Dawson's Guide to Colorado Backcountry Skiing, Vol
1
Excerpt
Deer Mountain - North Face
Start: Upper Fryingpan River Valley, near Basalt, Colorado
Seasons: Spring snow season
Climb: Harder skins, advanced snow
Ski: Extreme, S5-
Round Trip: 14 Miles
Day Trip? Yes, or high camp
On routes in the Fryingpan River area, such as the Sellar Peaks traverse, you'll catch views of a huge peak rising in the distant south, with a series of stripe-like couloirs dropping from a sky-scraping summit. This is Deer Mountain -- you're being tempted by the North Face.
There are two ways to ski this route. The simplest but longest is to use the Fryingpan Drainage.You can also get the route from Independence Pass Road (Hwy 82) by heading up to Divide Lake and climbing Deer's northwest ridge ( route 9.2.12). For the Fryingpan, simply follow the upper Fryingpan drain (route 5.3.7) to Deer Mountain's north face, which looms ahead of you almost the whole way up the valley. Pick a couloir and enjoy. The one leading somewhat directly to the summit, a bit to climber's left, is a good choice. Use high camp if possible, and only ski this route on compacted spring snow.
