Picture courtesy of Tim Best.
Picture courtesy of Tim Best.
Picture courtesy of Tim Best.
Tigger Peak GR:934887
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| elevation: 4,054 m. | height gain: 1,315 m. |
| area: Buena
Vista,Colorado,USA |
map USGS
1:24,000 Mount Antero, CO 38106F2 |
| 2017-Mar-25 |
| Ref: 14ers.com | |
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| A bit of wine by a bonfire before
a climb is mandatory! |
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| Scramble:
RT 14.0 (includes
Mount Princeton);
6.0 up. Well, here I am, back
in Colorado to climb more 14ers before my work season begins. My visits
always take me through Leadville where I catch up with my good friend
Tim, this time he's on his spring break. We went camping in Buena
Vista, keen
to go climbing on friday and sunday. The weather forecast was only
favourable for saturday so we decided to save the big outing for that
day and go to the hot springs on friday. As it turned out, friday
was a pretty nice day although quite breezy. We enjoyed a mellow day
and
a fine supper around a bonfire at camp, that sure was a great way to
prepare for the upcoming arduous trip. We got a
casual start, hitting the trail by 7:30 AM. The approach was as
described, long... at this time
of the year, it starts at valley bottom. We carried our snowshoes but
we didn't need to use them, a good overnight freeze provided firm snow.
Once we gained the north-east saddle of Tigger Peak above treeline, we
stopped for a good break. Tim didn't disappoint, he brought bacon-maple
glazed donuts. After eating the sweet delights, we ditched some
unnecessary weight and carried on. The ascent ridge to Tigger is
steepish and since we didn't follow the summer trail to avoid crossing
several slide
paths, we travelled mainly on talus and snow. I started to feel the
altitude as we approached Tigger's summit, my pace slowed down. Mount
Princeton
appeared a fair distance away, 2.5 kilometers to
be exact! We took some pictures and with little hesitation, we were on
our
way to Princeton. Although Tigger Peak is an unranked 13er, it is part
of
Princeton's winter ascent and requires to be ascended twice. Tigger
Peak is also labeled on the topo map; for this reason, I think it
warrants its own page!!
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| From the trailhead at valley
bottom, the towers are barely visible (far right). |
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| It took us 2 hours to reach the
towers. |
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| We followed the road to the treed
hump (right center), Tigger Peak is left of it and Princeton on its
right. |
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| Approaching the approach to the
approach. Picture courtesy of Tim Best. |
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| We'll avoid the slide path by
ascending directly to the road above. |
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| Still
approaching... |
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| Leaving the
road behind to gain the saddle. |
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| A well-deserved break at Tigger
Peak's north-eastern saddle. |
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| In good fashion, Tim brought
bacon-maple glazed donuts! |
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| Climbing
Tigger Peak's talus ridge instead of following the summer trail. |
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| Tim likes
talus... just kiddin'! |
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| Staying on firm snow wherever
possible. Picture courtesy of Tim Best. |
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| Awesome
sundog. Picture courtesy of Tim Best. |
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| Mount
Princeton. |
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| On the
summit of Tigger Peak with Mount Princeton in the background. |
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| OK Tim, lets
go get it!! |
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| Continue
on to Mount Princeton |
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| Back to home page |