One of the things I learned from Davenports' amazing one year push was that you can ski these peaks all season long. For years I always waited for the stable spring cycle to arrive, thinking that descents made any earlier would be either dangerous or lacking enough snow. Combined with the fact that spring typically arrives early to the Sangres and Christy and I thought we should pay Crestone Peak a visit.

With a snowmobile(thanks Todd Clark!), Christy and I cruised up the South Colony Lakes Road. Forty five minutes of skinning and we were at the lower lake, another hour or so and we were atop Broken Hand Pass. Even in summer, the Crestones have a remote feel. When we clicked into our skis today and descended(~800 vertical feet)to Cottonwood Lake nearly a mile away we felt like we were really out there. After traversing under the awesome Crestone Needle, we grabbed a snack and readied for the climb up the Peaks' prominent South Couloir. It looked great insofar as being filled in, as good or better than any pictures I've seen. Being the first 14er of the season you always feel like your feet are dragging. Altitude is noticeable, I often find myself with a headache and as we skinned to the base of the 2000 vertical foot steep couloir we were both hoping the snow was firm.

Luckily for us, it was(yet it was still a grunt). We kicked a trail up the gradually steepening couloir, counting steps, taking turns, until we were there. Having caught an absolutely perfect day, while still in calendar winter, in such a remote place and on a super challenging peak was so cool. We were ecsatatic.

Taking 'five' on the summit there was a bit of wind so we decided it best to be quick and get going, we had a long way to go, back up and over Broken Hand Pass and down to the car. The immediate summit is airy and with little snow. About twenty horizontal feet to the east starts the couloir, some billy goating atop precipitous cliffs could get you from the benchmark to the snow, or a long reach with a probe pole. We discussed the ethics involved with starting at the edge of the snow and ruled it in the best interest of safety. The edge is definitely still the 'summit' and by itself had some tricky maneuvering to get through.

Skiing cautiously on the firm snow so as to avoid any falls we made our way down. Through it I gave Christy pointers for solid, controlled alpine turns. She had recently decided that in hopes of tackling some of the more challenging peaks this spring, should try an AT setup, opting for a bit more control/stability than her tele setup provided on often encountered variable snow. I find that admirable, although part of me thinks because she is so solid on her teles, and is already 27 peaks into skiing the 14ers, should try to just stick with it. Her call, whatever is more comfortable— for me, it was the highest ski lesson I've ever been a part of, and for that I am still waiting for my tip!

So down we went, threading through some narrow sections down low, eventually finding ourselves back near the lake where we scarfed down a late lunch and put our skins back on for the return grunt over the pass. On the other side we found some real snow, and a short while later were back at the truck for the five hour trip home. Another great day and only two peaks left! If the weather looks good we might head to Culebra next week.