Grays Peak - Lost Rat Couloir
Great route for beginner mountaineers—climb an easy 14er, ski a short couloir, and cruise through a fun gulley back to the trailhead.
Difficult Ski Touring
- Distance
- 9.9 km
- Ascent
- 928 m
- Descent
- 928 m
Explore the high and wild mountains of Colorado from some of the State's legendary ski towns!
Ski Touring Moderate, Difficult, Severe, Extreme
Home to no less than 53 14,000ft peaks, Colorado is the most mountainous state in the Lower 48. In amongst those mountains are some world-famous ski areas, and there are few skiers on the planet who haven't dreamt of exploring the pristine slopes of Vail, Telluride, Aspen and the other Colorado hotspots.
This guidebook will take you to those famous ski resorts but it's focused on the ski tours which can be accessed from them rather than the groomed runs to which most visitors flock. The tours vary from cruisy, half day affairs like Birthday Chutes (a fun little area accessed from the Telluride lift system) to huge epics like "The Power of Five" - a humungous adventure through the Crested Butte backcountry. In between you'll find classics like Boxcar Couloir on Mount Wilson, one of Telluride's 14000ers, "High Voltage" on Morgan Peak above Keystone, Silver Couloir above Silverthorne and the route to ski one of Colorado's most famous 14000ers - the legendary North Maroon Peak above Aspen. There are also a couple of day tours (such as Mcmillan Peak - a beginner tour from Red Mountain Pass near Telluride) which start from highways close to ski resorts rather than from the resorts themselves.
Whatever your preference, and whether you love to go big or stay closer to home, you'll find a Colorado ski adventure in here to suit your tastes. If you manage to do all 10, you can really consider yourself a ski connoisseur of the Centennial State!
Great route for beginner mountaineers—climb an easy 14er, ski a short couloir, and cruise through a fun gulley back to the trailhead.
Difficult Ski Touring
Explore one of the best parts of the state by climbing an empty 14er and skiing an amazing couloir.
Severe Ski Touring
Silver Couloir is one of the 50 Classic Ski Descents in North America according to 50classicskidescents.com
Difficult Ski Touring
If avalanche conditions are safe this is a good powder stash near Keystone.
Moderate Ski Touring
Snodgrass Mountain offers a mellow ski tour with great views and a few tree stashes.
Moderate Ski Touring
The Power of Five is a ski mountaineering route that plays with aspects so that five ski descents can be accomplished in a single push.
Extreme Ski Touring
A ski mountaineering route that gives you the best view of the classic "North Maroon's North Face" ski descent, and finishes off with skiing it!
Extreme Ski Touring
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