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View Full Version : Ski mountaineering; Clinton Peak Colorado


PowderHoar
May-22-2007, 11:56 AM
I agreed to meet some friends for a Saturday Morning ski. My buddy Summit promised me it would be a suffer fest and indeed it was!

9 miles round-trip
3000 ft up
3000 ft down
9 hours total.

Summit sent me a picture of the line they wanted to do, bad idea...it was scary scary, I was up all night with fear and trepidation and an extreme excitement to hit this line.

We met at the Clinton Reservoir trailhead at 5am, and began the long 4 1/2 mile skin up to Clinton. This is located in Summit County Colorado.

Mir hiking along the still mostly frozen reservoir.
http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb148/Telehoar/ClintonPeak/MirGlassLake.jpg


Summit, Clinton Peak just getting the first rays of sun behind him.
http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb148/Telehoar/ClintonPeak/AaronSunPeak.jpg


The sun finally peeks out in the most gorgeous glacial valley I have been in in awhile.
http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb148/Telehoar/Sun.jpg


We take a nice rest half way up a brutal bootpack/skin ascent. Hey...I can see my car from here!
http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb148/Telehoar/RestStop1.jpg


A second break once we got to the ridge.
http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb148/Telehoar/ClintonPeak/Rest2.jpg


...and finally, 4 hours later...the summit of Clinton 13.800 feet above sea level
http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb148/Telehoar/ClintonPeak/Summit.jpg


The North Face of 14,000 ft Democrat looks $$
http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb148/Telehoar/ClintonPeak/DemocratNFace.jpg

Our destination is the Hillary Couloir, first descended by Sir Ed Hillary in 1936.
( I am making that up...we called it the Hillary Coloir because it was frosty, veered left and everytime you poled - it changed direction) :wink:
The blue marks where Mir and I dropped in, Green was Summit's path.
http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb148/Telehoar/ClintonPeak/ClintonPath.jpg


We wanted to drop into the Monica Couloir due to it's deep throat and cushy padding, but we were afraid we would stain our dresses. :)
Of course the sun decides to hide as we drop in... :x
Summit drops in off the top into some powdered polenta:
http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb148/Telehoar/ClintonPeak/AaronOffTop.jpg


Summit enters the top of the "To Cool for Schooloir"
http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb148/Telehoar/ClintonPeak/AaronEntersTop.jpg


Rock-Star pic
http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb148/Telehoar/ClintonPeak/AAronPoster.jpg


Mir cooks a very good corn for breakfast
http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb148/Telehoar/ClintonPeak/MirSki.jpg


More Couloir to go.
http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb148/Telehoar/ClintonPeak/ColoirMidTop.jpg

http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb148/Telehoar/ClintonPeak/DSC_0152.jpg


A small choke is no problem for Mir as she just straight-lines through it.
http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb148/Telehoar/ClintonPeak/MirStLine.jpg


She-Mir are good skier chick!
http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb148/Telehoar/ClintonPeak/MirSplash.jpg


Three good skiers with three good cameras means a lot of photo-slutting. The last section left before the apron.
http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb148/Telehoar/ClintonPeak/PhotoSluts.jpg


Summit exits the Couloir through some slide debris into an apron of mythical, heavenly untouched corn.
http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb148/Telehoar/ClintonPeak/AaronLowExit.jpg


Ladies first!!
http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb148/Telehoar/ClintonPeak/MirFirstTracks.jpg


Looking back at the tracks on the apron.
http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb148/Telehoar/ClintonPeak/DSC_0221.jpg


The last two miles out was nothing but "thicketeering." through willow bushes.
http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb148/Telehoar/ClintonPeak/DSC_0231.jpg


Stream crossings
http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb148/Telehoar/ClintonPeak/DSC_0225.jpg

Mir
http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb148/Telehoar/ClintonPeak/MirPoster.jpg


Summit
http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb148/Telehoar/ClintonPeak/AaronInSun.jpg


9 hours later we very relieved to make it back.
Pretty yellow pants tell the tale of spring skiing in Colorado.
http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb148/Telehoar/ClintonPeak/MudPants.jpg


Clinton Peak = Impeachy Keen!!

greenpea
May-23-2007, 03:37 PM
Great pics! Great trip report! :clap

This is getting motivating me to do a similar trip to Mount Rainier.

I think Colorado spring skiing weather looks a lot better than Washington's weather (although looking at your pics, we have a lot more snow).