Pyramid Peak East Face Attempted

Pete Sowar and Chris Webster (prolific ski mountaineers and frequent partners of Sean Crossen) attempted the East Face of Pyramid Peak (Colorado fourteener, IV D20 R4 ) this past Sunday. Their plan was to use the “Winter Theory” for Colorado descents that are hard to find in condition. The idea is that such routes may have a better and more skiable coating of snow in late winter rather than spring. More, (besides avalanche danger) the chances of falling down a steep run are less when it’s covered with powder rather than dense spring snow. Problem is, if you trigger a slab avalanche on extreme terrain, it’s likely to take you on a certain-death ride down a mountain. That almost happened to Pete during their attempt. In his words:

“Hey Lou,

We attempted our Winter Theory on Pyramid two days ago. With Chris D. skiing the East face of Maroon a couple weeks ago we thought we might have a chance. We were able to get to right under the summit cone but the snow was too sugary to push for the top.

I decided to make a few turns on the obvious knob in the photo which turned out to be a mistake. During one of my ski cuts the slope slid just above my feet. I was able to step off it and watch a small but deadly avalanche plow down the east face. The slope slid on facets below the dirt layer, ranging between 12 – 18 inches deep probably about 50 – 75 feet wide. It never stepped down but it did pull out more pockets of the same depth. Ran around 1,500 – 2,000 feet. It was a spectacle I think I can live without ever seeing again.

So while the winter idea may have been good a few weeks ago, I think the theory is on hold now due to the dirt layer we got and the bad layer below it. Gonna have to wait for the big 2 until late March or April, depending on temps.

Pete”

Upper 1,000 vertical feet of Pyramid Peak east route. Pete triggered avalanche in area outlined by circle.