OTHER Trip Report 05/27/2008

Report Type	Full
Peak(s)	Buffalo Mountain - 12777
Date Posted	05/27/2008
Date Climbed	04/26/2008
Author	cruthas

Buffalo Mountain The Silver Couloir
Saturday April 26, My Friend Rod and I planned to skin up Buffalo Mountain and ski the Silver Couloir. I had to work Friday night so when I got out around 11:00 p.m, with everything packed in the car, I headed from Boulder, CO to Sliverthorne, CO. Arriving around 12:30 a.m (I passed out on the futon with dreams of an early summit. There is still a lot of snow on the Buffalo and I imagine that skiing will continue to be fantastic for a long time this season, so get up there!) 5:00 a.m we were up, getting ready, and eating breakfast. Out the door around 6:00 a.m to pick up batteries, and at the trail head shortly after 6:00 a.m, we were on schedule. Once at the trail head, we started to put our skins on. With the snow all the way down to the trail head we had no problem skin from bottom to top. With our skins on we were ready to hit the trail and make our way to the summit. The snow was nice, with 6 or more inches of fresh snow from the previous two days, the ski down was going to be great. We couldn't have asked for a better day, with blue bird sky's I had to layer down. Skinning through the woods was pretty easy, I right behind Rob most of the way. Like I said before I was right behind rob Most of the way. The skin up the mountain was pretty easy, we broke trail part of the way until a group of guys came up behind us and broke trail the rest of the way above tree line. Finally I was able to make it to the summit. The view from the summit was amazing, 360 degrees of snowy white mountain. When I am not working as a carpenter I am waiting tables, saving up for my motorcycle trip to South America. The broccoli pizza is compliments of D'Napoli Restorante off of the top of Walnut St. Boulder, CO. If you can make it there, the food is excellent, service is great, prices are right, and helpings are huge. The pizza was hit the spot on the summit, you can tell by Rob's smile. After we ate, shot some photos, and rested, we headed to the "Silver Couloir" also know as the "Y Couloir" to make our descent. Call it whatever you wish, the snow on top was amazing! Rob skiing the couloir graciously. Looking back up from the middle of the couloir you can see our tracks The snow was amazing, it reminded me of the stuff you see in the movies. Here I go headed to the tightest section of the couloir. Almost to the bottom, the snow was getting real sticky here, and almost unskiable at the bottom. My suggestion is to ski it very early, it was around 10:00 or 11:00 and the snow was very sticky. The tightest section of the couloir. At the bottom the snow was very wet and heavy. My skis caught a couple times on the snow and almost sent me flying. This is the bottom of the couloir looking up to the summit, very cool ski run here. Skinning out of the couloir is pretty easy. From the bottom skin up about 500' and hang a left into the clearing of a steep bank. From here you can pretty much make your own skin path through the woods and end up back at the trail. Make sure you are staying with the mountain to your right. We followed ski tracks that took us back up the mountain and gain another 2000 feet of elevation, it was a pain in the ass but we found the trail. Some other guys justed stayed along the steep part of the mountain and followed back to the main trail. The skin up took about 3 and 1/2 hours, about 20 minutes to descent, and about 1 hour and 1/2 to skin out, the whole trip took around 6 hours. This trip is highly recommended. If you have an questions about any of my ski descents send me an e-mail through my Contact Me page. Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):

Buffalo Mountain The Silver Couloir

Saturday April 26, My Friend Rod and I planned to skin up Buffalo Mountain and ski the Silver Couloir. I had to work Friday night so when I got out around 11:00 p.m, with everything packed in the car, I headed from Boulder, CO to Sliverthorne, CO. Arriving around 12:30 a.m (I passed out on the futon with dreams of an early summit. There is still a lot of snow on the Buffalo and I imagine that skiing will continue to be fantastic for a long time this season, so get up there!)

5:00 a.m we were up, getting ready, and eating breakfast. Out the door around 6:00 a.m to pick up batteries, and at the trail head shortly after 6:00 a.m, we were on schedule.

Once at the trail head, we started to put our skins on. With the snow all the way down to the trail head we had no problem skin from bottom to top.

With our skins on we were ready to hit the trail and make our way to the summit. The snow was nice, with 6 or more inches of fresh snow from the previous two days, the ski down was going to be great. We couldn't have asked for a better day, with blue bird sky's I had to layer down.

Skinning through the woods was pretty easy, I right behind Rob most of the way.

Like I said before I was right behind rob Most of the way. The skin up the mountain was pretty easy, we broke trail part of the way until a group of guys came up behind us and broke trail the rest of the way above tree line.

Finally I was able to make it to the summit.

The view from the summit was amazing, 360 degrees of snowy white mountain.

When I am not working as a carpenter I am waiting tables, saving up for my motorcycle trip to South America. The broccoli pizza is compliments of D'Napoli Restorante off of the top of Walnut St. Boulder, CO. If you can make it there, the food is excellent, service is great, prices are right, and helpings are huge. The pizza was hit the spot on the summit, you can tell by Rob's smile.

After we ate, shot some photos, and rested, we headed to the "Silver Couloir" also know as the "Y Couloir" to make our descent. Call it whatever you wish, the snow on top was amazing!

Rob skiing the couloir graciously.

Looking back up from the middle of the couloir you can see our tracks

The snow was amazing, it reminded me of the stuff you see in the movies. Here I go headed to the tightest section of the couloir.

Almost to the bottom, the snow was getting real sticky here, and almost unskiable at the bottom. My suggestion is to ski it very early, it was around 10:00 or 11:00 and the snow was very sticky.

The tightest section of the couloir.

At the bottom the snow was very wet and heavy. My skis caught a couple times on the snow and almost sent me flying. This is the bottom of the couloir looking up to the summit, very cool ski run here.

Skinning out of the couloir is pretty easy. From the bottom skin up about 500' and hang a left into the clearing of a steep bank. From here you can pretty much make your own skin path through the woods and end up back at the trail. Make sure you are staying with the mountain to your right. We followed ski tracks that took us back up the mountain and gain another 2000 feet of elevation, it was a pain in the ass but we found the trail. Some other guys justed stayed along the steep part of the mountain and followed back to the main trail. The skin up took about 3 and 1/2 hours, about 20 minutes to descent, and about 1 hour and 1/2 to skin out, the whole trip took around 6 hours. This trip is highly recommended. If you have an questions about any of my ski descents send me an e-mail through my Contact Me page.

Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):

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