Mt. Evans - mixed, couloirs  Photos:  Recent | Best | Popular Elevation:  14,264' Lat, Long:  39.5886, -105.643 Map Page Views:  24,285. Good page?    Administrators:  Ben Mottinger, Leo Paik, John McNamee, Frances Fierst, Monomaniac, Tom Erickson Submitted By:  ClimbandMine on Nov 30, 1999 Make this area a Favorite What's New   Print a Mini-Guide with routes Add Route  Add Photo  Add Comment  Add Event  Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu 46° | 30° 41° | 30° 54° | 34° 61° | 34° 64° | 37°

A bit of ice, across from The Road, in the sun.

Description 

The Summit Lake bowl offers some fine alpine ice and rock routes topping out at or near 14,000'. Summer T-storms are the biggest danger. Easy access is limited to June-September by the closure of the Mt. Evans highway. It's a long hike up the road or Chicago Lakes basin the rest of the year.

There are some other options up in the Chicago Lakes basin which are accessed from Echo Lake.

Getting There 

Drive up I-70 to Idaho Springs. Take the Mt. Evans highway to the Echo Lake. Take a right at the Echo Lake Lodge, and follow the summit road to Summit Lake. The main bowl just below the summit offers easy ice/snow climbs and has the potential for some mixed routes just below the summit if conditions are right. This is accessed by hiking around the south side of Summit Lake and up the slope into the bowl. The Aprons are west of the Lake - First Apron is northwest, Second is due west, and Third is southwest just right of the bowl. Mt. Spaulding is accessed by dropping down to upper Chicago Lakes basin, north of Summit Lake.

For the Chicago Lake basin options, park at Echo Lake, take a trail off the I-70 side of the lake dropping down into the drainage of Chicago Lakes and go up the valley past the Idaho Springs Reservoir and higher up.

The Classics

Featured Route For Mt. Evans - mixed, couloirs

Concrete Shoes Won't Help Ya In Da River WI4- M4+  CO : CO Ice & Mixed : Mt. Evans - mixed, couloirs

The route starts at broken rock ledges on the right and then heads up a snow/ice filled corner. Once you reach the icefall (ice crux) on your left, begin to ascend, pull a small roof onto another fall and take the narrow gully to more ice and a big ledge. Walk right on the big ledge to a mixed section. Climb the left crack system (mixed crux) to an easier angle and then proceed upwards on moderate ice. Belay to the left. Climb two ice steps to a steeper fall with an optional rock/ice chimne...[more]   Browse More Classics in CO

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A bit of ice, right of The Road.

Rock across the valley from The Road.