How to get there:
We drove on US 285 (connecting from Boulder) to Fairplay,
one mile south of Fairplay, turn right on Park County 18, a dirt
road. Follow this for about 10.5 miles (in summer). We could drive
about 9 miles in February before parking (from that point on
the road was snowed in). About 2 hours drive from Boulder. Route description:
We skied on the old mining road passing the old mining buildings
at Leavick, about 2 km, then onwards and into the upper part of the
valley. There is an old mining road that continues up
higher to the old "Dauntless" mine. From here the summer route
likely continues to the next (and highest) mining ruins, however
the snow cover was very limited in that direction. We therefore
continued more or less straight up in the direction of
Mount Sheridan. Our route climbed a steeper snow slope
right ahead, then angled right towards the pass between Sheridan and
Sherman. Snow conditions obviously may vary, another year or another
time one may have to find another route, avalanche conditions may
exist! Our climb picked a safe route staying near visible rocks
all the way up and across to the right. We could then contour right on more
level slopes
and make a very gentle climb to the final (small) cornice at the saddle
between Sheridan and Sherman. The very last part of this ascending
traverse got us above fairly steep (stable) snow, care should be
taken. We had about 0.5 meter of vertical snow (one big step)
before being on the
completely flat snow in the pass.
The ridge to the top of Mount Sherman from the pass was rocky and not
suitable for skies. We continued on foot along the ridge, first very broad,
but then more distinct passing several false summits before the
final, long top ridge. This ridge is almost horizontal, we defined
the highest point (at least highest rock) to be at the far end, just where
the ridge clearly starts sloping downwards. There is a small cairn
at this point, the trail register was (likely) buried under the
snow (we did not look for it). Comments:
I did this climb with my 11 year old son Pål Jørgen.
It was a fantastic winter day and an unforgettable experience. No
people, the mountains all there for only father and son. The wind
was variable, sometimes quite strong (affecting your steps) as may
be expected in February at 14.000 feet. However, we sat on the summit
in bright sunshine and experienced a couple of minutes with no
wind at all, just a warm sun and a beautiful view of the two
large valleys, one east the other west. Further west, the complete
Sawatch Range, very impressive! We also rested well at the Dauntless mine
ruins twice (both going up and down).
Total time from the jeep was 4 hours and
40 minutes to the summit, then only one hour and 15 minutes
back down (skis help !).
Finally, a reminder: Winter climbing of these mountains requires
experience and proper equipment. Safe route finding can lead to
very different lines of ascent at different times.
These slopes are leeward and snow
may accumulate and pose avalanche danger in the steeper sections.
Mount Sherman.
The picture is taken just below the saddle between Mount
Sherman and Mount Sheridan, 4190 m, note the (small) cornice
across the east facing side of the saddle.