A climb of one of Colorado's tougher winter 14ers in perfect weather
After hauling our heavy overnight packs more than 7 miles from the winter closure of the Henson Creek Road to 11,150 feet along Matterhorn Creek erected camp and then set out to continue breaking trail for our attempt at Wetterhorn Peak the following day. In late afternoon we finally broke treeline and were greeted my Matterhorn Peak.
For a winter ascent of Wetterhorn several sources advise gaining the southeast ridge earlier than the summer trail does to minimize avalanche risk. Dominic and I spied a minor, largely windblown rib leading up to the ridge that looked fairly reasonable. The very top was holding snow but the section was short and didn't look all that steep. We decided to give it a try. Here Dominic is leading up low angle terrain at the base of the rib. The slope angle here was less than 30 degrees and grass was sticking out in some places but we still traveled one at a time because we were leery of the less than ideal snowpack.
Dominic ascending the rather dry rib to Wetterhorn's southeast ridge. The snowy part at the very top was a bit unnerving for me... there was deep powder to plow through and the slope angle probably touched 30 degrees in one spot. Luckily the snowpack here seemed much better than it had been down below. We could see grass under the powder and there were no slabs in there. This section was very short.
Dominic topping out on Wetterhorn's southwest ridge. From here its an easy half mile stroll to meet up with the standard route.
Matterhorn Peak and Uncompahgre Peak as
seen from the southeast ridge of Wetterhorn Peak.
View of the upper portion of Wetterhorn Peak from the trail on its southwest ridge.
Dominic taking a snack break on Wetterhorn's southeast ridge as Uncompahgre dominates the scene.
Soon we're no longer on strolling terrain. Snowshoes are cached and we set off to tackle the upper scrambly portion of the mountain.
Dominic crossing a section of sun baked snow. It was easy to find an avy safe line due to the general lack of snow cover.
Dominic pauses while scrmabling up snowy 3rd class rock. It all feels very comfortable.
The upper portion of Wetterhorn's southwest face. We followed the general tendencies of the standard summer route as evidenced by the unburied cairns, but took the line that made the most sense for the current conditions. This part was a bit time consuming but fun.
Our path took us around this corner and onto a rather exposed ledge for 10 feet or so. It felt a bit spicy and I don't remember it from my summer climb many years ago. We suspected that the standard route passes through a small notch just above this but didn't feel we needed to waste the time verifying that.
One little gully we climbed was partially filled with snow and a bit of ice. It was steep but straightforward.
Dominic high on Wetterhorn's southwest face. The Prow is the prominent tower that looks like a large fin. It signals that we are getting close to the summit and at this point there is little doubt in our minds that the summit will soon be ours.
The prow (left) and Wetterhorn summit (right). The Prow is bypassed on the right to reach the final summit pitch.
Dominic bypassing the Prow.
Dominic descending the short, slabby ramp just past the Prow that leads to the base of the summit pitch.
Dominic starting up the largely dry 3rd class summit pitch.
Looking down at Dominic who is climbing the middle portion of the summit pitch.
Some of the ledges near the top were holding snow and required caution.
Dominic near the top of the summit pitch.
Dominic on the final victory stroll to the summit at 11:20am.
Us on the summit of Wetterhorn Peak.
Us on the summit of Wetterhorn Peak with Uncompahgre in the background.
Uncompahgre Peak as seen from the summit of Wetterhorn Peak. The top of bicentennial 13er Matterhorn Peak can be seen in the foreground.
Coxcomb Peak and Redcliff, two magnificent inhabitants of the Cimarron area, as seen from Wetterhorn Peak.
Heisshorn, one of Colorado's more interesting 13ers, as seen from Wetterhorn Peak. It is typically climbed via the loose ridge on the right.
El Punto, a very interesting peak with a spooky summit, is the jagged mass in the center of the photo.
"Funky Peak", the pronounced little 12er near the center of the photo, is reportedly a nifty scramble. It certainly has an interesting appearance. The peak directly to its right is Wildhorse Peak, a unique 13er whose summit is easy to reach. The open area to the left of both peaks is known as American Flats.
Looking down the rough ridge that connects Wetterhorn Peak with Matterhorn Peak. Uncompahgre enhances the view.
Dominic beginning the descent from Wetterhorn Peak.
Dominic carefully making his way down the crux pitch. The Prow can be seen below.
Dominic climbing back up the slab after the the summit pitch. A large cairn can be seen on the left.
Traversing back across a short snowy section on the southwest face.
Climbing along the exposed ledge we used on the ascent.
The east face of Wetterhorn Peak as seen during our descent of the standard route.
Dominic descending Wetterhorn's southeast ridge with views of Uncompahgre.
Matterhorn Peak and Uncompahgre Peak as seen during our descent of Wetterhorn Peak's standard route.
Wetterhorn Peak and part of the connecting ridge to Matterhorn Peak.