Torreys Dead Dog Couloir

On April 16th Clay Meier and I made the last minute decision to head down to the front range and ski the dead dog couloir on Torreys (14,267).  While not the steepest, narrowest, or longest 14er couloir we chose it based on potentially hazardous forecasted thunderstorms all over the rest of Colorado.  After hastily packing camping and ski gear we left Gunnison around 5:00 to make it to the trailhead by 7.  After two hours of skinning on the road we made it in to the summer trailhead where we decided to make camp.  On the way in we noticed stars and hoped it was a sign of a great spring day to come.  After making a few quick rounds of hot water and tea we crawled into the tent and waited for the sun to rise.  Surprisingly I heard a party walk by our tent at 3:30am, I am still unsure of their objective and why such an early start was necessary.  After waking, eating breakfast, making some coffee (which I spilled), we sat and watched the last glimpse of what could have been a sunny day disappear behind the impending storm.

After starting the skin at 7:00 we made it to the base at 7:45.  At this point most of the couloir was not visible due to the new snow falling and the wind.

After pausing to put our skis on our pack and put on crampons in a sheltered area we began the bootpack up the couloir.  Fortunately towards the base the snow was hard and the crampons provided just enough purchase in the snow to make effective steps without sinking.  This unfortunately changed the higher we climbed.  Once near the top it became a series of careful stepping hoping that each step would not result in a frustrating plunge to your waist.

The only technical part of the ascent came as we had to leave the couloir and traverse to the summit ridge on an exposed section of snow covered rock.  Fortunately the crampons provided good purchase and we were able to move through with relative ease.

Once on the summit we realized the rate at which the storm was moving and decided to get moving as quickly as we could so that we would be able to safely ski the couloir.  

The descent began with a approximately 40degree headwall with new snow that required some sluff management to stay on your feet.  From here the skiing became much more straightforward and we leapfrogged pitches until we were at the bottom.  

Upon making the bottom we picked our way through the grass and rocks on thin patches of snow and quickly broke our camp down.  On the way out we saw a plethora of people on everything from snowshoes to skis taking a hike to the summer trailhead.  After making it back to Dillon we ate at Chipotle and made the drive back to spend Sunday playing lawn sports and barbecuing on a beautiful Gunnison day.