Route Climbed: Standard West-face Date Climbed: Feb 14, 2004
Climbed with a party of four. Our first 14er and first winter ascent in recent years. Great conditions with temps around freezing and practically no wind. Hardpack, patchy snow. Snowshoes very neccessary for crossing the willows, but not otherwise. Axes useful but not critical. Great views and good times.
Route Climbed: Standard Date Climbed: Jan. 30th, 2004
Climbed in overcast conditions with snow flurries throughout the day with a large CMC group. I'd blazed up this trail in summer like it was a casual hike, but not today. My first time above 12,000ft in 3 months took a little getting used to, but I eventually made it to the top. Trail was well packed in places, and fresh snow from the day made the descent interesting but fun. Carried an ice axe and snowshoes all the way up and down but they never left my pack. Fun day.
Route Climbed: Guanella Pass Trailhead Date Climbed: 1-17-04
This was my first 14'er. The snow was not bad at all and the willows gave very little problems, the winds picked up though and that was a fun fight, gusts were at 40 mph with temps in the single digits. Reached the summit just over the three-hour mark. Great view from the top.
Route Climbed: West slopes Date Climbed: July 1999
My second 14er - since climbed three times more. The sawtooth ridge to Evans is a fun scramble, but the willows on the way out are a pain. The easiest winter 14er.
Route Climbed: Western Slope - Guanella Pass Date Climbed: 12/06/2003
a simple short climb did it in just under 3 hours round trip. my first winter weather summit. 45mph winds and below 0 degrees winds made this one a challenge. wonderful views... email me if you are interested in a great high rez panorama shot from the summit. b@ogonzoo.org
Route Climbed: Guanella Pass Date Climbed: October 14, 2003
My first 14er. You can see just as far from the top of a grain bin in North Dakota, but the climb is colder and not as much fun. I was a little intimidated, as I'm pretty inexperienced and there was only one other car in the parking lot. But, I made it and it was a lot of fun. I would, however, recommend bringing one more sandwhich than you think you'll need!
Route Climbed: Guanella Pass Date Climbed: July 29th, 2002
I've climbed this mountain twice now. I decided to do this so a coworker of mine could climb his first fourteener. It took him quite a while but he eventually made it. The first time I did this mountain it was my 3rd. Beautiful (but crowded) hike. I'd rather do it during the week or climb Square Top across the road instead.
Route Climbed: Western Slope from Guanella Pass Date Climbed: August 23, 2003
This was # 3 and I took the "Sawtooth" on over to Evans for # 4. The Bierstadt trail was shaded the majority of the morning, which made it nice and cool. My wife and I made it to the summit with a good pace of 2 hrs. The summit was really crowded but that did not take anything away from the experience. The "Sawtooth" was AMAZING; enough said. Thanks to Patrick for organizing the trip and Brant for sharing the experience.
Route Climbed: Western Slope Guanella Pass Date Climbed: July 14, 2003
This was my first fourteener, and according to the CMC summit log, this was the first 14er for quite a few other hikers as well. I made the summit in about 1.5 hours. This is a pretty easy hike for a 14er. The boardwalks through the infamous willows sure are nice. There were quite a few other hikers on the trail, and the parking lots at the trailhead were almost full. I had good weather for the hike, partly cloudy and not very windy at all, even at the summit.
Route Climbed: West Slope via Guanella Pass Date Climbed: August 9, 3003
Got a really late start around 2:00 PM after waiting for a storms to pass. The clouds were off and on that day. Most people were exiting the mountain as we were heading up. We got pulverized by rain and hail, but the skies were blue when we hit the summit, and because of the storms, there was only one other couple on the entire mountainside, a rare treat for Bierstadt.
Route Climbed: West Slopes to Sawtooth Date Climbed: July 9, 2003
Made the trip with my wife on one of the most beautiful days I've seen in a while. Could see Long's to Pikes and all the way to Holy Cross. No snow and very few people. Crossed the sawtooth to Evans and Spalding.
Route Climbed: Guanella Pass Date Climbed: 6/21/2003
Great trip. Wanted to do the Sawtooth to Evans but my 11 year old daughter got altitude sickness. She made it to 13,500. I was very proud of her for her determination (this was her 1st attempt at a 14er). I waited at camp until my nephew returned, I then made a solo late afternoon climb (thanks Rick). We probably would not have attempted the Sawtooth anyway because there was a little too much snow.
