2018 was the year I took High Altitude Mountaineering School with the CMC. I was fortunate to have a good group of friends also taking the course that year. Even luckier we all paired up as a team for grad climbs.

One of our training objective days we were met with less than optimal snow conditions and had to bail from our original intentions. We had set out to climb Erocia Couloir on Torreys Peak, but the conditions we found quickly made us change our goal. The avalanche conditions on that line sent us to another alternative, Emperor Couloir, connecting part of Kelso Ridge to the summit of Torreys.

The couloir is quite wide at the base with an exit onto the snow covered Kelso Ridge. Kelso ridge dry is a challenge, but snow covered it presents another challenge in and of itself. We had a fun scramble over part of the ridge and then up to the summit of Torreys. 

Great day training with a solid crew!

On your way down from Guanella pass, be sure to make a pitstop in Georgetown to enjoy some of the local spots.

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Grab food from Roundabout, Mountainbuzz Cafe & Pizzeria, The Alpine Restaurant and Bar, or Pho Bay restaurant.

Stop by Guanella Pass Brewing or Cabin Creek Brewing.