Mt Toll Ski Outing

4/12/17
Mt Toll is one of the sharp peaks on the Continental Divide west of Brainard Lake near Ward CO.  Classic spring ski descent.  More details can be seen at the Front Range SkiMo page here - http://www.frontrangeskimo.com/toll/ I've done this one several times, always a good long day.

Sometimes I write these up as much as a reminder for me for future outings.  Things that went well, things that could have been done better.  I started at the Winter closure at 7am.  Usually I bring a mountain bike to use on the paved road to the trailhead.  Sometimes, there's a little hike-bike this time of year.  This year, the bike was a total waste of time.  So much snow.  Friends had skied here 4 weeks ago and said, don't bring a bike.  I thought, 4 weeks, should have had some good melt-out by now.  Good melting, but not enough.  The mt bike was abandoned after 1/2 mile.  A fatty would have been better on the frozen snow,  but all that snow would super soft by the afternoon. This will make for a longer outing I guess.

Tools for the day.

Buried Visitor Center at Brainard Lake Summer Parking Lot, Mt Toll is triangular peak left of center, 12,979ft

Giving into a long approach skin, one has time to think, listen and observe. The Winter transition is underway.  Song birds are flitting around.  Woodpeckers are doing their work. Streams are just starting to open up.

One of the interesting things about this ski, is you can always see Mt Toll.  Gradually, it comes closer and closer till the final headwall.  So, close, right? Still another hour to the top.

Mt Toll, ski line is left shoulder.

The Divide was socked in under a storm for a few days a few days back.  What's the snowpack looking like?  Below treeline, pretty spring-like, above tree-line more and more Wintery.  The final push up the summit grade, was very winterlike with knee-deep post holing.  Moving to the rocky saddle and ridge was much faster.  Think it needs a few more weeks of freeze / thaw to consolidate.

Once on top, the views are fantastic, the wind dies and it's very pleasant.

The jagged West side of the Divide behind Pawnee Peak. Big lines abound.

Westward panorama.

Time for the descent.  Not sure how stable the snowpack was, I chose to keep far skiers right near the rock.  Should anything go, I felt I had a safe exit.  Jump turning in winter snow with a skin of wet snow on top was work.  Down at the lower slopes, the snow transition to hero corn snow and the glide to treeline was fabulous.

Wiggle is near rocks.

Below treeline the snow got heavier and wetter.  Skiing through the tree shadows was a precarious balancing act as the snow in the sun was extremely wet and slow while the snow in the shadows was not as wet and faster.  It was a game of push me pull me back to the road. The final ski out the road was relatively quick, picked up the Mt Bike and pushed / rode it out the last half mile.  Always enjoy the looks and questions on hikes seeing this person coming out with all this stuff.

Over-all, 7 hours over 14 miles, ~3k vertical feet.