High on Harvard, headed south. Photo by Ben Conners

Sure, we’ve already featured an ascent of Mt. Harvard this winter, but Ben Conners and Matt Kamper’s climb last Sunday was a stylish one-day ascent of Colorado’s third-highest peak, with a ski descent right from the tippy-top. Plus, we can’t get over how great the Harvard area looks in winter.

Entering the key chute below the summit. Photo by Ben Conners

Conners and Kamper climbed the south ridge of the 14,420-foot peak. The winter closure on Cottonwood Creek Road added 3.5 miles to the morning skin and yielded big numbers for the full day: 20.5 miles round trip, with 5,700 feet of vertical. Neither forecast (weather or avalanche) was perfect, but the boys got lucky with the former and carefully managed the latter, giving them a beautiful day out. Eight hours up, three hours down—you gotta love skis!

The photos here are reproduced with permission; see the full report and many more photos at 14ers.com.

Descending the south ridge of Columbia, with Yale in the clouds. Photo by Kevin Baker

Kevin Baker and four friends climbed two Collegiate Peaks 14ers, Harvard and Columbia, to greet the New Year. During the three-day trip into Horn Fork Basin, they trekked 23 miles and gained more than 8,000 vertical feet, bagging the two peaks over  subsequent days. Baker has posted a nicely illustrated trip report at 14ers.com and Fourteener World (members only for the latter), giving a wonderful look at these Sawatch Range giants in midwinter. Adam McFarren, also along on this trip, has posted more photos from the climbs at his blog, The Journey is Home.