Post by Steve Bremner on Jan 13, 2010 17:42:23 GMT -5
I grabbed the "weather window" yesterday, January 12th for the chance to snag the summit of Pikes Peak in calendar winter. Rick Hessek and I ran to A-Frame on Sunday on a scouting run, finding easily runnable snow-pack all the way up to the A-Frame at timberline. Yesterday I smashed the prior FKT of 4:02:52 by more than 40 minutes, running up in 3 hours 21 minutes and 55 seconds from the Barr Trailhead Parking Lot to the summit. I ran back down the Cog Railway tracks to Mountain View station, jogged over to Barr Camp, stopped in to let Neal and Teresa know I made it off the mtn, then continued down the Barr Trail for a 5 Hour 37 Minute round trip, also a Winter record. The old FKT ascent record was 4:02:52 and the old round trip record was over six hours. The route and timing from my Garmin 405: connect.garmin.com/activity/22220982
I carried a camel bak for water, filled with HEED, 2 energy bars, 2 gels, a cell phone, extra shirt, and extra glove shells (didn't need the extra clothes though.) I wore a thermamax top, light gore-tex running jacket, running tights, running gloves, a fleece beanie hat, synthetic wool socks, Innovate Trail Running shoes, and Yak Traks, though I didn't put on the Yak Traks until I reached A-Frame.
Following "Winter Rules," because in winter it is actually not safe or even possible to adhere to the trail proper, anything goes above A-Frame. I stayed to the right of the snow gulley on heather slopes, traversed left across the snow higher up, then ascended on rocks to the south ridge. The "13 Golden Stairs" is treacherously icy right now as is the area by the 2-mile-to-go sign. Neal Taylor of Barr Camp told me they had to heli someone out from near the 2-mile-to-go sign two weeks ago who dislocated both his shoulders after slipping on the ice there.
I carried a camel bak for water, filled with HEED, 2 energy bars, 2 gels, a cell phone, extra shirt, and extra glove shells (didn't need the extra clothes though.) I wore a thermamax top, light gore-tex running jacket, running tights, running gloves, a fleece beanie hat, synthetic wool socks, Innovate Trail Running shoes, and Yak Traks, though I didn't put on the Yak Traks until I reached A-Frame.
Following "Winter Rules," because in winter it is actually not safe or even possible to adhere to the trail proper, anything goes above A-Frame. I stayed to the right of the snow gulley on heather slopes, traversed left across the snow higher up, then ascended on rocks to the south ridge. The "13 Golden Stairs" is treacherously icy right now as is the area by the 2-mile-to-go sign. Neal Taylor of Barr Camp told me they had to heli someone out from near the 2-mile-to-go sign two weeks ago who dislocated both his shoulders after slipping on the ice there.
