May signals the beginning of summer here on the Front Range.  Up in the mountains, however, it's prime snow climbing season.  For a short period of time, temperatures up high consistently rise above freezing during the day and drop below freezing at night.  This causes snow that has been deposited in shallow gulleys or couloirs to repeatedly freeze, thaw, and freeze again.  This in turn stabilizes the snow and makes it safe - and fun - to ascend, provided you have the proper gear.  Often times, routes that are not possible during the summer months open up during this short window.

Not wanting to miss out on any opportunities to hit some of this good snow, I talked pikespeaksports.us poster child Brandon Stapanowich into joining me for a climb of the Grand Couloir on the Sawatch thirteener Mt. Aetna.  

The trailhead was right off of U.S. Highway 50 on the way up to Monarch Pass.  In fact, we parked about a quarter mile from the abandoned motel.  For anyone who has ever been to the Lost Wonder Hut, our approach followed the same road for about 2 miles of slushy mess before coming to the base of the couloir.

"Why this couloir on some mountain I've never heard of?" you may be asking.  Well...#1, Aetna is a "Bicentennial", meaning it is one of Colorado's 200 highest peaks.  Just like the Fourteeners, the Bicentennials is a list of peaks that some people choose to go after.  #2 - the picture above shows something you can't find anywhere else in the state of Colorado - an uninterrupted 3,000' vertical line of snow.  There's a reason it's called the Grand Couloir!

Brandon had never worn crampons or used an ice axe before.  The Grand proved to be a perfect snow climb for a first-timer.  The slope never exceeded 45 degrees.  After a few practice self-arrests, we were off and up, up, up.

The forecast called for overcast skies, with rain or snow likely by 10AM.  Must've been for some other mountain; the sun was out and softening up our line from the moment it rose.  While we weren't overly concerned about wet slides on our way up, it did keep us hustling so we could get down before the whole line turned to mush.

As expected, our time spent on the summit was relaxing.  The view of the Shavano group to our northeast kept us on top for about fifteen minutes before we began the trip back to the car...a trip that only took about that long because it was spent entirely on our butts!

https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos?pid=6017579735062058002&oid=...

Some of my best Pikes Peak Ascents have come during summers where I put more of a priority on climbing mountains than on running.  The high altitude piece of Pikes is such a major aspect of that race.  This is convenient for me and my continued foot rehabilitation, as 70-mile weeks would likely cause me to re-injure myself.  Mixing longer hiking days with my runs will help with getting back my lateral mobility and strength.  

This was a Grand way to open up the summer!