Mt. Sneffels (14,159)
Route: South face via Yankee Boy Basin
Date: May 04, 2022
Distance: 15.0 miles
Vertical: 5,970 feet
Time: 9 hours 47 minutes
Partners: Solo
My GPS track.
![sneffels 1](sneffels_small/sneffelstrack.png)
Mt. Sneffel's South face. The ascent is via the gully to the far right
(the Lavender Couloir) and the descent is on the south face proper with a
short narrow section (the birthday chutes). The Lavender Col is blocked
from view but it is just below the dark rock buttress to the right of the
peak.
![sneffels 12](sneffels_small/IMG_0185.jpeg)
The road was gated 3.5 miles and 1700 vertical feet below the lower summer
trail head so I used a bike for this section.
![sneffels 1](sneffels_small/IMG_0165.jpeg)
![sneffels 2](sneffels_small/IMG_0168.jpeg)
Finally arriving at continuous snow.
![sneffels 3](sneffels_small/IMG_0170.jpeg)
Avalanche debris on the first part of the snow route.
![sneffels 4](sneffels_small/IMG_0172.jpeg)
Views as I entered Yankee Boy Basin.
![sneffels 5](sneffels_small/IMG_0174.jpeg)
![sneffels 6](sneffels_small/IMG_0175.jpeg)
![sneffels 7](sneffels_small/IMG_0178.jpeg)
Looking back down. The start is well below snowline in the valley beneath the
clouds.
![sneffels 8](sneffels_small/IMG_0181.jpeg)
Looking further up.
![sneffels 9](sneffels_small/IMG_0182.jpeg)
Although it was perfectly clear at daybreak, clouds started to build by 8:00.
![sneffels 10](sneffels_small/IMG_0183.jpeg)
The first view of Mt. Sneffels.
![sneffels 11](sneffels_small/IMG_0184.jpeg)
A zoomed-in view.
![sneffels 12](sneffels_small/IMG_0185.jpeg)
Looking down from just below the Lavender Col.
![sneffels 13](sneffels_small/IMG_0188.jpeg)
Looking up the Lavender Couloir as weather moves in.
![sneffels 14](sneffels_small/IMG_0191.jpeg)
Higher in the couloir.
![sneffels 15](sneffels_small/IMG_0192.jpeg)
The couloir ends with a rock step.
![sneffels 16](sneffels_small/IMG_0194.jpeg)
Ridge to the summit.
![sneffels 17](sneffels_small/IMG_0195.jpeg)
On the summit. Fixed lines are available for more adventurous descents.
![sneffels 19](sneffels_small/IMG_0197.jpeg)
Start of the ski run.
![sneffels 20](sneffels_small/IMG_0199.jpeg)
A tricky entry to the "Birthday Chute"
![sneffels 21](sneffels_small/IMG_0200.jpeg)
Looking back up.
![sneffels 23](sneffels_small/IMG_0203.jpeg)
Looking down. The snow did not soften due to the cloud cover and cold
temperatures. Normally this would be an enjoyable ski, but on this day it was
hard and chattery.
![sneffels 24](sneffels_small/IMG_0204.jpeg)
Further down
![sneffels 25](sneffels_small/IMG_0206.jpeg)
Rejoining the main snowfield.
![sneffels 26](sneffels_small/IMG_0207.jpeg)
The peak now totally shrouded in clouds. The Lavender Col is visible to the right,
just below the clouds.
![sneffels 27](sneffels_small/IMG_0208.jpeg)
It started to snow steadily as I descended through Yankee Boy Basin. When I joined
the road I was surprised to see that a bulldozer had come up that morning in
order to start clearing the snow. I found it quite to difficult to ski on
the roughened snow so I skiied to the side when possible but otherwise needed
to walk.
![sneffels 29](sneffels_small/IMG_0212.jpeg)
![sneffels 30](sneffels_small/IMG_0213.jpeg)
Back to the trusty bike.
![sneffels 31](sneffels_small/IMG_0214.jpeg)