Steve Bremner on a winter solstice run.

Steve Bremner from Manitou Springs likely set the speed record for the winter ascent of Pikes Peak on January 12, running up the 14,115-foot peak in 3:21:55, from the Barr Trailhead to the summit. Bremner ran down the cog railway to Mountain View, traversed to Barr Camp, and then continued down the Barr Trail, for a round-trip time of 5:35:25, also likely a winter record.

Above the A-Frame on the Barr Trail, near treeline, Bremner followed “winter rules” for his route to the summit, taking the most direct and ice-free line he could find. His distance for the ascent was 9.9 miles (about 7,850 vertical feet), and 21.8 miles for the round trip. The previous fastest known time for a winter ascent was 4:02.

Upper east face. Bremner ran up just right of the prominent snow streak. Photo by Rick Hessek

“I have had the attempt in mind since last winter,” Bremner, 54, said in an email. “I went up in 4:18 last March, then afterwards found out the record for winter was only 4:02, [which] I knew I could beat. My fastest summer ascent was in the Pikes Peak Ascent race of 1999, [starting at] Memorial Park in Manitou Springs: 2:49.”

After scouting the trail to the A-Frame on January 10, Bremner ran during a sunny, warm, and wind-free window two days later. He carried a CamelBak, two bars, two gels, a cell phone, and a few extra clothes (but didn’t need them), and he wore Yaktrax above the A-Frame.

Rising blue moon, caught in the sunset shadow of Pikes Peak, from the summit, December 31, 2009.

The second full moon of December rises at sunset on a cold New Year’s Eve. Temperature: –1°F. Wind: 30 to 40 mph, gusting to 55 mph. And a mystery: Why does a round-topped mountain cast a pointed shadow?

Total Abandon on Pikes Peak in October—apparently still in now.

The stellar ice conditions some predicted for this year, thanks to a relatively wet summer and snowy fall, have so far not materialized. Ephemeral classics like the Smear of Fear on Longs Peak apparently aren’t going to happen this year. But the usual spots are beginning to form up, and ice is being climbed around the state. Be careful, though: The warm weather this week may have weakened or wrecked a number of routes.

Front Range: Alexander’s Chimney is thin but getting climbed. There seems to be lots of ice this fall below Notchtop, and the east face is thin but in. All Mixed Up is…mixed. Total Abandon and Blind Assumption on Pikes Peak have been in for over a month—the trick is catching the road when it’s open.

Summit/Vail: Officer’s Gulch may have a climbable route or two, and the Ninth Hole and other side gullies in Vail looked OK from I-70 a week ago. The bigger routes still have a ways to go, but you don’t really need ice in Vail, do you? Mt. Lincoln has a bit of climbable ice—and undoubtedly plenty of people.

Redstone: Nothing yet, but word is some climbs may be ready by this weekend.

Southwest: Lots of stuff coming in around Eureka and Silverton: Stairway to Heaven, Direct North Face, and others look decent. Second Gully looks good. Whorehouse’s first pitch appears to have fallen and will need to rebuild. Hosers Highway and others are said to be ready. Lower Ingram has been climbed in Telluride, and Ames and Bridalveil are said to be forming. Not much reported around Ouray.