The end of the season. It’s different for everyone. Some stop when they can’t find cold snow, others go wild with the corn skiing until it stops freezing up, and the few hearty souls find a way to get out every month of the year. My last couple seasons have ended when the amount of time with skis on my back starts to exceed the time with them on my feet, and the appeal of rock climbing in a tee shirt becomes overwhelming.
North side of the Wedge. Our ski line was the couloir on the lookers left of this photo.
My last day for the last two seasons has been on attempts to ski the North couloir on the Wedge. In 2021 my wife and I went out to attempt it, but as soon as we peeled off the Powerline trail to head up valley we found some good sized fresh tracks heading the same way we were. Neither of us wanted to get chomped by a bear, so rerouting to another aspect made plenty of sense. Unfortunately, it was not the day. Warm temps and wind had stripped off the top of the couloir, when we got to the top neither of us could convince ourselves to drop in so we kicked rocks in other places until it was time to go home.
No need to head into these bushes to meet who just made these.
Fast forward to almost exactly one year later, and again the Wedge looked like the option for the day. This time there were no big bear tracks found by us, so we headed up the valley with a little more confidence. I still made sure to make noise, and the bear spray was close at hand.
There had been plenty of snow from our winter, so we could keep our skis on for the majority of the time, with occasional patches of tundra skinning.
Heading up the Ramp-Wedge valley.
With a more predictable snow surface it would make sense to go to the Ramp-Wedge col, walk up the easy ridge to tag the summit, and drop in from the top of the line. The conditions were not like that. Passing below the couloir, we opted to put crampons on and boot up to get a better idea of if it was going to be too icy or not to feel realistic to ski for us. In the upper section, where the gully necks down to 10’ wide or so, the surface was crunchy and a little breakable, but it still felt good to go. The only cold snow still remaining was in the last 30’ to the ridge, spring was definitely here. We dropped packs and skis, strolled the couple 100 feet over to the summit, and then walked back over to the top of the line to get set up to go down.
Geeting to the base of the couloir.
Paige near the top of the line.
Hitting the summit ridge in the colder snow. The Ramp is the summit behind Paige.
Heading down, the snow required concentration for the steepest and tightest section at the top but eased as the terrain did. A few long pitches got us down to the basin below the face, where we ate snacks in the sun and marveled at our line and the beautiful terrain all around us. Fun cruiser corn and a little bit of tundra walking got us back down into the Powerline Valley and we were back to the parking lot in no time. A great way to end the ski season.
The North side of the Wedge is a great option for spring skiing in the Front Range for skiers looking for something different from some of the normal runs. It is a nice independent line in a secluded valley, and can be combined with other nearby runs as part of a bigger day for ambitious travelers.
Down into the upper pinch, the steepest section of the line.
Opening up lower down.
Down the Powerline trail back towards Glen Alps, with the Alaska Range to the north in the distance.