Telluride Peak
- Mike Morelli
- Jan 31
- 3 min read
Date: February 1, 2026
Location: San Juan Mountains, Red Mountain Pass, Ouray, Colorado, USA
Team: Adam Sapers
Field Notes: From Red Mountain Pass, many options exist for a low-angled approach to the summit.
After our full day in the Ice Park and our multi-pitch adventure on Dexter Creek Slabs, Adam was ready to trade ice tools for skis.
A lingering persistent slab problem and thin San Juan snowpack limited our options for bigger, steeper objectives, so Adam found some safer alternatives. One of those ideas was Telluride Peak, which would allow us to easily manage terrain, and then ski some north-facing terrain at lower elevations to avoid the avalanche problems.
The morning was cold and clear at Red Mountain Pass and we were treated to a spectacular sunrise. One of the things I missed so much about the States is skinning through a snow-covered forest.
In New Zealand, you are walking on a dirt track with your skis on your back, up a couple thousand feet to reach the snow. A very different experience.
As we skinned higher, we left the shelter of the trees and were soon skinning in base layers.
The San Juans are an interesting mountain range. There is a ton of epic ski terrain. I was also blown away at how remote and quiet the range is. The downside, however, is that it usually has a thin snowpack and deals with arguably the worst snowpack in the country. Long periods of high-pressure create facets, which create a weak layer. Ultimately, it snows on top of that weak layer. It stays cold and the weak layer is buried deep in the snowpack, creating a dangerous persistent slab problem.
I’ve had two experiences in my life that have altered the way I think about dealing with that specific avalanche problem. One of those experiences was my friend who died in this exact mountain range. The other experience is another very good friend who triggered a D3 avalanche and miraculously survived.
After those experiences, one of my rules is that I do not ski on a slope that has a persistent-slab problem - full stop. It’s virtually impossible to test, and even if you do, there is spatial variability.
We continued upwards, admiring the terrain, future casting adventures, and feeling the effects of the altitude.
Ultimately, we climbed up to the summit where more terrain opened up. This place has some seriously awesome terrain. What was not so awesome was the skiing. My worst nightmare - breakable crust.
Adam, five months off a torn ACL and being an expert skier, skied gracefully. I, on the other hand, fell, tumbled, twirled, and whatever crazy body motions you could imagine, down. I can’t say skied down, because that wouldn’t accurate.
There was a moment we found a short, north-facing run lower down for a few turns that made for some nice skiing, which was a highlight.
Back at the road, we hitchhiked back to our car, unbelievably from a guy that was going in the other direction, and called it a day. Three full days with Sapers ice climbing and backcountry skiing made up for lost time, and I can’t wait for more adventures together in the future.
Happy days...
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