May, '01   The Dragon's Tail Couloir a snowy slolo...

    Last Saturday I found myself without a climbing partner so I decided to head to Estes Park to see Lisa and Josh. There had been talk of bouldering in the afternoon and that sounded better than nothing. However, when I got to town and started looking at the mountains, I decided to do something in the high county. Since it was late in the morning, I had to pick an objective that was close to the trailhead. The Dragon's Tail Couloir on Flattop Mountain seemed like an obvious choice so, after bouldering with Lisa and Josh, I headed up to the Bear Lake Trailhead.

    The approach passed quickly and I was soon standing at the base of Emerald Lake, admiring the beauty of Tyndall Gorge. I stopped there and ate a small lunch while I talked with a guy from Denver. I pointed out where I was heading and he did his part as a good tourist by being amazed at my intended route and inflating my ego. Of course the truth of the matter is that I could have pointed up to a 10 degree solid rock slope and he would have been impressed. :) Still, this couloir was exciting for me and I started out from the lake with an attitude comprised of 90 percent confidence and 10 percent trepidation.

    Overall it was an easy climb, punctuated with a few difficult sections which reminded me that I was a long way from the car and alone. The first difficulty was a steep snow section where the quality of the snow (read: the ability of the snow to support my weight) was less than stellar. I was not wearing crampons and this was the only moment on the climb that I debated getting them out of my pack. The second difficult section came high on the route and involved climbing loose 5.4 rock to avoid  rotten snow that had formed a moat around a large boulder. The idea of falling into the moat and being pinched between the hard snow  and the boulder was not  inviting. Since the rock was loose, I found it quite scary but easy. I even left a small section of accessory cord (thin rope) on this section in case I was forced to retreat from  higher on the route.

    I topped out 4 and a half hours after leaving the trailhead and made my way over to the summit of Flattop Mountain to eat a few GU packets. I shared most of the descent with another guy that had gone out solo that afternoon to do some back country skiing. It was nice to see someone else out there alone, doing what they love.

Below are some pictures from the route...