"Ooh La La!"

Description 

"Ooh La La!" is an unnamed summit in the Indian Peaks Wilderness. It sits on the Continental Divide about 3/4 mile south of Ogalalla Peak, and appears on the USGS topographic maps as point 12,945'. "Ooh La La!" sits directly above and west of the northernmost of the St. Vrain Glaciers. It has a steep and imposing northeast face that looks almost stratified. This, combined with the glaciers below and surreal cornices above (at least in the early summer) gives the peak a Canadian Rockies flair. The rock on "Ooh La La!" looks unpleasant for climbing, but at least two snow climbs exist on the east side.

Getting There 

Take the Peak to Peak Highway to Peaceful Valley. The fastest way to get here from Boulder is probably through Jamestown, but you can also go through Ward or Lyons. At Peaceful Valley, the highway does a hairpin turn. From the westernmost point of this turn, take a dirt forest service road to Camp Dick. Drive through the campground to a parking lot at the end of the camp. If you have a 2WD car or low-clearance 4WD, park here and follow a trail that runs on the north side of the Middle St. Vrain Creek. If you have a high-clearance 4WD vehicle, you can drive another 4 miles up a very rough jeep road on the south side of the creek, park near a bridge, and cross over. From this point, follow a good trail on the north side of the creek for a couple of miles, then traverse a talus slope (marked with cairns) for what seems like a half mile, but is probably less. Cross the Middle St. Vrain (I'm not kidding about this) on a beaver dam that has formed a large pond. This pond does not appear on the USGS map or any other map I've seen. Continue up the valley on trail for another mile and eventually leave the trail and climb a moraine as you pass beneath the impressive south face of Elk Tooth. Climb another steep slope to reach the St. Vrain Glacier below "Ooh La La!" Aim north or south of the peak depending on your final destination.

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