Route Climbed: Guanella Pass Date Climbed: June 12, 2003
Had a great day going to the top. Not very difficult, but it was a challenge sticking to the trail due to the many snow fields I had to cross. I made the mistake of following two climbers ahead of me who went strait for the summit rather than angling towards the south ridge and following it to the summit. This just caused me to have to do more boulder scrambling. I spent an hour on the summit with great views of Longs, Grays, Torreys, Pikes and Mount of the Holy Cross.
Route Climbed: West Slope(Guanella Pass) Date Climbed: Jun 03, 03
Climbed with Jennifer. Late start at 9:15 am, but the weather cooperated until we were back at the jeep. Very easy hike. The willows were quite muddy and the creek was pretty high. There was a very small log to cross the creek which we decided not to use, we went a little north and crossed on a nice dam, small island, and rock. A few snowfields to cross, but snowshoes were not necessary. Highly recommended for a first 14'er or a lowlander.
pphlux - Mar 19, 2004 11:19 pm
Route Climbed: From Guanella Pass Date Climbed: March 2002I stopped by this peak on my way home from a failed
attempt on blanca. I had my buddy drop me off on top, and
I hitched a ride home to boulder.
I think everyone should hitch somewhere sometime in their life....
Anyway, pretty straight forward route. just watch carefully for
the tall poles which mark the trail.
Probably the most dangerous part of this ascent was the guy from
Virginia I met at about 10 at night postholing through the willows
with no snowshoes or headlamp. He also mentioned he had seen
bigfoot, and had managed to snap a photo. This is not a joke....
Anyway, a fun peak, and of course, great winter intro.
CharlesD - Mar 18, 2004 10:21 am
Route Climbed: Standard West-face Date Climbed: Feb 14, 2004Climbed with a party of four. Our first 14er and first winter ascent in recent years. Great conditions with temps around freezing and practically no wind. Hardpack, patchy snow. Snowshoes very neccessary for crossing the willows, but not otherwise. Axes useful but not critical. Great views and good times.
Aaron Reid - Feb 28, 2004 12:41 pm
Route Climbed: Standard Date Climbed: Jan. 30th, 2004Climbed in overcast conditions with snow flurries throughout the day with a large CMC group. I'd blazed up this trail in summer like it was a casual hike, but not today. My first time above 12,000ft in 3 months took a little getting used to, but I eventually made it to the top. Trail was well packed in places, and fresh snow from the day made the descent interesting but fun. Carried an ice axe and snowshoes all the way up and down but they never left my pack. Fun day.
justin - Jan 19, 2004 1:56 pm
Route Climbed: Guanella Pass Trailhead Date Climbed: 1-17-04This was my first 14'er. The snow was not bad at all and the willows gave very little problems, the winds picked up though and that was a fun fight, gusts were at 40 mph with temps in the single digits. Reached the summit just over the three-hour mark. Great view from the top.
hhsilleck - Jan 10, 2004 7:24 pm
Route Climbed: West slopes Date Climbed: July 1999My second 14er - since climbed three times more. The sawtooth ridge to Evans is a fun scramble, but the willows on the way out are a pain. The easiest winter 14er.
ogonzoo - Dec 8, 2003 3:37 pm
Route Climbed: Western Slope - Guanella Pass Date Climbed: 12/06/2003a simple short climb did it in just under 3 hours round trip. my first winter weather summit. 45mph winds and below 0 degrees winds made this one a challenge. wonderful views... email me if you are interested in a great high rez panorama shot from the summit. b@ogonzoo.org
bdewoody - Dec 3, 2003 1:03 am
Route Climbed: Sawtooth Date Climbed: 8/23/02Climbed Bierstadt and Evans in one trip via the Sawtooth ridge.
jeffgun - Nov 15, 2003 1:41 pm
Route Climbed: N/W Ridge Date Climbed: MultipleThis is a common winter hike for me. I usually take my husky, Nikita, with me.
flyinghighpete - Oct 21, 2003 5:03 pm
Route Climbed: Guenella Pass Date Climbed: August 30, 2003My friend's first 14er! Perfect day for a hike!
