Where to begin with this one..

So, during the big freeze of 2021 - when much of texas lost power - we thought it was a good idea to go try to climb Bierstadt.

We drove up the mountian in a blizzard; 4wd, untouched snow on the road. Nobody else was up there. The truck heat wasn’t even keeping up that day. We slept in the back of the jeep at the alternate trailhead - a mile or two down the road from the actual trailhead because the road closes in the winter. Next morning we wake up and its -16f; i think we were both glad just to wake up and find we where indeed still alive.

Needless to say we underestimated the snow. We were post-holeing in snowshoes for hours, finally switching to crampons on the side of the mountain.

We turned just shy of the summit. We didn’t know it at the time.

thats my hair thats turned white thats not a finger in front of the camera, thats the phone failing due to the cold. perhaps one of my lowest moments in climbing; still smiling.