Spring climbing on American Peak

Excitment & Caution

Spring is the season of three. One has to pack or at least plan for the possibility of encountering winter with its frosty temps and deep snow, the pockets of instability that autumn brings with new snow and of course, the highly variable conditions and downright hot temperatures of spring. It’s probably my least favorite season. I really don’t want to pack my pontoons (snowshoes) or bring my big puffy when I have more than enough in that pack already. So I’ve learned to just go without a lot of stuff and suffer temporarily if conditions don’t go my way. What I DO want to pack is an extra summit or trail beer. But the delightful thought of post-holing waist-deep in mashed potatoes is enough to get me to leave the extra beer at home and suffer the weight of snowshoes.

This year, the snowpack in Colorado is worse. Granted, it’s nowhere near the horrendous snowpack we had back in 2020. But so far, spring 2021, bringing an intertube, a bottle of Coppertone and maybe a margarita or two wouldn’t be out of the question. It’s too warm, it’s too warm too fast. I keep reading and hearing of people getting caught in wet slides, rockfall and turning around at 7:00 am. I’m thinking this may be my only couloir trip of the season. Be that as it may, at least I’m attempting a line I’ve had my eyes on for a while.  

After getting three hours of sleep (on the nose) at the Grizzly Gulch/Silver Creek Trailhead (I left straight from work in Telluride), I drove the remaining few miles of rough road to the lower trailhead at American Basin. The creek crossing (Lake Fork of the Gunnison) in the Jeep was tame but it was roaring. This is the reason why American Basin is known for wildflowers in the summer!

As I’m cruising up the 4x4 road into American Basin, I’m hoping to avoid the nexus of multiple bad scenarios on today’s climb, but of course, all you can do is hope. The goal is to climb a pair of couloirs on American Peak, Traitor Couloir and Patriot. If I’m feeling up to it, tag Handies on the way out. But with the already softening snowpack, I’m having my doubts.

It’s 6:45 am and I’m about half-way up the basin. The benediction being bestowed upon the high peak and crags by the morning sun is uplifting and beautiful in all its red and orange splendor. There’s roughly seven other people ahead of me. I pass three of them including a couple having a noticeably hard time hiking up the bare tundra. Probably from the altitude I surmise. ‘At least they’re putting forth the effort to see all this,’ I think.  I’m 100% sure they are being attracted by the magnetism of Handies Peak. There’s another couple about 10 minutes ahead of me who stop to put on snowshoes. ‘Huh, not a bad idea,’ I say quietly. I plop down in the snow and do the same. Obviously the extra flotation helps speed my travel but to actually need them at 7:00 am in the shadow of Handies Peak does not bode well.

I silently give thanks to those in front whose tracks I’ve been following and slowly pull away from them like a strip of weathered house paint. I traverse and float over the crests and boughs of the snow-covered waves of the underlying scree mounds like an adrift buoy. I angle straight for American’s North Face heading up a 36° shoulder of snow until I’m at the bottom of Traitors apron. In the basin directly west of me, a large wet slide broke off sometime in the last couple weeks. It’s large enough that the crown is distinct and noticeable, even from my distance of it.

I fear wet slides the least having been in small ones and observing a few around me as I’ve bailed on past climbs, but not only is the crown VERY visible on this one, the debris field at the bottom is large enough to warrant a few moments of extended observation of the terrain around me and some concern. I decide to dig a small pit a bit further up on terrain more indicative of what I’ll be facing.

I’ve left my snowshoes on for far too long; time to step into something a bit more aggressive.

The bottom of Independence Couloir was littered with rocks like garbage. It was also sporting some massive sun cups and a few runnels. I’m sure the copious amounts of dust and dirt just added to the melting. Patriot had a somewhat recent wet slide but otherwise, all was intact. Staring up into Traitor, I was equally surrounded by rock debris but not nearly as much. There were no runnels and only minor mottling, all good signs to be sure. But Traitor is known for rockfall. So there’s no guarantees of safe passage.

The initial climbing went smooth and it did take a little while to get my climbing legs back under me. This was my first coully of the year so I expected to move a bit slower than usual. The top of the apron/entrance to the couloir proper measured 40°. The snow was punchy with an inch layer of frozen corn on top. Although, the base felt fairly stable. I dug a small hole with my axe to get a better look and decide whether or not to continue. Other than the top layer, there was no observable faceting…great! I guess I could handle some minor post-holing. It would get better once I reached the shadow of the inner couloir anyway.         

