Mt. Antero Trip Report 04/20/2009

Peak(s):	Mt. Antero - 14,271 feet
Date Posted:	04/20/2009
Date Climbed:	03/21/2009
Author:	SchralpTheGnar

Mount Antero - a first and last 14er ski
About a month ago, me and the bro took our buddy Gabe up for his first 14er ski. Gabe was a longtime snowboarder recently converted over to skiing by years of snow shoe flailing while gazing longingly at the effortless glide of smooth skinning. Mount Antero seemed like a good first choice, since it's a straight-forward 12 mile 5,000 foot trip. What follows is a pictorial account of one man's attempt at skiing his first 14er. Loading up the truck Friday night, Gabe doing his best David Lee Roth impersonation with iced coffee in hand and head. Team Salomon prepped and ready to go in the wee hours of the morn. The familiar sight of skinning along a snow covered 4wd road, each moment thinking to myself "I gotta get a sled" This doesn't look like a trail and it isn't. Shortly after the Baldwin Creek junction, instead of following the summer trail we followed some random 4wd road to where it ended by a slope strewn with talus. Gabe is thinking to himself, this is so much easier with skis strapped to my back as opposed to a snowboard. In the land of ice and snow, in the distance is two mountains. climb2ski of TGR fame looks large with Cronin in the distance. Will this slope never end! Summit ski! I made several turns off the north ridge following KillingCokes lead from a few weeks ago. After which we hiked back to the south bowl and put the skis back on. Gabe didn't make the summit, overcome by altitude tiredness, he walked back down to about 13,000 feet. "I'm never doing this again" quoth he. SchralpTheGnar making some turns in the south bowl. After skiing some of the south bowl to about 13,700 feet, we hit up the ridge and traversed around one of the subpeaks. After traversing around the subpeak we made our way around to snow line at 13,600 feet. Here a prominent gully would take us all the way back to the summer hiking trail. This is one way to maximize your vert. After a long down climb, Gabe getting into the business, that's a lot of effort for a low angled gully filled with ice and crust. The long ski out down the road was capped off with a full face plant into the mank, further solidifying Gabe's contention that ski mountaineering isn't for everyone. Lessons learned. #1 Don't take someone on a 14er ski trip who has only been skiing 10 days. #2 Pick a more straightforward 14er for someone's first 14er ski trip. #3 Basically just don't do what we do. Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):

Mount Antero - a first and last 14er ski

About a month ago, me and the bro took our buddy Gabe up for his first 14er ski. Gabe was a longtime snowboarder recently converted over to skiing by years of snow shoe flailing while gazing longingly at the effortless glide of smooth skinning. Mount Antero seemed like a good first choice, since it's a straight-forward 12 mile 5,000 foot trip. What follows is a pictorial account of one man's attempt at skiing his first 14er.

Loading up the truck Friday night, Gabe doing his best David Lee Roth impersonation with iced coffee in hand and head.

Team Salomon prepped and ready to go in the wee hours of the morn.

The familiar sight of skinning along a snow covered 4wd road, each moment thinking to myself "I gotta get a sled"

This doesn't look like a trail and it isn't. Shortly after the Baldwin Creek junction, instead of following the summer trail we followed some random 4wd road to where it ended by a slope strewn with talus. Gabe is thinking to himself, this is so much easier with skis strapped to my back as opposed to a snowboard.

In the land of ice and snow, in the distance is two mountains.

climb2ski of TGR fame looks large with Cronin in the distance. Will this slope never end!

Summit ski! I made several turns off the north ridge following KillingCokes lead from a few weeks ago. After which we hiked back to the south bowl and put the skis back on. Gabe didn't make the summit, overcome by altitude tiredness, he walked back down to about 13,000 feet. "I'm never doing this again" quoth he.

SchralpTheGnar making some turns in the south bowl.

After skiing some of the south bowl to about 13,700 feet, we hit up the ridge and traversed around one of the subpeaks.

After traversing around the subpeak we made our way around to snow line at 13,600 feet. Here a prominent gully would take us all the way back to the summer hiking trail. This is one way to maximize your vert.

After a long down climb, Gabe getting into the business, that's a lot of effort for a low angled gully filled with ice and crust.

The long ski out down the road was capped off with a full face plant into the mank, further solidifying Gabe's contention that ski mountaineering isn't for everyone.

Lessons learned.
#1 Don't take someone on a 14er ski trip who has only been skiing 10 days.
#2 Pick a more straightforward 14er for someone's first 14er ski trip.
#3 Basically just don't do what we do.

Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):

Comments or Questions

maverick_manley	why not? 4/21/2009 10:53pm you can have quality entertainment on 14ers with a 10 day skiier... just ask doumall about a certain assless horse he climbs with . Nice report.
Easy Rider	Good Report 11/30/2010 5:28pm Rooks make it entertaining, at least until they get sad. Your bro needs the info on a split kit. Saw that board in two if that's his element. +1 on the aquired tastes for 14er skiing. It can be hard to get folks out when you can't promise it's going to be "worth it". Definitely a mixed bag.
killingcokes	Sweet 2/5/2011 12:22am I bet there‘s a bit more snow up there now. Funny, I face planted on my way down too. Hit a rock under the snow and went flying, superman style. Right before the creek crossing

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