For those of you asking, here is one view of Pyramid west side, upper section. Everything connects other than possible very short sections of downclimbing or Davenporting. Don’t hesitate to belay when you’re passing over some of the cliffs.
Pyramid Peak, Colorado, upper west side. Click to enlarge.
On May 6 of 1988, I skied the west side from the horizontal snow stripe just below the summit block. I was pretty sure that was the first time that had been done, as you really had to know that intricate side of the peak to even think of skiing it, and no one I knew in Aspen felt it had ever even been attempted from that side. I recall a couple of sections that were too narrow to make turns and required a short but careful sideslip through the slot. With this year’s snowpack, I’d imagine the route goes much better. I named the route Basket Weaver. More details here.
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.
