Has anyone hiked or skied into the Bells area?

I think I have only seen one shot of the Bells in the Winter.

Even though I have not cross country skied before, I thought that would be an awesome place to do it. I am sure it would be a long killer workout. But what a ride back. That might even be a good place to try out split boarding.

I bet some of the hard core locals go year round. If you have done it can you share a photo from the journey?

Thanks,

It's really a pretty easy trip from the end of the plowed road to Maroon Lake.
And, you are correct, the trip back on the road is fast.
Snowshoes are fun too, but the trip back is slower.

Don't have any pictures worth sharing from our trip.
We had a low cloud deck and snow all day.

Now, if you want to go much beyond the lake, that's a bit more of an adventure.

Hmmm Derek, I hear the wheels spinning! Is that the idea you wanna go for? I'm tired of being house & work bound, gotta get out soon!

Im still thinking of Mayflower Gulch too

Avalanche danger upto the Bells is extremely high in the winter fellas! Think about the drive up how steep the slopes are on your right side.

no light on the bells...i froze my ass off and didn't get anything i liked but here's something to stir your imagination- all we need is light! i would do it again but i can't drive up there now-brutally cold that day, i snowshoed up-skis must be the way to go

oh yeah i have only one pair of snow shoes, shoes for racing in snow-great for the packed snow on the road, but once i hit the maroon lake, caloric expenditure exponentially skyrocketed, man it was such hard work to move, and once you move there's always tracks...

James, the wheels are definately turning especially after 'free skiing' the ridges in the Garden today. No skis necessary. LOL...

Mayflower or the Bells sound fun. But I am really liking the idea of skiing back or split boarding.

Art, that sounds like it was pretty grueling from your description. Maybe it was the brutal cold that made it more difficult.

Jody, maybe it would be better to wait until later in the season or when avi danger is less. It does sounds like a fun ski/photo destination.

I've seen a pretty cool composition of the Bells and Pyramid Peak taken from near the restaurant on top of Aspen Highlands. Might be another alternative if you're looking for a day of skiing (and have the $$$ for a lift ticket!)

I've got a shot of the other side of the maroon Bells (taken in 1982) after hiking in from Lead King Basin, but there has got to be a lot of snow and the hills along side the trail are STEEP.

It's 7 miles each way to xc ski in. T-Lazy-Z Ranch also rents snowmobiles for $140/day, but I don't think you could get one early enough for good light. I have read that the ranch keeps the road nicely tracked and it's a quick trip out.

I just found a really nice shot from John Fielder which he took after a snowmobile run to Maroon Lake in December. The lake is partially frozen and looks awesome:
http://www.johnfielder.com/detail.php?id=0002

Got to agree with Jody, I've heard that avalanches are quite common along there. That being said, good luck if you go. Wish I had the energy to ski or snowshoe that!

I was fortunate enough about 10 years ago to take a very cool sno-cat trip up to the Bells that a friend set up. It was run out of the T-Lazy 7 Ranch that Dave mentioned, which is right where the plowing ends on the Maroon Creek Road I believe. We drove up quite early, getting to the ranch at about 5am. We were delayed a little while since there had been quite a bit of fresh snow the night before, and the ranch folks had to send a couple guys on snowmobiles to check the normal avalanche chutes. Luckily for us, they looked OK.

There were eight of us, and with all our camera gear, snowshoes, tripods etc, we were jammed in. They had nice heaters in there, the only problem was that we were all bundled up, and got hot fast!

Anyway, it took maybe 45 minutes to get up to the lake area. At that time, they let us out up above the normal parking area, and they had a nice little hut they opened for us, and put some water on a hot plate for us, with some coffee and hot chocolate. Sweet! I'm guessing they haul it up (it was small!) just for the winter. Never seen it up there any other time of year.

We all headed to the lake for sunrise, but sadly, it wasn't to happen! Completely socked in with clouds. Needless to say, a bummer. It was still incredible to be there in the winter though, and especially since we were the only eight people around for miles (the sno-cat drivers had headed back down for a while). We all split up, and snowshoed all over the place. Finally at about 10am, the clouds started to break up a little, and we all converged back overlooking the lake, and managed to get some cool shots that at least showed we were actually at the Bells! At about 11am, the sno-cat came back, and the first snowmobilers showed up for the day. We packed up, and headed down. All in all, an awesome experience!

I'd do it again in a heartbeat, except for one thing: the cost! Back then, it was great, a total of $400, split amongst however big a group you had. So, $50/each when I went. I called a few years ago, and the price had jumped big time! Worked out to like $150 each person, for only a couple hours! So, I just called this weekend to ask again, but I’m afraid I’m not getting any good answers. Tried talking to a manager, but apparently too busy to call back. I’ll post info if I get it.

Here are a couple from when the clouds broke:
Bells #1
Bells #2

Cool story and photos Brent. Thanks for sharing your adventure! That would definately be a good way to go.

I don't know if I would have the energy to ski/snowshoe it either. But it sure would be fun trying especially on skiis. I have seen so many bikers and inline skaters doing it during the normal season. It just looks like it would be a heck of a lot of fun, especially on the way back down. What a ride Of couse I would have to check out the avi conditions. Or just do it later in the season when avalanches are less likely, but the road still not open yet.

I also liked Joshua's idea of shooting the Bells from Aspen Highlands. A single day lift ticket is *really* high now - $87. But if you figure you get to shoot the Bells and ride/ski it might be worth it. Hmmm...

Another option is a 'foot pass' for the bargain price of only $24. But I have a feeling once up there I am going to want to hit the slopes. I wonder if Aspen has any deals days toward the end of the season?

Guys, for heavens sake, this is a ROAD which is pretty well tracked by snowmobiles and skiers! My wife and I, out of shape and over 50 made, it up to the lake on snow shoes and felt it was an easy, though long day. X-country skis would have been MUCH easier, but Edna was worried about the speed coming back down.

So, check the avalanche condiitions, and go for it !

Bill, I like the idea of a seven mile ski/snow board run after all that work getting up there. Thanks for the encouragement.

Hey, I'm in my 40s. But there are a lot of guys in there 50s that kick my tail when it comes to long distance hikes, etc...

It must be that mountain air!

I'd skip the snowboard, unless you get a snowmobile tow back down.
Otherwise, you'll be walking more than sliding.