Isabelle Glacier Spring Skiing (Indian Peaks Wilderness)
Spring skiing Queen’s Way and Apache couloir in the Isabelle Glacier basin at Brainard in Boulder County!
Nestled at over 10k feet, the Brainard Lake Recreation Area is a vast playground for spring mountaineering, alpine runs, and other outdoor pursuits.
Although it’s only a quick 45’ quiet mountain drive from Boulder, most Spring missions to the high peaks require long approaches of over 4 miles, often involving bikes and a multisport approach.
Armed with the latest lightweight performance ski touring gear, and eager, fit, and skilled partners with a winter of skimo racing in our legs, the crew (Davide, Kirtis) knew the conditions were PRIME for an Isabelle Glacier mission.
Navajo Peak and Navajo snowfield in the backgroumd.
ROUTE:
13 miles | 4.5k feet + | 5 hrs
We were coming off a big 5 hour ski mission on Crooked & Little Pawnee just the day prior (12 miles, 4.5k feet +), and both the skiing and the bike approach conditions were ideal. So we rallied for a second day.
The Isabelle Glacier basin is the most tucked in of the area (and the stats don’t include the 5 miles round-trip bike ride in & out!), so you really want to go when you know it’s good.
Below is the Strava route from the day. It goes without saying: don’t just download this route and follow it blindly. Conditions in the mountains are always changing!
A note on safety: backcountry skiing is a dangerous pursuit. To attempt these lines you should have crampons, ice axes, avy gear, and know how to use them. A fall can be fatal, and rescue is difficult due to the remoteness and no phone signal.
QUEEN’S WAY:
1 Km | 380m+ | 35%
The approach went by quick thanks to firm conditions, and we shared the approach with a Brit who was keen to ski Apache and was happy to have some partners for the ride.
We finally get to couple of big rollers that require kickturns to get up them, and finally started making our way up Queen’s Way. I always like to kickturn up the face before settling for booting & crampons, till it doesn’t feel safe anymore. I’m always amazed when I go back to Italy how challenging skinning conditions are over there and how skilled people are there, skinning up icy steep no-fall slopes.
Conditions were prime just starting to soften up, and as we were booting up we could see a madman booting up Apache Couloir solo at a blistering pace. After around 50’ from the base, we summited at the same time as him (after a super cool ridgeline traverse), and we exchanged a few words. Turns out he was a badass skimo racer and a neighbor!
The descend was excellent and varied, and for sure my favorite in the Brainard zone, with stunning views of below from the highest peak in the basin.
On the summit of Apache Peak, 2nd highest in the Indian Peaks at 13,440'.
Dropping from the summit into the walls of Queen's Way is always such a cool rush.
APACHE COULOIR:
1 KM | 350m+ | 35%
After Queen’s Way, our Brit friend parted ways, but Kirtis and I were fired up to ski Apache Couloir after having seen our “other” new friend rip that ascend & descend solo. Plus, it’s such a long approach for only one line, so another line was in order. Having fit, eager, and skilled partners is truly the #1 requirement for ski mountaineering!
Due to ominous clouds, we hurried up the couloir and our friend from earlier had set souch a nice booter that we were able to go without crampons (although I’m always weary of this approach, as I know of deaths that have occurred this way).
At the top of the couloir we got blasted by the wind that had picked up, and decided to skip the short exposed traverse to the true Apache summit (same summit as Queen’s Way).
We transitioned quickly and got out of the wind, to ski into a super fun steep funnel that then drops into the walled couloir. Definitely one to remember, and clearly visible from the road as you approach Brainard!
Booting up Apache couloir.
The most scenic part of Apache couloir.
Skiing away from Isabelle Glacier is super fun! If conditions are right and the snow doesn’t turn into hot pow, you have at least 3 rollers to ski all the way down to the shore of Isabelle Lake (and some).
The rest of the exit is the longest Brainard exit around, so arm yourself with some patience, a good conversation, and maybe a few skins on/off decisions.
The lines from the exit. Queen’s Way in RED, Apache Couloir in YELLOW.
Blue Lake Basin Spring Skiing (Indian Peaks Wilderness)
Spring skiing the couloirs in the Blue Lake Basin at Brainard in Boulder County. Curvaceous couloir, Little Blue couloir, Crooked couloir, Autobon couloir.
Nestled at over 10k feet, the Brainard Lake Recreation Area is a vast playground for spring mountaineering, alpine runs, and other outdoor pursuits.
Although it’s only a quick 45’ quiet mountain drive from Boulder, most Spring missions to the high peaks require long approaches of over 4 miles, often involving bikes and a multisport approach.
Armed with the latest lightweight performance ski touring gear, and eager, fit, and skilled partners with a winter of skimo racing in our legs, the crew (Zak, Tate, Davide) had a loose plan to make the most of one of the first early-season spring weekends conditions by banging out lots of the best lines in the Blue Lake basin.
ROUTE:
16 miles | 8k feet + | 6 hrs
Below is the Strava route from the day. It goes without saying: don’t just download this route and follow it blindly. Conditions in the mountains are always changing!
A note on safety: backcountry skiing is a dangerous pursuit. To attempt these lines you should have crampons, ice axes, avy gear, and know how to use them. A fall can be fatal, and rescue is difficult due to the remoteness and no phone signal.
CURVACEOUS COULOIR:
800m | 260m+ | 35%
We decided to work our way back from the furthest zone in the Blue Lake basin, and while the Paiute SE Face is a more fun line IMO, the punchy wind slab snow on the cliff bands didn’t seem safe. Hence, Curvaceous was a good warmup for the day. Snow conditions were marginal and a somewhat punchy descend, which made for a grim outlook for the rest of the day…
LITTLE BLUE COULOIR:
550m | 200m+ | 35%
I had eyed this less popular couloir on a run recon some years ago, and I was psyched that Tate and Zak were willing to give it a recon. The punchy crusty snow gave way to more consolidated snow as we climbed the couloir and headed into the super cool rock walls. We were psyched to find finally spring-ish snow on the descend in some seriously cool settings.
CROOKED COULOIR:
1200m | 550m+ | 40%
After a solid ski, we were itching for more, and as we worked our way back, Crooked was a logical choice. Due to super filled in snow conditions, we may have actually booted up a line more West than Crooked proper, but then as we reached the top, skiers left seemed like a better ski and it eventually merged into Crooked proper. This is probably the longer more sustained couloir descend in the basin, and it’s always a super fun ski with lots of features and variations. As a bonus, the lower part was proper corn skiing!
AUTOBOHN COULOIR:
600m | 300m+ | 35%
Although none of us had packed enough water & food for an 8 hour and 8k feet outing, we were all eager to make the most of our first day of spring skiing, wanting to hit one last couloir off the 3 Audobon couloirs on our way out. Luckily cloud coverage kept the snow from deteriorating, but wet slides and cornices were definitely on our mind. Hence, we decided to ski the more mellow of the three (looker’s right).
THE END
Bonked, sunburnt, tired, but buzzing on the successful quadfecta, no Boulder spring ski outing is complete without celebratory nachos & beers at Mountain Sun!
VIDEO EDIT
Enjoy a little edit from the day by Tate below!