Posted by Scott Borger on June 16, 2008 at 11:14 PM
This past weekend, I climbed to the summit of Mt. Sneffels (14,150') via the Snake Couloir. It was a fantastic climb with breathtaking views. It is incredible how much snow the San Juans still have. Couloir climbing/backcountry skiing season is still going strong!
To read more about the trip and see a few more photos...
Ya, great stuff as always. I love reading your reports.
This image really gives the viewer the feeling for the steepness of the couloir. That's not always the easiest thing to capture and convey. Well done.
Posted by Jack Brauer on June 17, 2008 at 11:51 AM
This shot here is awesome. The snow looks great! (for climbing).
Posted by Scott Borger on June 17, 2008 at 12:08 PM
Thanks for the comments. Does that strip of extreme highlights bother anyone? I took all of the shots with a G9 (all handheld of course). The shot that is posted here had a very wide dynamic range.
Great story and shots, Scott! 265 is a killer image. Theyre all good, i think the strong highlite hurts this shot, the others are better IMO. I would have loved to do some climbing in the Sangres, but all the camera equipment wore me out, ill have to look for a lighter option sometime.
Posted by Scott Borger on June 17, 2008 at 2:24 PM
In response to some of your questions/comments:
Dave, we all had axes and used them the entire time (I used a standard mountaineering axe). Between the 7 of us, we had several ropes (30m/60m) and an assortment of rock protection. As it turned out, we didn’t need to use the ropes or protection. The steepness of the photo that I posted is not representative of the entire route. That said, the short climb between the couloir and the cornice was quite steep for a snow climb. One of the guys that I climbed with is training for Aconcagua, so we loaded up his pack with a lot of the protection (and weight!). We had anticipated the final pitch being a bit harder than it actually was. The guy that carried a lot of the protection was a bit behind me when I reached the final pitch. I felt comfortable climbing the short 5th class (low) sections without ropes and the others followed suit on a different 4th+ class route.
Stan, I can relate to the weight issue. I tried to climb Dead Dog couloir a few weeks ago in AT boots with a heavy pack, skis and a heavy front pack (with all of my camera gear). It was not fun. You might consider looking at a good point and shoot that shoots RAW (such as the Canon Powershot G9, weighs 13 oz) or if you want to stick with a really light DSLR, take a look at the Olympus E-420. The body is only 13.4 oz, but lenses could add a lot more weight.
Discussion
13 repliesTo read more about the trip and see a few more photos...
http://www.scottborger.com/gallery.php?gallery=snakecouloir
This image really gives the viewer the feeling for the steepness of the couloir. That's not always the easiest thing to capture and convey. Well done.
Dave, we all had axes and used them the entire time (I used a standard mountaineering axe). Between the 7 of us, we had several ropes (30m/60m) and an assortment of rock protection. As it turned out, we didn’t need to use the ropes or protection. The steepness of the photo that I posted is not representative of the entire route. That said, the short climb between the couloir and the cornice was quite steep for a snow climb. One of the guys that I climbed with is training for Aconcagua, so we loaded up his pack with a lot of the protection (and weight!). We had anticipated the final pitch being a bit harder than it actually was. The guy that carried a lot of the protection was a bit behind me when I reached the final pitch. I felt comfortable climbing the short 5th class (low) sections without ropes and the others followed suit on a different 4th+ class route.
Stan, I can relate to the weight issue. I tried to climb Dead Dog couloir a few weeks ago in AT boots with a heavy pack, skis and a heavy front pack (with all of my camera gear). It was not fun. You might consider looking at a good point and shoot that shoots RAW (such as the Canon Powershot G9, weighs 13 oz) or if you want to stick with a really light DSLR, take a look at the Olympus E-420. The body is only 13.4 oz, but lenses could add a lot more weight.