Gore Range
Colorado’s spectacular Gore Range is host to many alpine summits over 13,000-ft and many more summits over 12,000-ft. In the relatively short stretch the Gore range is densely populated with 50 some mountains over 12,000-ft. The Gores, rather then consisting of large isolated mountains rising from the timber or tundra, consist of dramatic serrated ridges, with the summits being ridge junctions or highpoints. These dramatic ridges are riddled with gnarled, tooth-like spires that have mesmerized many world-class climbers.
Geologicaly the Gore Range is a fault-block mountain range. Similiar to the Sangre de Cristos of Colorado and the Tetons of Wyoming in that these ranges are bounded by faults that broke and shifted, thrusting up the mountains while downdropping the valleys.
From a recreational viewpoint, it is the southern half of the range that is of primary interest, with no summits in the northern half even approaching the elevation of tree-line. Here is where the truly spectacular peaks and ridges of the range can be found and, while there are no fourteeners here, the five thirteeners and numerous jagged peaks well above 12,000 feet will provide plenty of challenge for even seasoned climbers. However, while the Gore Range is home to some of the best ridge scrambling in Colorado, its mountains, due to their lower elevations, go largely unclimbed.
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The Grand Traverse from Vail Ski Resort.
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