Peaks Climbed: UN 13,111 & "Baldy Lejos"

Peak Heights: 13,111' / 13,100'

Route: E Slopes / S Ridge

Difficulty: Class 2

Location: San Juan Mountains, Colorado

Trailhead: 504/503 Junction

Mileage & Gain: 15.6 mi & 4,400 ft RT

Date Climbed: February 1, 2019

Winter trips to the San Juans always feel special, and this one was no exception. We climbed three 13ers over the course of two bluebird days and had the place completely to ourselves. This area turned out to be a great winter destination. In most conditions one can find avy safe routes up several high peaks here, including 14er San Luis Peak. While San Luis is a major undertaking as a day trip, the 13ers make for very enjoyable and more moderate single day outings.

We found the first two unplowed miles of 503 to Equity Mine well tracked by snowmobiles. Past that there were signs of previous traffic but they were difficut to follow and of limited use. A little bit of wallowing near treeline delivered us to more consolidated snow above. The east slopes of UN 13,111 above San Luis Pass were as easy as they come.

The mostly gentle ridge to Baldy Lejos is about two miles long and has several minor bumps. We found the steepest of these small bumps plastered with wind loaded snow and traversed left (west) to avoid the suspect slopes. With tons of snow up high this might not be a 100% safe option. The rest of the route was a no brainer.