| Vermilion Dollar Couloir Route |
Contribute  Loading...
Geography Parents Loading... Routes
| Vermilion Dollar Couloir   | 
| Page Type: Route Location: Colorado, United States, North America Lat/Lon: 37.79910°N / 107.8284°W Route Type: Steep Snow Climb Time Required: A long day Difficulty: Class 3
| Route Quality: | | | | Loading...
| Page By: mountainmota Created/Edited: Jun 30, 2004 / Jul 24, 2004 Object ID: 161374 Hits: 970 Loading... Page Score: 0% - 0 Votes Loading... Vote: Log in to vote |
Approach
The approach for this route starts at the South Mineral Creek Trailhead or for those with a 4x4 or high-clearance vehicle, at the 4x4 parking (detailed description on main page). From here your first objective is to make the scenic hike into Ice Lakes Basin to about 12,900 feet near Fuller Lake. This is where the climb begins. Due to the length of this approach, many choose to climb Vermilion with a backpack into the basin.
Route Description
From 12,900 feet in Ice Lakes Basin, hike west towards the east face of Vermilion Peak. The prominent couloir in the east face is the Vermilion Dollar Couloir. At the base of the couloir you are at 13,000 feet. The steep section at the base of the climb can be climbed via some class 3 scrambling to the right or straight up if the snow is solid. Climb the nice couloir to a notch southeast of the summit. From the notch, climb southwest to the summit on some loose rocks. I would recommend a descent of the Southeast ridge route. When this route is snow free, or the snow conditions are poor, it is wise to avoid climbing due to the high rockfall.
The round trip distance is 10 miles from South Mineral Campground and 8.25 miles from the 4x4 parking.
The elevation gain is 4,100 feet from South Mineral Campground and 3,500 from the 4x4 parking.
Essential Gear
An ice axe, crampons and a helmet are all highly recommended due to the nature of this climb.
Miscellaneous Info
If you have information about this route that doesn't pertain to any of the other sections, please add it here.
Images
|
|
San Juan Range
