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Mt. Sneffles is one of the most iconic peaks in the San Juan Mountains easily seen from the nearby town of Ridgeway. Tucked into the very symmetrical northern summit of Mt. Sneffels is the Snake Couloir. A short rappel will put you into the long and aesthetic line that is skied a number of times each winter. The snake couloir begins about 30 meters below the summit and continues down a long ramp before doglegging into a constriction and then into the rest of the line. The snake couloir can be combined with another ski line on Sneffles for a linkup called the “trilogy” but this line is well worth doing on its own.
You will find the rappel anchor on the summit of Mt. Sneffels. You will rappel towards the northern aspect of the peak and aim for the flatter col that starts the line. There are a couple of rappel options that will get you into the line. You can do a 50-meter rappel from the summit proper, but the anchors can be hard to find once buried in snow. More commonly used, there are a second pair of webbing anchors found just below the summit that will accommodate a shorter 30-meter rappel over a few rocky steps.
There are a couple of options when approaching the Snake Couloir each offering its own unique challenges. The most common approach is from the south via Yankee Boy Basin. To get there, you start in the town of Ouray, Colorado, and travel up along Camp Bird Road. Before May 1st, the road closure will offer a very long approach. After the road opens you can still catch some spring corn on this iconic line. Realistically you are looking at a 6-mile approach and 5200-foot climb depending on the time of the year. The challenge with the Yankee Boy Basin Approach is the fact that you will have to approach from the south in order to ski a north-facing line. Skiing the 1300 ft Snake couloir will spit your out into the Wilson Creek drainage and you will be forced to either ski down this drainage towards Ridgeway and do a car shuttle, or climb back over the shoulder of Mt. Sneffels to get back into the Yankee Boy Basin. A significant drawback of the latter option is that you will be hitting a Southern aspect at a later point in the day which could be concerning with a springtime wet-slide cycle. To avoid this return to Yankee Boy Basin, some groups will exit via the Blaine Basin and then down the flat Dallas Creek Road. This option will necessitate a car shuttle but can make the exit safer and more straightforward.
About halfway into the snake couloir, after the line doglegs to the right, you will find a constriction. This constriction is about a ski length wide and can be rocky in certain conditions. When it is filled in, the line is skiable continuously from top to bottom.
Waiting until Camp Bird road opens can be an attractive option, but also has drawbacks. It can pose a challenge for most vehicles in those early spring wet conditions and a high clearance 4wd car is recommended.
