Mt. Guyot: Swan Dive

Guyot (13370 feet) is known for the great intermediate skiing on its northwest shoulder. But early in the season a spectacular line goes northeast right from the summit (precisely: head northeast on the ridge a very short distance until you can look down the couloir). After skiing it with Janet Jacks, I named it “Swan Dive”, since it drops into the Swan River drainage. Return to civilization by traversing back to the saddle and cabin in the main Guyot playground. Late in the season, this traverse can be pretty rough: it was for us, with some tough rock scrambling. Photo taken from Georgia Pass area about a week after Janet Jacks and I skied it, which was on June 27, 1999.

Bruce Edgerly and Brian Litz did this in late May 2006, starting from the Michigan Lake Road on the southeast side of the mountain. After the descent they skied on to Georgia Pass, then making a loop back to their car. This might be a more efficient route for Front Range skiers. Climbing Guyot via the east ridge facing Georgia Pass (prominent ridge in photo) is straightforward.

On May 12, 2007, Bob Portmann, Jonathan Kriegel, and I skied it. It was mushy, but not too mushy, and fun to ski. However, there were avy issues with the ski back to the saddle, so we wound around a bit to the north side.