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Depending on how far you'd like to drive, there are several reasonably accessible from I-70. Bierstadt, Grey's and Torrey's (you can bag both in a day), Mt Evans (with a looong ski approach), Quandary a little farther out. The big thing to watch is snow pack because if we get buried pretty much all the roads to the TH will be impassable. That can add up to 5 miles one way to the trip. You'd also have to watch avy conditions - most of these peaks can be bagged via avy-free terrain.

Not certain how confident you'd feel about Long's - it's a tricky one in winter.

No worries! Maybe check back in before you head this way and we can update conditions.

Bierstadt is probably the easiest - Guanella Pass road should be open to the TH and then it's 3 miles one way to the summit. The wind can howl up the pass, though, and can really impede progress.

Gray's/Torrey's would probably require some hiking up Stephen's Gulch road. There was a rumor that DOT had graded the road but I haven't confirmed that. It's a pretty walk up the gulch and easy enough to slide down to the saddle of one and up to the summit of the other. It's an easy two-fer!

Quandary is a beautiful peak to skin up/ski down, if there's enough snow. The ridge can be quite windblown but there are some bowls just below the summit that are superb. It's a bit of a drive to get there (west of the Eisenhower Tunnel) but the road should be clear to the standard trailhead.

MarthaP wrote:Gray's/Torrey's would probably require some hiking up Stephen's Gulch road. There was a rumor that DOT had graded the road but I haven't confirmed that.

They were finishing up the grading when I was up there on 9/18/2009. In fact, the grader was in the process of digging up a bunch of soft dirt on a steep section near the start, forcing me to walk the road. Other than that, it would have been perfectly drivable in my low-clearance 2WD.

This page should have some useful information:

http://www.summitpost.org/list/337648/C ... inter.html

I'm also leading a trip to a 12,867 foot peak Thanksgiving weekend, but it's not a 14er. Below are some details:

http://14ers.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f ... 25&start=0


If by chance you were interested, send me an email.

Scott's trip sounds totally cool! If you decide you want something less involved give me a shout and I'd be happy to help. I have the whole weekend off.

I'll start doing my wild midnight naked snow dances to Ullr...

I'm game. It'll be a nice way to shake off the old turkey coma.

Awesome shot!

Hey, I'm out for Quandary on Friday - new job, different hours. What're you doing Thursday (besides eating turkey, drinking beer, and watching football. )