Click on the links below to see descriptions, pictures and videos of the climbs.
November 1, 2003 - Pikes Peak - Barr Trail at Manitou Springs (6,600 ft.) to the A-frame (~11,000 ft.)
November 16, 2003 - Squaretop Mountain (13,794 ft.)
Reynald, Steve D., Doug, and Steve M. from RibCo ‘04 and five members of the Denali West Buttress Bullwinkles snow shoed and hiked to the summit of Squaretop Mountain (13,794 feet) from the parking area at Guanella Pass. We ascended about 3,000 feet of elevation on fresh snow, and enjoyed some fun, sitting glissades on our descent. From the summit we had incredible views of Mt. Evans, Mt. Bierstedt, and the Sawtooth ridge connecting them. One of our team members wrote in his journal: “A wonderful day in the alpine!!” We enjoyed the company of friends and the marvelous day for than 7 hours on this outing.
December 13, 2003 - Mt. Edwards (13,850 ft.) "That gust had to be over 100 miles per hour!"
Others joined RibCo ‘04 team members Reynald, Todd, and Steve M. from CMC for a long snowshoe and alpine hiking outing from the Leavonworth Creek Trailhead above Georgetown to the summit of 13,850-foot Mt. Edwards. It was a cold, extremely windy December day! Hiking distance was about 16 miles on snow, with a total elevation gain of about 4,300 feet. Just below the summit, wind gusts were so severe that Steve was carried airborne by an extreme burst (“it must have been over 100 miles per hour”) and propelled for 8-10 feet through the air before he was dropped onto rocks. His snowshoes were stripped from his pack and carried high into the air like kites, out of sight and were not seen again! The weather conditions on this training climb were good preparation for our Denali expedition – where we can anticipate serious winds, low temperatures, and severe wind chills
December 21, 2003 - Mt. Lincoln (14,286 ft.) - via the
Lincoln Amphitheater
RibCo ‘04 participants Todd, Steve M., Steve D., and Vern enjoyed an 8-hour outing with folks from the Denali West Buttress Bullwinkles climbing up the Lincoln Amphitheater from Montgomery Reservoir Trailhead at 10,960 feet to the 14,286-foot summit of Mt. Lincoln. The weather was lovely! We descended via the Quartzville Creek trail to make a 6 ˝ -mile loop of the event, involving about 3,400 feet of elevation gain. Click on the photo above of this training event!
January 10-11, 2004 - Longs Peak (14,255 ft.) - Greg and Doug climb the North Face (aka Cables Route)
January 15-18, 2004 - The Ouray Ice Festival - Vern and Greg do some ice climbing
January 25, 2004 - St. Mary's Glacier - Avalanche Awareness / Ice Axe Self Arrest / Roped Travel
January 31, 2004 - "Tour de Lakes" (Rocky Mountain National Park)
Five other snowshoers joined RibCo ‘04 teammates Doug, Steve D., Steve M., and Todd for a long adventure in Rocky Mountain National Park on a cold, grey, snowy outing on the last day of January. The activity involved a 12-mile “endurance” hike; we began at Bear Lake, descended to Bierstedt Lake, climbed over a divide and then down to Cub Lake, and then ascended past The Pool, Fern Lake, Odessa Lake, and Lake Helene before dropping back to Bear Lake. This 3,600-foot elevation gain effort was strenuous, due to long, steep stretches of off-trail deep, loose snow. Throughout the day new snow fell, obscuring the expected views of the magnificent upper Odessa Gorge with its western border of the abruptly rising Little Matterhorn and Notchtop Mountain landscape. This was a good endurance training activity for our West Rib preparations!
February 21-22, 2004 - Longs Peak - climb via the Trough couloir to about 12,200 ft.
Greg, Vern, Steve M., Doug, and Steve D. left the Glacier Gorge Trailhead in Rocky Mountain National Park on Saturday morning, carrying full packs and snow climbing gear for our first RibCo ‘04 team overnight. We expected to build a snow camp above Black Lake and then on Sunday to climb Longs via the Trough Couloir on the peak’s west side. Soon after noon we reached our camp location, where we leveled snow with our shovels for tent platforms under an overhanging wall near the base of the couloir. We sawed snow blocks to build walls to protect the tents from strong winds – a cozy spot at 11,400 feet on a snowy evening! Click to see photos of our nice tent site. Snow fell through the night, but we were up early on Sunday to melt snow for breakfast water, donned our crampons, and started up the couloir. We roped up to practice running belays using snow pickets, and kick-stepped up the freshly deposited snow in the gully. About halfway up the couloir new wind-blown snow slabs had formed overnight, creating considerable avalanche hazard. The team descended from this point, broke camp, hiked down to the trailhead, and hit a pub in Estes Park for a late lunch and further camaraderie! We had enjoyed a 2-day outing, while climbing about 3,000 feet and traveling more than 13 miles with full packs.
March 13-14, 2004 - Missouri Mountain (14,067 ft.) - a snow couloir climb with high winds
April 10, 2004 - Palmer Lake - conditioning climb with heavy packs
April 17-18, 2004 - James Peak (13,294 ft.) - snow cave overnight trip hauling drag bags
April 26, 2004 - Advanced Crevasse Rescue Seminar class and indoor practice
May 1, 2004 - Advanced Crevasse Rescue Seminar field trip - Loveland Pass (12,200 ft.)