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