Snowmass Mountain Trip Report – July 31 – Aug 1 2010

Last Updated on January 17, 2023 by James Dziezynski

I had only been to Snowmass Lake many years ago in the winter, so when the opportunity came along to join Jenny in a summer ascent of Snowmass Mountain to boost her 14ers list, I was in. Colorado’s Elk Range Peaks are notoriously difficult characters while at the same time being some of the most stunningly scenic mountains in the USA.

Because the standard route on Snowmass is roughly 23 miles round trip, we decided to hike in and camp at Snowmass Lake on Saturday and do the climb on Sunday. The weather report was good for the entire weekend, so it seemed like a good call. The 8-mile backpack into Snowmass Lake was gorgeous, with epic fields of wildflowers lining the mountainside and the crisp water of Snowmass Creek rolling transparently over grey and white granite bedrock.

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We made good time to camp, covering the distance in a little under 3.5 hours. Luckily, there were still plenty of campsites to be found and we set up shop in a flat site with nice views of the lake. It was a good thing we were prompt in getting our camp set up because around 5:30 a light drizzle began to fall. The drizzle intensified to a steady rain that didn’t cease for the rest of the weekend. After a peaceful night of sleep serenaded by raindrops, I awoke at 4:45 AM to start breakfast and get ready for the ascent.

Bad news.

Mist hovered in the dark, starless sky and before I could fire up the stove, rain began to again fall in heavy sheets. The summit of Snowmass was beginning to be in doubt. Despite the forecast of clear weather, a storm had moved into the region and settled right over the Elk Range. I waited for a window of clearing, but it never came. By 8:15 AM, we had to make a decision so we made the call to at least hike to the far side of the lake and see what was happening.

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As we climbed higher, we were teased with small pockets of blue sky and swirling layers of opaque fog that gave just enough encouragement to keep climbing. Once above the loose slopes of the initial hill, the rock bands to the base of the direct route were surprisingly solid and fun to traverse. Because the summit remained shrouded in mist, we navigated to the melted-out snowfield by bearing readings (old school!) and made it to the summit ridge in good time.

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There wasn’t much in the way of views, but once we gained the ridge via the direct route, the spine to the top offered some fun scrambling. Amazingly, the rocks were dry enough to offer decent holds. A little over two hours after leaving camp, the summit was ours.

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We knew we didn’t have time to linger on top, so we hustled off the summit and back down the talus field of the direct route. The boulders are more stable than I would have expected, especially for an Elk Range peak. Moving quickly, we had to abandon our search for Jenny’s stashed poles at about 12,600 ft. (if you find a pair of Leki Tours, let me know!) As we got to the talus slope, the sky turned more sinister and a few claps of thunder boomed through the air as we reached treeline. Several barrages of large, loose rocks slid uncomfortably close by to add to the excitement. We made it back to camp as the clouds opened up torrents that would last the rest of the day and night.

Packing up our soggy gear, we knew we had stolen a summit on a sketchy weather day. If we had decided to skip the climb, that would have been the right decision too. The 8-mile pack out went smoothly and offered a special treat–we saw a bear munching on raspberries in the willows about a mile from the exit! Overall a great and challenging day, good company, and a successful return visit to the summit of Snowmass Mountain!