In a dry season such as we’ve had this autumn, ice climbers start to become more frantic than usual in their search for climbable ice. This led us recently to check out conditions in Officer’s Gulch, off Interstate 70 in Tenmile Canyon.
This area normally provides several good ice climbs, but those visible from the highway (such as the Shroud) haven’t looked promising this season. The problem with climbs in this area is that the avalanche potential is huge for most of the winter. This area can be visited only when avalanche conditions are very low, so we usually climb there only in November and possibly December, and only when there has been little snowfall. The Catch-22 is that without any snow, there won’t be any ice.
The main attraction of the area, a climb named Round the Corner, WI4, can be much harder than its rating in early season. A more moderate objective for a warm-up climb is an unnamed pitch of good, “fat” ice farther up the main gully. This offers at least one, and sometimes additional pitches of WI3 on a generally reliable ice flow. That’s the climb I’ll describe this week.
Approach and climb From the parking area, walk up to the bike path and follow it west for three quarters of a mile, to a point directly below the main gully, directly west of Peak 3. A large cairn may be seen at the point where you leave the bike path and head steeply up a bank to get into the gully.
Before reaching this point you’ll pass several other ice flows, notably the Shroud and the minor gully containing the climb Tony’s Nightmare. Triple Falls, a fun, low- angle romp up several pitches of ice, can be seen to the south.
Head east up the gully, possibly following a climbers trail to the left of the stream bed. Gain a thousand feet of elevation in half a mile after leaving the bike path, eventually arriving at a prominent smear of ice directly in front of you. The narrow slot to the right of this smear leads to Round the Corner. Continue up the main drainage, to the left of the smear, for approximately 100 yards to reach the base of today’s climb, an unnamed flow on your right that isn’t visible until you are directly below it.
Straightforward climbing for a 60-meter pitch brings you to the top of the climb, although sometimes it is possible to continue up on moderate ice. Look for rappel slings on a small tree at the top of this pitch.
Descent
Double 60-meter ropes should get you down.
The details
Getting to the trailhead: Take the Officer’s Gulch exit from Interstate 70. Turn south and drive to the parking area by the restroom at the access point for the Frisco/Copper Mountain bike path.
Hiking and climbing statistics: 1,200 feet of elevation gain in 1.3 miles one-way. Allow at least an hour for the approach.
Difficulty: A short walk along the bike path followed by a strenuous climb up the main gully to the climb described, which offers at least one pitch of WI3.
Technical gear: To rappel the route, two ropes will be necessary. Bring ice screws, V-thread material and slings if rappelling off trees.
Guidebook: “Colorado Ice,” by Jack Roberts ($32, Polar Star Communications). Note that Roberts refers to the climb Round the Corner as the Ice Hose.
USGS Quad: Vail Pass, CO.
Caution: The area described here is especially prone to avalanches and is best visited in the early season during times of low-avalanche hazard. Climbers have died in this area. And remember, climbing is an inherently dangerous activity, and you should always climb within your ability after carefully judging the safety of the route. We write about it; you take all the risks.
Dave Cooper is the author of “Colorado Scrambles: A Guide to 50 Select Climbs in Colorado’s Mountains.”
