Quandary Peak, East Ridge Ski Descent: New Year's Day, 2016
With a fantastic forecast for New Year's Day, we decided to cap our Christmas vacation with a ski descent of the East Ridge of Quandary Peak.
We left the house at 4:45am on January 1st with thermometers in the cars reading -25 F. This would be my girlfriend Panpan's 2nd 14er, 1st in the winter, and 1st ski descent. We encountered some steep skinning, variable snow conditions, and had a perfect day.
-25F in the parking lot
Photo: Matt Tse
Alpenglow hits the summit of Quandary
Near sunrise, ~11,500'
First sunlight of 2016 at 12,000'
New Year's kiss!
Skinning up the lower ridge
Approaching the saddle, 13,200'
Skinning the upper ridge
Approaching the summit
We reached the summit just after 11am. The skies were crystal clear and the winds were very calm, perhaps the best conditions I've ever seen above 14,000' in the winter.
Success!
We ate some food while enjoying the views, then finally stripped our skins and set off for the ski descent just after noon. We stuck to the ridge for the first couple hundred feet, then dropped into the Upper Bowl way to skier's right where the avalanche danger was minimal.
Matt skiing off the summit
Skiing the summit ridge
Dropping into the upper bowl
Photo: Matt Tse
Matt dropping into the Upper Bowl
After skiing the upper bowl, we took off our skis to hike across the windblown saddle. The lower ridge was a little bony, but it was at a good angle for fun turns. After we hit treeline, we found some nice fluffy powder and followed the trail out.
Hiking across the windblown saddle, ~13,200'. You can see our tracks in the bowl to the right
Skiing the lower ridge
Finding the goods just below treeline
Skiing the trail on the way out
Finally back to the McCullough Gulch road, the last stretch to the car
