East Face Ski

Date: 5/8/2021
Partners: Jeremy Miller, Joel Racicot
Start Point: South Winfield
End Point: Rockdale
Distance: 12m
Elevation Gain:6240ft
Duration: 7hrs 15m
GPX

Just hours before our day started, we weren't sure if we were going to go for Ice, Missouri, Huron or something in a completely different zone. Over the course of the evening, we discussed our options. The conversation was quite comical as we weighed a multitude of factors which were all speculation on weather and snow conditions. Deciding what to ski is hard!

We finally came to the agreement that our best option was to approach Huron from the west and ski the east face, exiting on the road between Clohesy Lake and Rockdale. In order to do this, we would need to set a shuttle between Rockdale and Winfield where we were camping.

When our 4:30am alarms sounded Jeremy upped the ante and suggested that we add Missouri to the day’s agenda. We all agreed and dropped an additional car at the Missouri Gulch trailhead. We had our work cut out for us.

After running shuttle, we skinned, booted and postholed on soft intermittent snow to above treeline. It was exhausting and we probably transitioned over a dozen times. We were able to easily skin from treeline to Huron’s north ridge where we booted on talus up the last pitch.

Weather was starting to build so we didn’t spend too much time on the summit. After evaluating various descent routes, we decided on a relatively steep line just south of the summit. The entrance felt intimidating but skied much easier than it initially looked. The line was fun and interesting although the snow was firm.

After skiing the east face, we descended to treeline in awe of the amazing ski possibilities in Huron's eastern basin. It is incredible back there. Skiing from treeline to the Clohesy Lake proved to be an endevor in sketchy bushwhack skiing in variable snow.

After completing the descent we assessed the weather and made a call to bail on Missouri and head down the road to Rockdale. We made our way around the lake and to the road where we began two miles of intermittent snow, numerous transitions and unpredictable postholing.

After swilling a couple of beers before the weather hit, we headed to Leadville for burgers. A successful and satisfying day!