Steep and Rocky: Skiing Mt Arkansas

Posted on by nicolettejones13
  • Date: April 30, 2023
  • Distance: approx. 6 miles round trip
  • Elevation Gain: 2,680‘
  • Trailhead: Fremont Pass South Trailhead

In what was shaping up to be one of our best ski mountaineering seasons yet, Mark and I were excited to see another day of stable conditions before he started work for the summer season. We had enjoyed a great two weeks off together and were glad that we would be able to end it with another ski.

Mount Arkansas sits at the top of the Arkansas river drainage, with a steep, skiable north face dubbed the “moonshine couloir” that is just a short jaunt from Leadville. Mark and I were excited to be attempting an objective close to home base, enjoying the opportunity to get a little extra sleep before we headed out.

The skin up to the base of the peak was straightforward and short, and we were soon booting up increasingly steep snow. The conditions in the couloir were stable, but ski tracks, and wind refill in an old boot track made for challenging hiking. I began to get frustrated as I continued to sink in past my knees feeling like I was only making one step of progress for every two I took. A moment of reflection and a little positive encouragement from Mark kept me from sinking into a negative mental trap and as we got higher in the couloir we found more bootable snow.

Early morning light on Mount Arkansas
Starting up the bootpack
A great perspective of how steep this one was
Mark topping out the Moonshine Couloir

At the top of the couloir we removed our crampons, put away our mountaineering axes and locked into our skis. The drop in was steep, but the crux came a few turns in where we dodged rocks at the steepest pitch. We made careful jump turns and scooted through in snow that had been chopped up by a group the day prior.

Nic dropping in
Mark in the crux: rocky, steep, and guarded by a fat cornice
Nic enjoying some turns below the crux
Mark working hard for some jump turns, even below the crux this one was steep

We took a deep breathe below the crux and enjoyed some more careful skiing out of the couloir and into the aprin.

Skiing back to the car, Arkansas and the Moonshine couloir in the background

We skied and skated back to the car before the snow had turned to slop in the warming sun. While the ski was one of the most challenging we had ever done, the mission itself felt short and sweet. We returned to Leadville and made ourselves a huge breakfast, making the most out of our last day before Mark went back to work in Aspen.