Torreys Peak: The Tuning Fork

The Tuning Fork on the north side of Torreys Peak (14267 feet) is one of most popular spring ski descents in the region. Some people climb the couloir, but it is a lot faster to take the Grays Peak trail to the saddle and then to Torreys. It is sometimes in shape to be skied from the summit, but more often there is a little walking to get into it. It offers 3000 feet of skiing, most of it moderately steep. I have skied the route three times. And on June 20, 2003, it was hard to find the entrance, and Jonathan Kriegel and I skied the far west line (first line west of the Tuning right side in the photo).

Descending northeast from the summit puts one atop a steep ski route called The Little Diamond. It can be seen in profile in this photo, and can be seen quite well from the road to the Grays trailhead.

I took this shot from Baker Ridge, across the valley, in May, 1997.
On this day Jim Whipperman, Chet Roe, and I attained the top by climbing the couloir. While this is often sound practice, it is also, in this case, much slower than ascending by the trail. The loss of time meant we had slush for the descent. Grizzly Peak is the large peak above Jim’s head.