Democrat West Face from Fremont Pass

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Robbie Crouse
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Democrat West Face from Fremont Pass

Post by Robbie Crouse »

Has anyone here done Democrat's west face from Fremont Pass, either as a snow climb / ski descent or dry? I'd be interested in any info -- not necessarily current conditions but just general route info, mostly steepness and if the rock is solid. Thanks!
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bergsteigen
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Re: Democrat West Face from Fremont Pass

Post by bergsteigen »

It’s been done..... once a decade or so. Don’t expect it to fill in on a crappy snow year!

Here, let me google that for ya: https://www.14ers.com/php14ers/triprepo ... trip=15975
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lodgling
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Re: Democrat West Face from Fremont Pass

Post by lodgling »

Yes, I did that route. I would expect that the lower and middle sections fill in pretty well on a regular basis, but connecting it to the summit either takes some creativity or a big year following some good spring storms. It has been awhile, but I recall that the lower section was pretty cool, comparable to the chutes on Elbert (but not requiring an early start due to aspect), narrow but wide enough to link turns. I suspect that it is not a good route when dry.
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HikerGuy
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Re: Democrat West Face from Fremont Pass

Post by HikerGuy »

Here is a shot of the west face from Arkansas on 4/7/2019, two years ago.
cond12730_15547381315cab6bd312d5b.jpg
cond12730_15547381315cab6bd312d5b.jpg (180.59 KiB) Viewed 1319 times
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JacobW
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Re: Democrat West Face from Fremont Pass

Post by JacobW »

I've climbed up it and skied it. Wouldn't really recommend it though, the north face is way better for skiing.
https://www.powderproject.com/trail/700 ... -west-face
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Robbie Crouse
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Re: Democrat West Face from Fremont Pass

Post by Robbie Crouse »

Out of curiosity, why would it not be a good route without snow? A screefest? It looks like it would be too steep to hold much scree.
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Re: Democrat West Face from Fremont Pass

Post by lodgling »

I would expect to find mostly large loose rocks in a steep shooting galley, much like the gully up from lavender col on Sneffels (which I also think is a bad route without snow).

Edit: I just pulled out Dawson's guide and he says, "[d]ue to rockfall, this route is not safe without snow."
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