meant?

[lemon boy]

yeah, that's it, hard to say though if it is continuous or not (see the picture I marked with the red circle) from that picture

[Artie Fufkin]

yeah, that's it, hard to say though if it is continuous or not (see the picture I marked with the red circle) from that picture

I zoomed in on that picture and there does appear to be coverage in that section, how good, I don't know. Also I did see some ski tracks head off of the summit in that direction, they appeared to be fairly recent.

[Huckwheat]

Wow, lots of good info. I got to ski it in college (when I was a lot less knowledgable - read "stupider" into that), and it was fun. That was in 95 and there was no one on the route (and we carried Alpine boots and skis on our packs to change into on the top).

I am not currently a Coloradan....but hope to be again soon. Thanks for the info...it gets me stoked to return to good ol' CO.

[iskibc]

Torrey's north face is a treat. We skied the looker's left shot (where the red circle is in LBs pic) late June last year and had continuous snow all the way down to the riverbed. The choke gets pretty tight, but is doable. That face is like one big maze of lines. You could get lost in there.

Here are some pics:







Nice work Artie. That snow looks super smoooove. Next time you are up this way, give me a holler.

[Z]

mmmmm....she's pretty

cool pic.