This post is going to focus on Jarrett Luttrell, who with the descent of Longs Peak on Sunday 5/16 became the 1st person to snowboard (and the 8th overall on some form of snow-sliding device) all of the Colorado 14ers. I had the chance to meet and climb with Jarrett on Culebra Peak last spring and I was immediately impressed by his snowboarding ability and humble, laid-back style. After conquering Capitol Peak, the most difficult of the 14er descents the week before (see Jarrett's intense trip report here), Longs Peak was the lone remaining hurdle. Luckily, I got a hold of Jarrett to pass along congratulations and managed to jump on board with his attempt on Longs.
After leaving a car at the Wild Basin trailhead on the south end of Rocky Mountain National Park, Jarrett, Brennan and I started off from the Longs Peak ranger station at 3:45 am. During the summer, this trailhead would be overflowing with cars and climbers going for the summit, but we didn't see another person until the end of the day. From year's past, I'm pretty familiar with the trail and we made quick progress towards the Chasm Lake turn-off and our first views of the impressive Diamond face.
Sunrise on Meeker and Longs:
We chose to ascend the Loft couloir (splitting Meeker and Longs), skinning up steep slopes before switching over the crampons to traverse on the narrow snow ramp to avoid the cliff band at the the top.
Jarrett skinning towards the snow ramp serving as our exit from the Loft couloir:
As expected, we had some trouble finding the proper route towards Clark's arrow, which indicated the correct downclimb into Keplinger's couloir. Fortunately, both Brennan and I had climbed this route before which helped save some time. We did encounter two sections which required some class 4/5 moves including a sporty chimney that we debated about descending for a while.
Jarrett downclimbing on some mixed terrain:
This led us into Keplinger's couloir on the south side of Longs Peak, which we would climb for the next 1,000 feet. Heavy snowstorms had blanketed the area with two feet of snow earlier in the week, and we quickly encountered deep, heavy, unconsolidated snow that made bootpacking a chore.
Jarrett climbing the upper sections of Keplinger's couloir:
By this point, I was completely gassed and could only take a few steps before doubling over to catch my breath and rest my legs. Brennan recovered from a bout with altitude sickness earlier in the day and Jarrett pushed on with determination in the lead through thigh-deep snow towards the Homestretch and up to the summit.
Jarrett admires the snow-filled Homestretch to the summit:
We reached the summit at 2 pm, much later than anticipated, but the windy morning kept temperatures cool enough that warming snow and wet slides weren't a great concern. We extended congratulations to Jarrett and wasted no time clicking into skis and snowboards for the descent. We opted against a descent of the north face due to unknown snow conditions, instead retracing our path back to the south side and Keplinger's couloir which would provide nearly 2,800 vertical feet of quality skiing.
Jarrett making his last first turns down a Colorado 14er:
Brennan is all smiles:
Myself enjoying some open turns (Photo - Jarrett L):
Brennan banks a turn (Photo - Jarrett L):
Negotiating around rocks or linking up snow patches is the norm for this descent, but we enjoyed continuous snow on the upper sections thanks to the recent storm. The couloir seems to never end, as after every twist or turn, more snow lay beneath our feet. After enjoying soft, but heavy and tiring snow for the entire descent we reached the bottom of the couloir. The Wild Basin trailhead and our car shuttle lay 6 miles to our east, so we set off blazing a trail through the forest in that general direction.
Satisfied after an excellent descent on Colorado's most iconic 14er (Photo - Brennan M):
The ski descent off the summit down the Homestretch linking to Keplinger's couloir:
The south side of Longs and the Wild Basin area is among the least travelled areas of the park, but Brennan had previous experiences hiking, backpacking, and getting lost in the area, so he was able to guide in the general direction and follow the trail during some difficult turns. Exhausted and with aching feet we finally arrived back to the car at 7:30 pm, capping off a 14.5 mile and 16 hour affair with 5,400 vertical feet climbed.
Once again, congratulations to Jarrett on his amazing accomplishment and much thanks for inviting me along for the adventurous finale.
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