Of all the peaks above 14,000 feet in Colorado, Culebra Peak in the Sangre de Cristo range by far holds the most history with records dating back to 1694. Unfortunately, this remote peak also carries quite a bit of controversy as it lies on private land. Access to Culebra Peak has varied over the years, but the current owners of the Cielo Vista Ranch have welcomed hikers (for a moderate fee) since the summer of 2004. Gaining permission for a winter/spring climb of Culebra is rare but it appears that with the increasing popularity of 14er ski descents, the owners are becoming more receptive to the idea. Joe negotiated with the ranch owners for a spring trip when the relatively unexplored north face would be prime for a potential ski descent. Despite brutal winds, white-out conditions, and little information on the route down the north face, we headed down into the unknown/unseen. An excellent ski descent was only briefly interrupted by a ~30 feet rock band that required some careful downclimbing. Here's a few pictures from the day:
Culebra Peak from the north (Photo: Caleb W):
Skinning up the west bowl in worsening conditions (Photo: Joe B):
Hiking the ridge in blizzard conditions (Photo: Caleb W):
Jarrett sporting some ice rime (Photo: Joe B):
On the summit of my 41st Colorado 14er (Photo: Caleb W):
Caleb skis into the unknown on the north face (Photo: Jarrett L):
Jarrett making smooth turns (Photo: Joe B):
Myself downclimbing a rocky section that interrupted our ski descent (Photo: Joe B):
To learn more about the history of Culebra Peak, check out the SummitPost page: http://www.summitpost.org/mountain/rock/151463/culebra-peak.html
For a detailed account of the day and extensive photographic documentation, check out Joe's excellent and thorough trip report: http://14ers.com/php14ers/tripreport.php?trip=5854&cpgm=tripmain
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