I started to angle more towards center to stay away from the side walls. I was hearing more rock fall. Even though most of that was probably behind me now and near the top in the sun, I didn’t want to dawdle just in case. I reached that light/shadow demarcation line and entered into the shade. The snow was indeed, not any better! It was exactly the same. A little surprise there since this was the narrowest section. I stopped for a drink and took a measurement while I was stopped; 42°. Ok, ok. Now we’re getting more exciting. The pitch was definitely decent enough but I was a bit dismayed that the snow hadn’t set up better for early June. The pitch was manageable and the snow, stable. Nothing was breaking or sloughing off and thus far, only one small runnel. I contoured climbers right and followed that for maybe 50’ until it petered out.

After 15 minutes or so, I reached the exit. There was a small crest of snow providing for a nice, spicier finish. I stopped and took one more reading below this ‘drift’. The inclinometer read 46°. Not too bad I thought. I climbed over the crest and onto solid rock of the small col. Traitor Couloir is less than 600’ but was very enjoyable due to it being inset. Plus, the views of Jones and Niagara Peaks to the south were nothing short of delicious! I clipped my crampons onto the back of my pack, rearranged the rocks and made myself comfortable. I was enjoying the moment. This is why, I silently thought, I suffered only three hours of sleep the prior night.

The ridge was mostly dry. There were only a few snowfields to cross and I’d be on the summit in no time. I’d blaze down Patriot on hopefully, average snow and truck it on over to Handies. It's just an open tundra slope on Handies and most of it is melted out. So it should be all gravy from here on out.

Accident!

‘Zeus’s Beard!’ I thought, letting a little smile escape. The snow was bulletproof. Talk about a change in conditions. I had hoped any snow on the ridge would be soft due to the southern exposure. It must be getting down to freezing up here (~13,700’) for these conditions. I contemplated putting my points back on but choose not to. I didn’t feel like dulling them on the rock in between. I’d just take my time crossing. I side-stomped and cut the occasional step across the first snow field. It worked out well enough…until it didn’t. I was crossing the second snow field and everything was going fine. I was almost across. I went to kick another step and my boot bounced right off forcing me into an off-balance spin causing me to fall backwards and slide head first down the slope. In that 4-5 second slide, I was able to see the rocks coming at me at ludicrous speed. I careened my head back and tilted it to the side to hopefully lessen the ensuing damage. BANG! I tumbled another 5’-6’ into the rocks before I stopped. I think my crampons & snowshoes had a hand in stopping me so suddenly. I laid there staring up at the sky, sideways on the slope thinking, ‘This really fucking sucks.’ I slowly rolled over and sat up looking back up the slope. Unbelievably, I wasn’t scared or shaken up. I was actually in awe, sheer awe at how fast I picked up speed. I fell maybe 25’-30’. I tried planting my axe but it literally bounced right off the neve. In hindsight, being upside down while sliding probably saved me from a facial wound from the axe. I stood up, rearranged my shoes and points and looked at the summit. It was no more than 10 minutes away. I could definitely feel something was going on with my head. My shin was definitely cut, my left thumb got jammed pretty good and both my elbows were scratched and sore as hell. ‘None the worse for wear,’ I thought. I continued up towards the summit and plopped down in the snow. I stomped out a place to sit, built the summit cairn up a bit and left a register. I took my hat off and looked at the evidence. Yup. It was soaked through with blood. The cut wasn't long or deep but it sure bled like a bastard. I put it back on and adjusted it tighter to get it to clot. I dug into my pack, cracked a beer and drank to being a dumbass.

 retraced my steps down the ridge and across the exit for Independence. Patriot was the next couloir over. The top of Independence was almost completely melted out. It looked like a scree & mud fest. Patriot still had snow but it was receding like a hairline. I took that as a good sign. However as I started descending, I rethought that opinion. It was slush all the way to the rock. Descending 38° slush in crampons wasn’t a good idea. I sat down and took them off. I’d be safer just plunge-stepping with the occasional glissade. And that’s exactly what I did. The whole couloir was slush and potatoes all the way to the bottom. I ended up glissading the entire bottom half of it since it was more efficient than plunging. I walked past the wet slide I had seen earlier that morning. It was larger than I expected. But at least now, I was out of harm’s way. Sorry Handies, maybe next time pal.

All in all, it was a fantastic day! I managed to climb the last two remaining couloirs I needed on American. I summited for the third time, endured my first ever accident (in over 25 years), saw a bear, a vole, a small ermine darting among the rocks looking for a pika to eat and more deer and marmots than I could count. It was a good, full day.