When the winter snows melt away, Summit County hiking adventurers approach the 14,000 peaks. A great way to share time with family, friends, competitors and associates, mountaineering in Summit County is emerging as a quality summer sport. For the select, mountaineering is year round. And prime Breckenridge real estate will accommodate your family and friends.
Local shops and experienced sportsmen assist in helping thousands of people advance in skill levels, teaching lessons in avalanche avoidance and survival. Peter Krainz, owner and founder of Rocky Mountaineering Guides (RMG) based in Summit County provides a wonderful cross-training program to help people improve balance and surefootedness. His two-hour tutorial has been described as reminiscent of yoga and meditative walking, walking at steeper and steeper inclines. Krainz includes hopping maneuvers and ends the routine with basic rock climbing. These types of small muscle strengthening skills come in handy when you head out to the mountains to climb or to ski.
As we mentioned, mountaineering is a fairly social sport. What fun it is to learn to belay with your grandchild! Other local places to pick up skills are the Breckenridge Recreation Center, which organizes group climbing for parents, children, students and couples. Then there are climbing retreats in Vail Valley featuring an overnight in a cabin. After becoming comfortable with top-anchored climbing, rappelling and belaying, you are ready for more difficult climbs. And others keep on learning more advanced climbing techniques—those essential for any long treks. Some move into winter-weather climbs, ice-climbing.
It helps to have trainers affiliated with the International Federation of Mountain Guides Association and the American Mountain Guides Association! When you are ready to head out, you can hire a professional, take an experienced friend or even find books loaded with details about local treks. Explore 50 exciting trails in Summit County with popular Colorado author, Mary Ellen Gilliland. Her book leads you to alpine lakes and waterfalls; ghost town, mining and Ute Indian sites; and the narrow gauge railway, pack train and stagecoach tracks—according to your skill levels.
Make your way early one morning to Quandary Peak, a long, relatively easy hike on one of the 14ers. The top of Quandary is 14,265 feet and the view is spectacular: Gore Range to the north, Holy Cross to the west, Grays and Torreys to the east, and a magnificent South Park view. To get to the trailhead from Breckenridge: Go 8 miles south on Hwy 9. Turn onto Blue Lakes Road (Forest Road #850). Turn right on McCullough Gulch Road (Forest Road #851). Go 1 mile to the white arrow on the left side of the road. Parallel park on the right side of the road. Follow the jeep road up to the intersection with the Wheeler Trail. Turn right. Follow Wheeler 1/4 mile to the point of the ridge when a trail intersects to the left. Turn left and proceed to the main ridgeline of Quandary Peak that leads to the summit!
And there’s the Dillon Reservoir Recreation Area, Eagles Nest Wilderness, and Ptarmigan Peak Wilderness are calling when you are ready. Be sure to break in your boots, organize your pack and, yes, follow directions carefully. Indians used to mark their trails for a reason. Your more experienced mountaineering friends can teach you important information that you can then pass along to other merry mountaineers.
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