photo- The north face of La Plata. photo by Zach Taylor, 2011.
I have had an interesting on and off again relationship with La Plata over the last couple years. I had already tried to ride it twice and was driven off once because of a lightening storm and once because of a crappy overnight freeze and avalanche danger. I finally hiked the standard route last summer just to summit it as I am ticking off the last 14er summits now but I still had not snowboarded the peak. I knew it was a classic.
Joel had been a part of one of the previous failed attempts at La Plata's north face last spring and he was itching to do the route too.
I was off thursday, friday, and saturday. Joel was off friday and saturday so I went over to the Loveland pass area on thursday to do a quick climb and descent on Shit for Brains near A-Basin before hiking into La Plata. I skinned up to the base of Shit for Brains thursday evening by myself, camped, and read a little Edward Abbey.
photo- My camp beneath Shit for Brains. photo by Zach Taylor, 2011.
Knowing that I had to hike into La Plata later in the day, I got up early and began climbing up the couloir. The freeze was very solid and I found a sheet of ice coating the couloir. Hoping things would soften I continued to climb the couloir. Unfortunately sunhit was later than I thought on this aspect and the couloir did not soften. When you looked at the snow a thin gleam of ice glistened over everything.
Not having the time to wait several hours for it to soften I called it and ended up gaping it up and downclimbing the couloir because conditions were too dangerously icy at the time for me to try to make turns down anything, much less a 45+ degree couloir.
I drove back to Avon, met up with Joel in the late morning and we drove to the La Plata peak trailhead of Hwy 82. We hiked up the standard trail to about 11,100' below the shoulder you have to cross to move from La Plata Gulch into La Plata Basin beneath the north face. We camped there for the night.
We got up at 4:00am and were hiking by 5 bushwacking up a steep treed hillside to the 11,800' shoulder that allows passage into the basin beneath La Plata's north face.
photo- Near the 11,800' shoulder on La Plata. photo by Zach Taylor, 2011.
photo- Joel hiking towards the 11,800' shoulder of La Plata. photo by Zach Taylor, 2011.
We got our first view of La Plata's north face as we rounded the shoulder and contoured into the basin beneath the north face. We bushwacked through willows in muddy bogs to the base of the north face. Because of steep off trailhiking, loose talus slogging, and boggy wet conditions it took us a bit longer than we thought to get to the base of the north face. Keep in mind if attempting this route that the approach will take much longer than the mileage implies.
photo- Joel on La Plata. photo by Zach Taylor, 2011.
We brought our skins but they were not necessary as the basin was fairly melted out till the base of the face where we put on crampons and began climbing up the face.
photo- Joel hiking towards the north face of La Plata. photo by Zach Taylor, 2011.
Snow conditions for the most part were good for cramponing. We took turns kicking steps up the face.
photo- Joel on the lower part of the north face. photo by Zach Taylor, 2011.
photo- Zach Taylor on the north face. photo by Joel Paula, 2011.
Once we were on snow it only took us an hour and a half-two hours to summit. Just beneath the summit we saw a skier and a snowboarder riding down from above us. It was Carl Dowdy and Marc Barella. I knew them from 14ers.com and the 14er snowboard project. I had talked to both the guys previously via e-mail and online forums but had not met them in person. They stopped for a few minutes for introductions and conversation before skiing down the rest of the face. Carl and Marc had just skied/snowboarded Pyramid and Capitol this season. Carl is almost finished skiing the 14ers and has already done the hardest ones. It was good to meet the guys in person.
Joel and I contiued climbing and summited pretty quickly after that. We were greeted on the summit by a bunch of hikers who had come up the mostly snow free standard route. No one could believe that we were actually skiing. People repeatedly asked to take pictures of us.
photo- Zach Taylor on the summit of La Plata. photo by Joel Paula, 2011.
photo- Zach Taylor and Joel Paula on the summit of La Plata, 2011. photo by random hiker, 2011.
We enjoyed the summit for a few minutes and then began our descent. I dropped in first with quite a few people taking video and photos of us. It was kind of funny. I made some fun jump turns on the steep face and put some distance between me and the crowds. Joel followed. The descent was a lot of fun with quality jump turns most of the way down. The snow had softened nicely and we enjoyed some quality jump turns down the classic north face.
photo- Zach Taylor on the north face of La Plata peak. photo by Joel Paula, 2011.
photo- Zach Taylor on the north face of La Plata. photo by Joel Paula, 2011.
photo- Joel Paula on the north face of La Plata. photo by Zach Taylor, 2011.
photo- Joel Paula on the north face of La Plata. photo by Zach Taylor, 2011.
photo- Zach Taylor on the north face of La Plata. photo by Joel Paula, 2011.
photo- Zach Taylor on the north face of La Plata. photo by Joel Paula, 2011.
Over 2000' later we ended up at the bottom of the north face where we ate lunch, had some tea, and toured/hiked back around the 11,800' shoulder to the summer trail.
photo by Zach Taylor, 2011
photo- Joel touring back around towards the summer trail. photo by Zach Taylor, 2011.
photo- A look at the north face of La Plata. photo by Zach Taylor, 2011.
photo- Joel all smiles after skiing the north face. photo by Zach Taylor, 2011.
photo- Zach Taylor on La Plata. photo by Joel Paula, 2011.
After more bushwacking through trees on a steep hillside we joined back up with the summer trail and walked back to camp. More food and tea was had as we packed up and then we walked the last couple miles out to my car.
photo- Joel walking accross a sketchy bridge on the way out. photo by Zach Taylor, 2011.
photo- Zach Taylor near the trailhead after the climb. photo by Joel Paula, 2011.
We made it back to the trailhead in the late afternoon and drove back to Avon after a solid day out. It was a fun climb and a classic snowboard descent.
