Gothic Mountain Ski and Snowboard Trip to 12,529 Feet Above Sea Level

by Mike Hardaker on March 20, 2011 in Ski News, Snowboarding News

Tweet

Powder Journal – I was up at 5:30am for the start of our journey to climb and ride Gothic Mountain with an elevation of 12,529 feet, just outside the town of Crested Butte. Longtime local Kevin Krill and his friend Grant were nice enough to invite me out for the trip. We arrived at the trail-head just after 6:00am, unloaded the snowmobiles and started our adventure into the darkness.

In the early morning hours we were being led into darkness via the headlights of our snowmobiles. Upon arriving at our destination we parked and started the gear up for the second leg of the trip. Grant was on telemark skis with climbing skins, while Kevin had the more traditional AT (Alpine Touring) setup also with skins and I rounded out the pack on snowshoes with my snowboard. I was using a Black Diamond Avalung Backpack for my gear and to hold my board during the climb. Unfortunately when we got to the top I noticed my backpack was ripping from holding my board. This sucks, as I have a long spring ahead of me and the turnaround time to warranty the back could take a while..

It took us 3 hours to climb to the peak of Gothic Mountain. The climb was a combination of walking through the forest, mixed rock climbing over scree fields on the way to the peak, and walking across snow fields from times to time. Kevin and Grant were sprinting up the mountain while I rounded out the back of the pack. As I get some more winter climbs under my belt this season it will continue to make me stronger and faster on the ascents.

Once we reached the summit the views were breathtaking. The amount of terrain that I could see from the peak from 360 degrees was inspiring. It would take years if not a lifetime to ski and ride all the terrain around these parts, it simply reminded me of AK.. For some reason I forgot to take any pictures at the top, I was a little out if..

We ate our lunches, drank much needed water and began the journey down the mountain. The avalanche rating was MODERATE (Level 2) Above Tree Line on all Aspects, and Near Tree Line on NW, N, through East aspects. And LOW (Level 1) Below tree Line on NW, N through East aspects. Pockets of MODERATE (Level 2) near and below treeline on W, SW, S, and SE aspects in the PM due to wet snow. Thanks to the daily updates from the Crested Butte Avalanche Center we felt safe with the snow especially with how hard it was on the climb.

Grant skied first making nice tele turns down the bowl. I followed and managed to find some really fun wind loaded pow about 1/4 of the way down, the top and bottom were firm but I was just happy to be exploring this incredible terrain. Kevin followed and skied solid making it look easy and smiling in the firm snow conditions.

There is still plenty of powder to be found here in Crested Butte. I think we just were riding on an aspect that sees lots of sun. Which as of late equals a melt – freeze cycle making the snow firm in the morning and soft in the afternoon. I had blast, powder or no powder.

Tomorrow I am going to try and go out behind the office and see how the snow conditions are on a different facing slope.

Note: I tired to film with my GoPro this morning and its acting up.. Hopefully I can get it working again soon. Looks like after a long winter, my gear is starting to wear down. Come to think of it this may be the most I have ever ridden in one season to date..

Tags: Gothic Mountain Ski, Gothic Mountain Ski and Snowboard Trip to 12, Snowboard Gothic Crested Butte Print article