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Yes so it is official I have my tickets to Denver! Surprisingly I also have tickets to Texas as well since, I was unaware, the best way to fly to Denver from Boston is to go to Texas first.... Oh well not a long layover and I'll see Texas, well from the air. Going to do some end of May climbing so I'm keeping my eyes on the forums about snowfall amounts. From what I gather so far it's not been a big year for snowfall in most places. But there's still lots of time for that. I rented a Jeep this time. Last trip to a 14er I rented a Chevy Aveo. Yay! Little car, good on gas...oh wait...what's that? The brakes stop working as we near the top of the road to the Whitney trail head? Drop offs of death beside us... Hmmm.... maybe next time I'll get a different car...so I did! Hopefully I can get a little higher on some of the roads with the extra clearance as well. Anyway I'm excited, I've never been to CO before.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLBKOcUbHR0[/youtube]

Hmmm...interesting details that remind me of several long threads without much mountain information.

Maybe some folks from CO will chime in with on topic advice if you ask/are seeking it. I'm not big on climbing, but if I were flying into Denver and had enough time, I'd head for some scenic drives, hikes, and mountain bike rides west, south, and then west-southwest some more. The central, and southwestern part of CO are what I've enjoyed most on visits there, but your interests may differ from mine. Have fun!

NW wrote:Yes so it is official I have my tickets to Denver! Surprisingly I also have tickets to Texas as well since, I was unaware, the best way to fly to Denver from Boston is to go to Texas first.... Oh well not a long layover and I'll see Texas, well from the air. Going to do some end of May climbing so I'm keeping my eyes on the forums about snowfall amounts. From what I gather so far it's not been a big year for snowfall in most places. But there's still lots of time for that. I rented a Jeep this time. Last trip to a 14er I rented a Chevy Aveo. Yay! Little car, good on gas...oh wait...what's that? The brakes stop working as we near the top of the road to the Whitney trail head? Drop offs of death beside us... Hmmm.... maybe next time I'll get a different car...so I did! Hopefully I can get a little higher on some of the roads with the extra clearance as well. Anyway I'm excited, I've never been to CO before.

Don't blame you for being excited, I'm excited for you!!

You're correct about the snowfall but it sounds like that might change a little tonight, at least along the Front Range.

"Went out west to Colorado,
You know that it just blew my mind ..

I'd love to go back there next trip ..
I sure hope we get some time ..."

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7BmO7asb0A[/youtube]

Yes I will be most likely sticking to the Front Range. I plan to climb as much as I can in the few small days I could get away for. Not planning on anything to technical, just get up in the nice crisp 14er air in May. Probably warm up (aka make significant other warm up) with a Torreys/ Grays combo.Then move onto something challenging.

What are some people's favorite mountains/routes that aren't in the San Juan or Sangre de Cristo Ranges?

NW wrote:What are some people's favorite mountains/routes that aren't in the San Juan or Sangre de Cristo Ranges?

The Cross Couloir on Holy Cross will probably be in in May; it's a cool moderate snow climb that drops you right on the summit. Long's is worth climbing, and you'll mostly avoid the crowds by taking the Loft route. The scenery in Glacier Gorge is spectacular, so it's worth doing something back in there, perhaps the Spearhead or McHenry's.

3' of snow at 8,000' ft. along the Front Range in the last 24 hours.

Yea I heard that! Yay!!! You know cause us Canadians need to travel to enjoy the snow.

The Cross Couloir on Holy Cross will probably be in in May

Usually the area is closed between May and June 20 (for wildlife reasons).

Scott wrote:

The Cross Couloir on Holy Cross will probably be in in May

Usually the area is closed between May and June 20 (for wildlife reasons).

Thanks for the heads-up. I climbed it June 28th, and was therefore completely unaware of the closure. What a pain.

How's Snowmass with it's winter coat on? Seems like with a good layer of snow it would almost make some parts of the way up better.