Snow climbing Peak 4 and Peak 5 (Tenmile range)

Snow climbing Peak 4 and Peak 5 (Tenmile range)

Exploring the chutes on the Tenmile range, across from Copper mountain ski. I have spotted and thought about these chutes while skiing at Copper several times over. The chutes do slide regularly (most winter seasons), sometimes big events (like spring 2019). I have also seen backcountry skiers on the bowl below Peak 5 during winter. The chutes are west facing and the nearby Officer's Gulch melts out early season (already gone when i climbed 4/25), making these good early season opportunities. From the summer use lot for the Tenmile creek / CDT trail, proceed to the bridge to cross the stream. The approach from the lot to the main chute of Peak 4 is quick. You may find yourself climbing over a lot of trees and similar in the debris field at the base of the chute. The base starts with a steeper rocky section - the climber's right is more shaded and held snow (if needed) on my visit. I followed up the rock/snow boundary along the center of the chute, stepping on fallen tree trunks at the surface of the snow to avoid post-holing. The section above the chute entry was melted out. You will arrive at options to climb a steeper chute towards Peak 4 (on the left, if snow still exists) or Peak 5 (on the right, more shaded and filled with snow). I found good snow on the center of the main chute (it can be a benefit from winter slides to solidify the snow). Aside from the debris field at the base, there was not evidence of fallen rocks in the higher sections of the main chute. Above treeline, another intersection comes up to the left including a steeper face that may give access to traverse the summit ridgeline (which is probably doable with some advanced route-finding) and the lower angle main chute continuing to the right. The snow did not seem dense to the left, so i continued to the right. The bowl at the top is the steepest part (low 40-degrees) and had moderately hard snow at best. There was no cornice danger on my visit (maybe any larger winter cornice had already fallen) but the ridgeline featured an irregular crest of snow sculpted by the wind. I went left to scope out above the Officer's Gulch area - the lines in north facing aspects of Peak 4 and Peak 3 were shallow with snow that was not dense enough to truly help ascend. Again, the lower parts of Officer's Gulch often melt out early (in April). I down-climbed from the ridge and continued to Peak 4 from the right. The snow was mostly soft and had not thaw-freezed near the top, but i followed a band of harder windslab to the right of the peak. Once on the ridgeline of the Tenmile range, it is a short snowclimb to the summit. From Peak 4, i continued to Peak 5 on the wide ridge of the Tenmile range. With gusts of at least 50 mph, it was much windier than i expected. There are several chutes that may be taken to descend back to Copper. I did not try chute 5A (which seems to have some steeper sections, might be better for ascent than an afternoon descent). The top of 5B was not obvious from Peak 5. 5C tops out at a saddle above a lower angle bowl. The snow was solid descending the bowl (so presumably it slides in winter) except near trees (which block overnight radiative cooling to freeze). The broad bowl area eventually funnels to a much more narrow chute. The descent here seemed lower angle (good for afternoon descent to avoid wet slides) and there were old ski tracks in the snow. Once below the steepest section of the transition into the narrow chute, i was able to glissade down at least 1000'. The snow was thin at the bottom and i ended up scrambling down and out through the debris field above the Far East (formerly Corn) lot at Copper.

Angles: I measured 23.3, 35.4, 26.9, 24.4, and 48.4 (at the top) on the chute from peak 4. I did not check the chute from peak 5, but felt comfortable walking down / facing down. It mostly seemed like lower angle than peak 4, probably less than 30 deg. Much of chute 4 and chute 5C could be ascended by skinning on skis. While chute 4 seemed slightly steeper (blue-black or black run), both would be a pleasant descent on skis. The level is expert resort skier, not double-diamond stuff.

I started from the lot at 5:30 to reach the Peak 4 ridgeline at noon. I continued to reach Peak 5 at 1 pm, started descending at 1:36 to reach the base / Corn lot at 3:37 and my truck at 4:03.

Link to album of photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/19047247@N04/albums/72157719059722262

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Link to album of photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/19047247@N04/albums/72177720298085361