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Base Camp
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- Statistics:
- Date Hiked: May 19,
2007
- Miles Hiked: 2.0
- Elevation Gain: 2,600'
- Hiking Partner(s): Brian Kooeinga,
Kevin Smith
- Description:
- This hike was Kevin's return to the mountains. Last August
while he and I were on a hike, a handhold blew out on him on some
exposed terrain and he took a serious fall. Long story short, he
hit the deck from 20 feet up and then tumbled/cart-wheeled another 40
feet before all the damage was done. He spent a couple days in
intensive care and after several surgeries returned home from the
hospital after a week. Kevin broke his back, dislocated a
shoulder, cracked ribs, punctured a lung, broke his knee cap, and really
messed up the ligaments in his hand. After a winter of rest and
rehab, it was time to test out what condition his heart and body were in.
- Both Kevin and I wanted a relatively short hike since it was his
first time out in a while and I was still recovering from LASIK eye
surgery I had a week ago. The Cristo Couloir on
Quandary's south face seemed to
meet our needs nicely. In addition, after a season of ice climbing
Brian has become somewhat of a "crag climber" and has gotten used to the
short approaches. I won't say he despises long approaches, but he
despises long approaches. We met at Brian's around 4:30 am and
were hiking by shortly after 7:00 am. We only hiked about 10 to 15
minutes before we hit the snow and it was time to put crampons on.
- If you are looking for a hair-raising, spine-tingling,
thrill-seeking climb, the Cristo Couloir probably isn't the place to go.
However, if you are looking for a fun, moderate, training snow climb,
then it qualifies. Snow conditions were acceptable, and we took
turns kicking steps in the snow. Everybody enjoyed the morning as
we worked our way up the couloir. I was wearing a bandana to keep
the sweat out of my eyes, and Brian kept referring to me as Bret
Michaels from the 80's hair metal band Poison. Kevin did well but
could tell the engine had lost a few horsepower.
- We took a break a little over half way up on some rocks to hydrate
and eat. I thought the outcropping we rested on would be the
perfect place to capture Brian descending the couloir. He was
packing his skis along and was going to shred the Cristo on the way back
down. After our break, we continued climbing as the snow softened
in the morning sun. The grade increases a bit near the top of the
climb before the shallow couloir ends a couple of hundred feet below the
summit. We topped out on the Cristo and then Brian and I continued
on to the summit because Kevin needed some alone time. Apparently
he was "touching cloth" and needed to use the restroom.
- The weather was perfect and we enjoyed a snack on the top of
Quandary. For this particular climb, we tried to implement at
least half of Mark Twight's climbing philosophy of alpine style
"fast and light". We went light. It took us just over three
hours to summit. After a short break, Kevin and I got into
position to photo and video Brian dropping off the summit cornice and
skiing back to the top of the Cristo Couloir. Kevin and I worked
back down to the snow and then glissaded down the couloir to wait for
Brian's amazing ski descent of Quandary Peak. The turns were
extraordinary and his form was incredible. For a minute, I thought
I was videoing Chris Davenport. Kevin and I finished the glissade,
and Brian skied to the base of the couloir.
- We had a fun day in the mountains and stopped at the Dam Brewery in
Dillon for a couple of pints and something to eat. Brian enjoyed
skiing the couloir, and I had a good time trying out my new eyes.
Kevin's knee bothered him some on the descent, so being able to glissade
for over 1,600' really helped a lot. Despite his accident last
Fall, both Brian and I were glad to see Kevin back in the saddle.
Welcome back Kevin.
- Maps:
- Click here to view a
2D map of
the area where this hike is located.
- Photographs:
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