Quandary: Christo

Early Morning Start at Quandary

I'm sitting here feeling pretty burnt out by the week on this Thursday evening and I finally got around to digging into some of the photos from my trip to Quandary last weekend. Pretty good trip, however we dawdled a little too long up top and by the time we got skiing, the snow was pretty slushy and bottomless. It was still a really fun couloir and a great climb up and another 14er off the list of things I've been thinking about skiing. And considering the weekend looks full of strange precipitation it might be until Monday that another ski trip comes around. Short spring season what with all the raining on the weekends and the dust layer melting fast. I'm starting to think that I'm going to have to save a lot of the objectives for next season.

Summit Shot

Anyways onto Quandary: We started around 6 am from the trailhead, which was a short hike to the place to crampon up. Crampons on, it was a straightforward and fun climb up to the summer. We made it in about 2 and a half hours which I gotta say I'm pretty impressed with for a 3000 foot climb up to a 14er. Mainly scenics from this trip as the snow was pretty beaten by sun and a ton of Colorado Mountain Club folks that were roped up and climbing up Christo. They didn't even think to bring skis with them! Silly mountaineers!

The foggy couloir

It was a beautiful climb especially because half of it was the most humid I've ever been on the way up a Front Range mountain. I've never dripped sweat like that on the way up a coolie. There was a cloud that sat in the valley until mid morning and then suddenly evaporated. The clouds drifted out and in between peaks in a beautiful way all morning. It was like being privy to a slideshow of mountains slowly unveiling themselves. Here's the photos and I hope that the weather takes enough of a turn that I can get up on some more high peaks this weekend.


Up and up!


The mountains slowly peaking out of their veils


The high alpine plants reveal themselves


A high alpine bivy!

Great trip and great day. Here's to hoping for a few more this season.
Stereo-The Bravery-Bad Sun