June ski trip to Gannett Peak
Skiing and snowboarding Wyoming’s highest peak
June 23, 2008
In mid-June, brothers Chris and Tim Weydeveld, their cousin Jeramie Prine, and Steve Romeo went on a week-long hike-ski trip to summit Gannett Peak in the Wind River Mountain Range. They climbed and skied from the summit via Gooseneck Glacier. They skied most of the northern mountain and played on three different glaciers. This was a 38-mile round trip adventure designed to get as much skiing in as possible.
They went in from the east side, paying a tribal access fee to cross the Fort Washakie Indian Reservation to get them to the Cold Springs trailhead at 9,500 feet elevation in the Fitzpatrick Wilderness. This route saved them 20 miles of round-trip travel from either the Pinedale side or the Dubois-Glacier Trail route.
They hiked and skinned 14 miles the first day, ascended Scenic Pass down to the Ink Wells, then skinned another five miles to their base camp. With winter’s grip still having a strong hold on the high country, they had to make a good part of the hike in ski boots. They had to transition from skiing to walking, then back to skiing multiple times in the first few miles. “Ouch! We all had sore, blistered feet at the end of the ~40 mile trip,” said Cris Weydeveld. They saw herds of elk, pronghorn and deer in the high meadows on the way in. They camped at the confluence of Dinwoody and Gannett Creeks during the four days of their stay on the mountain.
They endured multiple snow storms during the trip, with strong winds that brought the wind chill to around zero degrees. They enjoyed outstanding scenery and fresh powder for their turns. On the way out, they went back up and over Scenic Pass to meet up with their ride to take them back out of the mountains.
“The highlight was the amazing views of 13 thousand plus foot peaks that surrounded us like huge sentinels in this magical place,” said Cris Weydeveld.
Click on the links below for two accounts and many stunning photos from their trip to Gannett Peak.
Photos by Cris Weydeveld
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