| Michael's Trip Report and Photos |
Powell Couloir and Loch Vale
Rocky Mountain National Park
April 28, 2007
Fabio, Andy, and the usual suspects have been having a big mountaineering season already. And they've been doing it without me! For the fourth weekend in a row, a snow climbing trip was planned and for the first time I managed to join them. Today's goal was the Powell Snowfields on the north face of Powell Peak in the wild Loch Vale area of RMNP. I've been in the area before, but couldn't actually see anything of the much-touted views. This is one of the meccas of alpine climbing in the Park with such classics as the Sharkstooth and the Petit Grepon.
Michael, Fabio, and I met up at 5 at the Glacier Gorge TH. Andy and Brian were supposed to join us as well but apparently hit a rock on the way up and damaged their car. We spent a few minutes feeling sympathetic, before remembering our priorities and heading out. We elected not to bring snowshoes, but worried that we'd have five miles of postholing hell on the way out. Oh well, that was on the other side of the day and farther than my planning horizon.
 Our route around Loch Vale. |
 Approaching the Loch as the sun rises (photo by Fabio). |
I've made many climbs with Fabio (aka Brenta) but this was my first real trip with Michael (aka Smudge). We all seemed to have a compatible pace and we made quick time up the familiar Winter Cutoff and took the turnoff for Loch Vale. The sun rose just before we reached the Loch and turned everything golden. Now that the weather was clear, I could see what all the fuss was about. Two vallies split off of the Loch. To the right was the small Andrews Creek drainage leading up the Andrews Glacier and the Divide; this was our planned descent route. To the left, the main branch of Loch Vale stretched up to a large cirque bounded by Thatchtop, Powell, Taylor, and the impressive wall of the Cathedral Spires including the famous Sharkstooth and Petit Grepon spires. We could see the impressive Taylor Glacier forking its way up the far wall of the cirque. Our goal for the day was the Powell Snowfields to the east.
 Loch Vale and Andrews Creek from the Loch. The Powell Snowfields are out of sight behind the bulk of Thatchtop on the left. |
Considering the number of snow climbs possible in RMNP, information is remarkably scanty. Even the famous Dragonstail/tooth couloirs are not noted in any of the guidebooks. Taylor and Andrews Glaciers and the mixed route All Mixed Up are about all that get any published attention. But there are many more noted only through word-of-mouth. Powell is one of these. Despite the uninspired name, it supposedly reaches 60 degrees or more near the top and can be a challenging climb.
By 9am, we had reached a bench above Sky Pond and could plan our route. We could see sizable cornices blocking several of the exits out of the Snowfield and, despite the north-facing aspect, much of it had been in the sun for an hour or more already. We pointed up and started up a small gully to the left of the main snowfield. It quickly became hot as we labored up the snow and we stripped to as few layers as possible. The view of the Petit and related spires behind us was truly amazing and I would easily rank the Sky Pond cirque up there with the best I've seen.
 Starting the climb with the incredible Cathedral Spires behind (photo by Michael). |
 The descision point half-way up. The main snowfield on the right was heavily corniced and had been in the sun for a while. We choose the Powell Couloir on the left. |
A thousand feet higher, we reached the end of our gully and merged with the main snowfield. The steepest, rightmost route above was clearly blocked by a wicked cornice, but there were several routes in the central branch which could avoid the overhangs. As we pondered the second half our our route, we noticed sluffs of snow from high on the slopes above. Given how warm it was, we opted for the safety f the easternmost line which was still largely in shadow. Unlike the rest of the snowfield, this line ascended a shallow couloir perhaps 20' wide at its narrowest point. It wasn't as steep as the other lines, but was clearly uncorniced and undoubtedly the safest option. After last season's adventures on the Nokhu Crags, I wanted nothing to do with sun-soaked snow slopes.
The second half of the climb was pure pleasure. Michael and I alternated breaking trail up the nicely consolidated but not rock hard 40 degree snow. Toward the top, we broke out into the sunshine again and the slope became quite steep. Distances are always tricky in the thin dry mountain air, but the last "hundred feet" took a lot longer than it should. The slope increased to above 50 degrees and I was working hard. Finally, I topped out on a broad snow ledge and took photos of the other two coming up. The time was 11am and the weather was perfect: bluebird skies, temps in the 50s, and not a breath of wind. Perfect!
 Michael and I kicking steps up the upper part of the Couloir (photo by Fabio). |
 Michael and Fabio reach the steep upper reaches of the route. |
After a leisurely lunch break, we switched out of points, and wandered south to the indistinct summit of Powell Peak. Powell is unusual in that it doesn't look like much from a distance and it far from any of the normal hiking trails, so it doesn't get much traffic. Indeed, we saw that the summit register was placed by our friend and climbing compadre Eric "The Beav" Lee last September and had seen no action since then!
The main reason to climb Powell Peak, however, is the "sudden-reveal view". The west slopes are gradual, but the east face is a sheer cliff with stupendous views of Solitude Basin, Glacier Gorge, Longs Peak, and the rest. Unbelievable!
 Enjoying the view from the summit of Powell. McHenry's (center) and Longs (left) dominate the scene (photo by Michael). |
 Hot Cornice Action (photo by Michael) |
 Taylor Peak (right) and Glacier (left) from the Divide. |
From Powell, we wandered back down the northwest slopes toward our route. We paused to check out the top of the main Powell Snowfield and found the cornices even larger than they'd appeared from below. Yow! We then slogged along the ridge north toward Taylor Peak. Taylor Glacier appeared less cornices than Powell had been, but still mighty steep. It's on my list for later in the year when things firm up a bit. Fortunately, the climb up Taylor was less fierce than it looked and we were soon on top of our second summit of the day.
 Looking back across the cirque, the north face of Powell is visible with Longs in the distance. Our route went right up the middle of this. (photo by Fabio) |
 Fabio and Michael consult the summit register on Taylor. |
The last three weekend in a row, Fabio and company have managed to descend via the long, annoying Flattop trail. Far be it from me to break with tradition, but Flattop was a long way off. Instead, we wandered down a mile of snowy slopes and took a hard right at the top of Andrew's Glacier. As snow climbs go, Andrews is about as mellow as it gets, but it was still a wet and sloppy glissade down to the miniscule Andrews Tarn. Then another wetter and sloppier glissade down the steep slopes below the tarn into the Gash. Seen from the "back" side, the Sharkstooth is even more impressive. A sole set of snowshoe prints emerged from the trees before turning around and heading right back in. It was the first sign of other humans we'd seen all day!
 The Sharkstooth and The Gash from Andrew's Glacier on the descent (photo by Fabio) |
What a great trip! It's good to bag a pair of worthy, new peaks and get an intimate look at a new area of the Park. Being at altitude in such benevolent conditions is rare for me, especially in the early season, and it was lovely to be able to take our time up there without threat of thunderstorm, blistering wind, or brutal cold. The number of unknown (to me) routes in Loch Vale and on the south face of Otis is astounding and all of us agree that we have a lot more to do up there. It might take a couple of years, though.
 The Wilderness Journal |  Neithernor |