I just got an exciting phone call from Chris Davenport. Along with Neal Beidleman and Ted Mahon, this morning Dav completed a beautiful descent of the Landry Route on Pyramid Peak in Colorado’s Elk Mountains. This descent is the second of the Landry route, and to the best of my knowledge only the third time the peak has been skied from the summit. Dav told me they had “great conditions, knocked off a few sluffs that cleaned off the route and were able to make solid turns.” By doing the route early in the spring season, they found the exit from the route to be filled in and skiable (during his 1978 first descent Landry had to do a short downclimb to exit the route). Dav agreed it was a steep route, with much “consistent 55 degree skiing.” I don’t doubt that. When I skied the upper part of the route during my ‘teeners project in 1989 I measured several pitches with an inclinometer at 60 degrees. Indeed it is steep, but more, it’s simply an incredibly beautiful line — perhaps the most beautiful extreme skiing line in Colorado if not the entire United States.
Congratulations to Dav, Neal and Ted on a job well done! Davenport trip report.
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| Pyramid Peak viewed from the east, Landry route marked with faint dotted line. David Hiser photo, to be published in new edition of my 14er guidebook. Route is rated Grade V D20 R5 |
WildSnow.com publisher emeritus and founder Lou (Louis Dawson) has a 50+ years career in climbing, backcountry skiing and ski mountaineering. He was the first person in history to ski down all 54 Colorado 14,000-foot peaks, has authored numerous books about about backcountry skiing, and has skied from the summit of Denali in Alaska, North America’s highest mountain.
