Snowmobile the 14ers

[bigmtnskier]

Here's the list we came up with yesterday. These peaks all fall into the criteria of being legal and doable on a snowmobile:

Sherman
Torreys
Grays
Bross
Democrat
Lincoln
Quandary
Mt. Evans (can you ride up the road in the winter?)
Pikes Peak (will they allow you to ride up road in winter?)
Castle Peak
Humboldt
Elbert
La Plata
Antero
Shavano
Culebra

Any others you guys think would be doable?

[bigmtnskier]

His goals are to summit as many as possible. The main obstacle for him is snow coverage. He doesn't want to ride on tundra or destroy vegetation. Will only ride on snow to avoid any controversy. His snowmobile is a 1200 cc big bore turbo, so power is not the issue. I've seen him climb huge 40 degree faces and couloirs in Montana.

[Craig Cook]

If Bross' summit isn't even technically legal to hike up to, how did you determine it was legal to drive a snowmobile up to it?

[Scott P]

Pikes Peak (will they allow you to ride up road in winter?)

The road is plowed/open in the winter. No, you can't ride up it.

Culebra

How do you figure this would be legal?

[KentonB]

I'd be shocked if you could get a snowmobile to the summit of Castle or Lincoln. As others mentioned, the final summit block on Antero would take some exceptional skill (I'd say the same goes for Evans). Culebra is on private property, so you'd have to contact the ranch and see what they'd allow. Since the Pikes Peak Toll Road is open most of the winter, I doubt they'd let you snowmobile up it. I don't know of another viable way up there.

[ajkagy]

anything on national forest or BLM land should be fine. Obviously a lot of 14ers are in wilderness, so it's a no go.

The only drawbacks are steep slopes, avy danger and thin conditions...you'll be putting a lot of wear and tear on the sled getting up into those high wind blown slopes. I would say snow coverage will be your biggest concern on the gentler slopes.

Make sure you GoPro this, I'd be rather amused see someone sledneck up 14ers

[justiner]

I think you need to find the Motor Vehicle Use Maps (MVUMs) for the places you want. I'm guessing there's going to be a lot of places that are going to be off limits. Winter MVU ends on May 20th.


http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/s ... clnk&gl=us" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Looks like the FS website is totally broken at the moment.

[Chicago Transplant]

Some of the ones on your list are actually in Wilderness.

Evans is Wilderness above the parking lot, you could get pretty close to the summit.

Castle is Wilderness from the end of the 4WD road at appx 12,800.

LaPlata the entire summer route is in Wilderness from when you leave the approach road.

Humboldt is Wilderness from the end of the Colony Lakes Road.

[Dave B]

Can I helicopter all the 14ers?

I mean, unless the skids on the heli touch the ground it's not really in wilderness space right? I could just jump the last foot or two to the ground a la Heli skiing.

Who has a heli I can borrow, sounds siiiiiiiick. Book is already in the works, I'll call it "Descending from the heavens: how I conquered the eff outa these mountains"

[AlexeyD]

He doesn't want to ride on tundra or destroy vegetation. Will only ride on snow to avoid any controversy.

It's good that he takes wilderness ethics into account, even if it's not legally "wilderness". But, here's another hypothetical question. Let's say he's way up on a mountain somewhere, and the sled breaks down, to the point where he cannot ride it back down. Not impossible to imagine given the kind of obstacles encountered in the high mountains. What then? Presumably, he's sufficiently prepared to self-rescue, but what becomes of the sled? Does he go up later on a different one and haul it out? Or does the rusting hulk sit up there for all to behold? Just something to consider...

[ajkagy]

He doesn't want to ride on tundra or destroy vegetation. Will only ride on snow to avoid any controversy.

It's good that he takes wilderness ethics into account, even if it's not legally "wilderness". But, here's another hypothetical question. Let's say he's way up on a mountain somewhere, and the sled breaks down, to the point where he cannot ride it back down. Not impossible to imagine given the kind of obstacles encountered in the high mountains. What then? Presumably, he's sufficiently prepared to self-rescue, but what becomes of the sled? Does he go up later on a different one and haul it out? Or does the rusting hulk sit up there for all to behold? Just something to consider...

who cares?! Brraaaap Brrrapppp!

speaking of broken down sleds, go drive kebler pass in the spring when it opens...broken down sleds everywhere. There's even an old sled in a gully near the Lupine trail, which adds some character

[jmanner]

Here's the list we came up with yesterday. These peaks all fall into the criteria of being legal and doable on a snowmobile:

Sherman-proably
Torreys-maybe
Grays-no
Bross-yes
Democrat-no
Lincoln-maybe
Quandary-yes
Mt. Evans (can you ride up the road in the winter?)-yes
Pikes Peak (will they allow you to ride up road in winter?)-probably illegal
Castle Peak-no no no
Humboldt-no
Elbert-yes
La Plata-no
Anter-no
Shavano-no
Culebra-no
Any others you guys think would be doable? - San Luis

Also, I find this idea to be kind of the antithesis of what climbing 14ers is about. But on the other hand I think snowmobiles are pretty obnoxious in the backcountry, so I am probably biased.