Snow couloirs can provide excellent steep snow climbs for mountaineers during the spring and summer months. Generally the east- and south- facing couloirs come into shape first as the increasing warmth of the sun gradually causes a metamorphosis of the snowpack into a more stable state.
One of the more popular snow couloirs to climb in late May and June is the Dead Dog Couloir on Torreys Peak. By the end of June the snow is often gone, and the couloir becomes an ugly and dangerous scree slope.
Catch this climb early enough in the morning for the snow to still be frozen and you can get in some good crampon practice at altitude.
Approach
Sections of the road up Stevens Gulch remain snow-
covered through May. In mid- May, it was possible to drive a four-wheel-drive vehicle a total of 2.4 miles up the road from Interstate 70, leaving approximately 0.6 miles of hiking to reach the summer trailhead.
From the summer trailhead, immediately cross the footbridge and follow the Grays Peak trail as it heads southwest up the valley, past the southeast slopes of Kelso Mountain. Usually there is a packed trail to follow; avoid the willows.
Because you should be hiking this section of trail before dawn, the snow is probably still frozen, allowing the snowshoes to stay on your pack. This is likely to not be the case on your return. Two miles beyond the summer trailhead (waypoint “Leave trail”) it is time to leave the trail and head into the basin directly below the east face of Torreys Peak. The Dead Dog couloir is the prominent couloir that heads up near the middle of the face, topping out approximately 100 feet to the right of the summit.
The climb
After donning crampons and getting out your ice ax, head up the gradually steepening snow slope. The couloir steepens and narrows, reaching approximately 50 degrees in slope near the top, after 1,500 feet of climbing.
The couloir exits onto the Kelso Ridge immediately to the left of a gray rock tower, normally the crux of the Kelso Ridge route.
After gaining the ridge, it is a short scramble up snow and scree to the summit of Torreys Peak.
To descend, follow the trail down the southeast ridge to the Torreys/Grays saddle at 13,700 feet. Continue southeast until you have cleared the large cornice that forms every year. Traverse on snow or if visible, the trail, to rejoin the Grays Peak Trail. Continue down the well-marked trail back to your vehicle. Keep an eye out for some of the year- round residents of the area: mountain goats and ptarmigan.
Dave Cooper is the author of “Colorado Scrambles: A Guide to 50 Select Climbs in Colorado’s Mountains.”
The details
Getting to the trailhead: Drive to the Bakerville exit on I-70, 4.3 miles west of Silver Plume. Head south on the rough road up Stevens Gulch for 3 miles to the summer trailhead, just beyond the Forest Service boundary. It may not be possible to drive all the way to the summer trailhead, so be prepared for a longer approach.
Hike statistics: From the summer trailhead, the total elevation gained is 3,100 feet in 6.5 miles roundtrip.
Difficulty: Steep snow climbing at high altitude. Crampons, ice ax, snowshoes and helmet required.
USGS quad: Grays Peak, CO