NoDak - Oct 15, 2003 9:55 pm
Route Climbed: Guanella Pass Date Climbed: October 14, 2003My first 14er. You can see just as far from the top of a grain bin in North Dakota, but the climb is colder and not as much fun. I was a little intimidated, as I'm pretty inexperienced and there was only one other car in the parking lot. But, I made it and it was a lot of fun. I would, however, recommend bringing one more sandwhich than you think you'll need!
jrf - Oct 5, 2003 8:21 pm
Route Climbed: Guanella Pass Date Climbed: July 29th, 2002I've climbed this mountain twice now. I decided to do this so a coworker of mine could climb his first fourteener. It took him quite a while but he eventually made it. The first time I did this mountain it was my 3rd. Beautiful (but crowded) hike. I'd rather do it during the week or climb Square Top across the road instead.
eurobeer - Aug 25, 2003 9:30 am
Route Climbed: Western Slope - Guanella Pass Date Climbed: July 16, 2003We attempted this last summer, but the weather kept us from reaching the top.
This time we left much earlier and reached the summit easily. Great hike, close to Denver. It will be a regular hike for us in the future.
URKillnMeSmalls - Aug 24, 2003 7:48 pm
Route Climbed: Western Slope from Guanella Pass Date Climbed: August 23, 2003This was # 3 and I took the "Sawtooth" on over to Evans for # 4. The Bierstadt trail was shaded the majority of the morning, which made it nice and cool. My wife and I made it to the summit with a good pace of 2 hrs. The summit was really crowded but that did not take anything away from the experience. The "Sawtooth" was AMAZING; enough said. Thanks to Patrick for organizing the trip and Brant for sharing the experience.
belexes - Aug 22, 2003 2:39 pm
Route Climbed: Western Slope Guanella Pass Date Climbed: July 14, 2003This was my first fourteener, and according to the CMC summit log, this was the first 14er for quite a few other hikers as well. I made the summit in about 1.5 hours. This is a pretty easy hike for a 14er. The boardwalks through the infamous willows sure are nice. There were quite a few other hikers on the trail, and the parking lots at the trailhead were almost full. I had good weather for the hike, partly cloudy and not very windy at all, even at the summit.
CanopyBoy - Aug 11, 2003 10:12 am
Route Climbed: West Slope via Guanella Pass Date Climbed: August 9, 3003Got a really late start around 2:00 PM after waiting for a storms to pass. The clouds were off and on that day. Most people were exiting the mountain as we were heading up. We got pulverized by rain and hail, but the skies were blue when we hit the summit, and because of the storms, there was only one other couple on the entire mountainside, a rare treat for Bierstadt.
bernardhohman - Jul 29, 2003 1:01 am
Route Climbed: Geunella Pass Date Climbed: September 12, 2001First fourteener. Great day.
miztflip - Jul 9, 2003 4:26 pm
Route Climbed: West Slopes to Sawtooth Date Climbed: July 9, 2003Made the trip with my wife on one of the most beautiful days I've seen in a while. Could see Long's to Pikes and all the way to Holy Cross. No snow and very few people. Crossed the sawtooth to Evans and Spalding.
scvanm - Jul 5, 2003 8:41 pm
Route Climbed: Guanella Pass Date Climbed: 6/21/2003Great trip. Wanted to do the Sawtooth to Evans but my 11 year old daughter got altitude sickness. She made it to 13,500. I was very proud of her for her determination (this was her 1st attempt at a 14er). I waited at camp until my nephew returned, I then made a solo late afternoon climb (thanks Rick). We probably would not have attempted the Sawtooth anyway because there was a little too much snow.
shanrickv - Jun 22, 2003 7:18 am
Route Climbed: Guanella Pass Date Climbed: June 12, 2003Had a great day going to the top. Not very difficult, but it was a challenge sticking to the trail due to the many snow fields I had to cross. I made the mistake of following two climbers ahead of me who went strait for the summit rather than angling towards the south ridge and following it to the summit. This just caused me to have to do more boulder scrambling. I spent an hour on the summit with great views of Longs, Grays, Torreys, Pikes and Mount of the Holy Cross.
skibum7732 - Jun 7, 2003 3:51 pm
Route Climbed: West Slope(Guanella Pass) Date Climbed: Jun 03, 03Climbed with Jennifer. Late start at 9:15 am, but the weather cooperated until we were back at the jeep. Very easy hike. The willows were quite muddy and the creek was pretty high. There was a very small log to cross the creek which we decided not to use, we went a little north and crossed on a nice dam, small island, and rock. A few snowfields to cross, but snowshoes were not necessary. Highly recommended for a first 14'er or a lowlander.