Quandary Peak: How to Ski It

Rolf Asphaug

(This article appeared in the March 1998 issue of the Colorado Mountain Club's "Trail and Timberline" magazine. Copyright 1998 by Rolf Asphaug. To learn more about the CMC -- Colorado's oldest and largest outdoors organization, with 9,000 members -- visit our web site at http://www.cmc.org/cmc.)

Rising from the forest like the graceful, curving back of a huge white whale, Quandary Peak in its winter mantle of snow is a skier’s dream. Eager skiers from across the country are drawn to Quandary's easy access, relatively safe slopes, and -- in the right conditions -- an unbroken, 2,000-foot ski descent directly from its 14,265-foot summit. Quandary undoubtedly gets more ski descents than any other fourteener. As Dave Sauer writes in the webzine Colorado Firstrax: "There aren’t many fourteeners you can just ski off the summit of ... and live!"

The closest town to Quandary Peak is Breckenridge: a nice spot for celebratory libations after your summit. From Breckenridge, drive south on Highway 9 for about 9 miles. You’ll pass a sign -- no doubt placed by the Dept. of Redundancy Dept. -- pointing out "Mt. Quandary Peak." Then you’ll begin switchbacking up towards Hoosier Pass. Turn right (west) onto Blue Lakes Drive (Rt. 850), the road accessing the broad valley south of Quandary.

In the past, the traditional guidebook route up Quandary has been from a small, plowed parking lot about a quarter-mile in on Blue Lakes Drive. You’d basically thread your way in a northerly direction, through treed areas and old mining remnants, until you reached the broad east ridge near timberline.

However, the U.S. Forest Service has recently advised that this traditional winter route is actually on private property, and the owner does not appreciate trespassers. Instead, the USFS now wants skiers to use the same route as summer hikers. None of the current guidebooks show this route. To get there, immediately after turning from Hwy. 9 onto Blue Lakes Drive take another right (which takes you north) onto Rt. 851 and you’ll reach the new 10,807’ trailhead in less than a mile. (If the road is plowed, you can drive to the trailhead; if it isn’t, use your skis.) Then head east on the Quandary Peak trail to its intersection with the Wheeler Trail, turn right (north) onto the Wheeler Trail for about 1/4 mile, and then left (east) on a trail that eventually accesses the east ridge. Skirt any steeper slopes along the way.

The trail goes through a forest and may be partially obscured by snow, so be sure to have a map (USGS Breckenridge; Trails Illustrated Map 109) and compass. Once you’re on the ridge above treeline, it’s a straight shot to the summit. The steeper terrain to the south is easily avoided. From trailhead to summit is 3 miles.

After you’ve summitted, be sure to evaluate snow conditions carefully before venturing into the east bowl. If conditions are questionable, you can still have a fine time carving turns down the ridge, but if the snow is safe, the east bowl is an incredible playland for tele skiers. If you don’t mind hiking up a little ways to regain the east ridge, you can carve tracks easily 1200 vertical feet into the bowl, use your skins to climb about 200 vertical feet to regain the ridge at about 13,100 feet, and then ski another 1200 vertical feet down another east-facing slope below. It’s an amazing experience.

The peak you’ll be skiing down was first identified by western explorer John C. Fremont in 1844, according to Walt Borneman’s and Lyndon Lampert’s guidebook, Colorado’s Fourteeners. Numerous mining claims have dotted its slopes from 1859 on.

Warning: What I’ve just described is the east ridge route, not the south couloir route. While there is a south-facing "Cristo Couloir" route described in the guidebooks, it’s a much steeper, more advanced route on which at least one fatality and several serious injuries have been reported due to uncontrolled falls. Don’t try it unless you really, really know what you’re doing.

While it’s possible to climb Quandary’s east ridge in the winter, at least some of its slopes can avalanche. It’s much better to wait for spring time. My favorite trips have been in late April or early May, but even late May and early June trips can be great. Even then, always be careful of avalanche conditions, especially in the east bowl.

Several guidebooks provide good descriptions and maps for ski tours of Quandary Peak. Brian Litz and Kurt Lankford in Skiing Colorado’s Backcountry, and Lou Dawson in Dawson’s Guide to Colorado’s Fourteeners, are both excellent sources. Dawson’s book has some fine photos of Quandary. You can also find Quandary ski tours on the Internet, including a page in the excellent Colorado Firstrax web site (www.firstrax.com).

Not sure if you want to try Quandary on your own? It’s often offered as a winter or spring trip in the CMC Winter Schedule (rumor has it that it may yet show up in the Denver newsletter late next spring). Don’t know how to telemark ski? Do as I did and take the CMC Denver Group’s Telemark Ski School. A CMC avalanche safety course is also highly recommended. E-mail me at rolfdenver@aol.com if you have other questions about this great tour.

Other Information

• Located in Arapahoe National Forest
• USGS Maps - Breckenridge 7.5' quad
• Trails Illustrated Map #109 Breckenridge, Tennessee Pass
• Guide Books:
  • A Climbing Guide to Colorado's Fourteeners
  • Colorado's Fourteeners: From Hikes to Climbs
  • Dawson's Guide to Colorado's Fourteeners: Vol 1, The Northern Peaks
• What to Bring on a Hike
• Safety And Survival
• There's Weather Out There
• Learning Safety Through the Experience of Others
• The Leave No Trace: Skills & Ethics: Rocky Mountains A must read for every backcountry user!

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