Huge Mountains   -   Alpine Ridges   -   Tents in the snow   -   SNowshoeing   -   Yurts   -   Ice Axes   -   Trudging uphill   -   Views to the max   -   Learning new skills   -   Unforgettable experiences

 

 

Each winter break, the SOP leads a group of ten students on a fifteen-day trip ascending alpine summits and snowshoeing along the Continental Divide in the stunning San Juan Mountains of Colorado. Starting in Sewanee shortly after Christmas, we road trip out to southwest Colorado, where we spend the break mountaineering at elevations up to 14,048 ft.

 

 

After acclimating for several days with day hikes from Lake City, Colorado (elevation 9,000 feet), we head into the backcountry! Over the next seven days, our team summits as many as three 14,000-foot mountains (Redcloud, Sunshine, and Handies Peaks); spends several nights camping in the snow; and traverses between yurts high on the Continental Divide. By the trip's end, we've covered 55 miles of alpine terrain!

 

 

Beginners as well as more experienced mountaineers are welcome on this excellent adventure, though cardiac fitness is a must for the considerable high-altitude hiking involved. Along the way, you'll become acquainted with ice axe use, master the subtle art of snowshoeing, and learn the subtleties of high-altitude snow camping. Moreover, you'll enjoy quality time in silent, breathtaking alpine wilderness. This exhilarating expedition can be demanding, but the reward is extreme!

 

Colorado Mountaineering Highlights

The high-altitude giggles are contagious!

There's nothing quite like a bluebird day high in the Colorado Rockies.

The sunlight can make a spectacular show (don't forget sunglasses!) across the high-alpine, snowy landscape.

SOP mountaineers happy to be outside in the crisp air.

Yurt life!

Afternoon sun over Colorado's rugged San Juan Range.

During your time in the backcountry, you'll carry everything you need to stay warm and well-fed on your own shoulders.

Clear skies are always a special treat when approaching a big climb.

Take your mountaineering skills to the next level with a week in the high alpine backcountry!

It can get just a little chilly at 14,000 feet!

The SOP alpinist crew approaches the summit of Red Cloud Peak.

A well-earned rest day at an 11,000-foot elevation base camp.

Ice axes come in handy when crossing alpine ridges like this one near the summit of Handies Peak.

Teamwork plays a huge role when snowshoeing. Take turns with your fellow teammates to break through fresh snow.

Fourteener fever! Students rest on a ridge en route to stunning Handies Peak's 14,000-foot summit.

It gets windy up there! Lots and lots of layers help keep our crew warm when gusts pick up.

Summiting is only half the battle! Descent off of Red Cloud ridge. 

Alpenglow on the snowy Colorado Rockies.

Trudging up silent, snowy ridges, demanding as it sometimes may be, brings the climber a unique sense of peace and solitude.

Snow levels vary substantially from year to year. On this particularly snowy year, snowshoeing was a special challenge!

One advantage of camping in the snow is that it's easy to build your own kitchen!

Ahhh, alpine ridges. SOP mountaineers approach their second yurt during a traverse across part of the Continental Divide.

Sunset over base camp with Handies Peak in the distance.

Let's bag some peaks!