Mount Sopris beckons all who visit Carbondale. A bike to ski was the perfect way to stand on her summit for the first time.
A long awaited summit by full value approach
There is something inherently magical about Mount Sopris in Colorado’s Elk Mountains. Formed some 30 million years ago via an igneous intrusion, her volcano-like twin peaks dominate the skyline from the Lower Roaring Fork Valley. According to local lore, the Ute Indians believed once you laid eyes on Sopris, you would never be able to leave.
I can attest to the curse. Ever since I first laid eyes on Colorado’s most prominent peak, it hasn’t left my thoughts. My dad even has a picture of Sopris as his desktop background in his New Jersey Office––he must have fallen victim as well. And every time I’ve seen the peak since, I’ve been overwhelmed by the insatiable desire to stand on it, a desire that would take years to finally satisfy.
