Splitboard.com Forums

Went out for a tour in the IPW yesterday to check out some more chutes, and try and hike Mt Audubon in the process. And continuing with my current theme, this turned out to be an attempt. Not that I mind these trips, as any day in the mountains is a day well spent. I started from the winter closure gate at 5:30, in hopes of summitting and being back to Denver in the early afternoon to work the "swing shift". I made it to the lake just as the sun was coming up. My plan was to hike a peak in the area, then maybe make a descent of some windpack slopes back to the valley. Needless to say, the area was being blasted by winds, which made the going rather difficult. A reached approximately 11,600' on the ridge before deciding I would not have the time to continue. The strengthening winds reinforced my decision, as I was knocked to the ground a couple times during my retreat. During the return I got my first experience with human sailing across the frozen lake. Oh yeah, and the winds have pretty much dismantled the snowpack around here.

Heres the pics:

























Inverted skin track!

Here are a couple panos:



http://www.forrestthorniley.com/images/Audubon/ipw10.jpg

http://www.forrestthorniley.com/images/Audubon/ipw09.jpg
[/url]

Sastrugilicious. Nice light!

GREAT photos

At least the pics came out great! Those footprints are cool too.

Nice work! It's good to get some close-ups of the area and see how it's shaping up.
I had a lonely, cold and windy time up on the lower flanks of Audobon a few years back on a rental split from Neptune. Made it just above treeline, took photos and turned around to skin that long, flat approach again.
Interesting snow features above the Apache Couloir in that one photo.....

Thanks guys.

LBR, u ever ridden any of the lines around here? It would be great to post up camp and ride a few of them in the spring, Apache, Queens, Crooked, and a couple in those photos, especially the deeply inset one, that is gonna be fun!

I have ridden several of the wonderful lines up there, just about all in Spring/Summer corn conditions. Navajo snowfield, Apache Couloir, Crooked Couloir, Mt. Toll, SE Face of Paiute Peak, Several routes on Pawnee Peak and various smaller routes in winter season.
I would recommend the Apache Couloir and Crooked Couloir-they are both beautiful climbs and descents. Mt. Toll is great as well, but very popular-it had moguls when I rode it! Pawnee Peak probably has the most variety of lines from the Summit, from easy to steep, and may be feasible in winter conditions with a strong 'pack and good route-finding.
All of those routes are well-documented in Ron Haddad's excellent guidebook, "Front Range Descents." That's how I discovered them....

Sik pics. I saw an old man running down the Audobon trail naked one summer. Disturbing.

Them cooly's got my attention fer sure.