Read a free trail guide on this hike here: www.thevirtualsherpa.com/torreys-peak-winter-hike-guide/

Sorry for your loss man. Aways appreciative of your great content and the contribution you are to the mountain community. It's great to see you back at it again doing what you love.

A 2fer on your first time solo back in the saddle! Way to go man! Way to go!

@TheVirtualSherpa

6 ай бұрын

🙏🏽

Hard to find words to express myself when you shared your feelings on top of Torrey’s. Hugs and here’s to many more safe hikes, both for your own desire and to remember your friend by. 💜

Thankful that you could still go up there and celebrate Jasons life. It's beautiful honestly. I'm still sorry for your loss. thankful for you and your videos. You're a G dude!

Hey! I am the guy who said hi to you at the Nachos aid station loop 2 at bandera Saturday! I've left plenty of comments before as I've been doing all the 14ers. I just posted my video of the race, and I left that part in where I ran by you!

@TheVirtualSherpa

6 ай бұрын

Pleasure meeting you and hope the rest of the race went well! You looked very strong and appreciate you saying hi. Was a awesome spending time with your crew.

Nice job. You have faith in those shoes. 😁

@TheVirtualSherpa

6 ай бұрын

I really didn’t on that ridge, the rubber was so cold it almost felt like ice on ice. Need to find a new pair of boots for winter / snow expeditions, truly don’t like these ones.

@hordboy

6 ай бұрын

@@TheVirtualSherpa I really like Vibram Megagrip outsoles.

I remember you and I finished the 14ers around the same time in 2019. My best friend and closest human, Sarah, died on Capitol peak sept 3 2022, 3 months after my mom died of a sudden brain aneurism. I was supposed to be with her on her finisher but left a week early for Italy. I read about her falling hundreds of feet on a news article that popped up on mh phone in Florence. Then I talked to a guide that was behind her that saw it happen. I went in to the lake to get her tent and gear because mtn rescue couldn't find it. I got her into the mtns and felt responsible, it destroyed me. I didn't leave my room or talk to anyone for weeks. I was carelessly messing around kelso by myself last summer and purposely going off route for 5.8-10 pitches. Slipped on a hold and fell around 20 feet. Just didn't care anymore. Was bleeding from my head, legs , and hands like crazy but I went back down and made it to st anthony er. Made a full recovery. But my fall knocked me back into a state of focus again and a will to live that I am very grateful for. Those were the darkest days of my life and I am so sorry for loss. I know how bad it can get. I'm glad we both have the mountains for our soul. Sometimes they humble us, sometimes they heal. Jason Graves?

@TheVirtualSherpa

Ай бұрын

Appreciate you sharing your story and glad that you made it through those dark days. I know all too well how they feel. I still struggle with my relationship with the mountains but hope one day I can find the same peace they offered me before.

Winter hiking is my go to. Low crowds and top notch views. Thanks for posting and I'm looking forward to another year, how about you.

Happy New Year, man !

Awesome job!! Beautiful.

Great video! I'm sure this is an easy one to underestimate because of it's relative popularity during the summer months! Good job crushing it 🙌🏾🙏🏾👍🏾

Congrats on a successful day! Nice work and sorry to hear about your accident and the loss of your friend!

Well done.

Sending much love my man!!

Good stuff man!

Great to see you back out there. Thanks for the excellent content. Peace

What a beautiful scenery my friend! Outstanding work!

Nice footage. Good work!

Love your videos man. So, so sorry for your loss. Your content is such a blessing for me and so many, excited for future adventures!

Great video, glad to see you back out! It sounded windy especially when you headed towards Grays, but I didn't see your clothes whipping too bad. Curious to know if the go pro makes it sound windier than normal and how bad you would say the wind was for this hike? A friend and I tried Shavano this fall and turned back at the saddle (13,000ft or so) because the wind was almost knocking us over.

@TheVirtualSherpa

6 ай бұрын

4/10 wind, something like 25ish mph with gusts of 40. The wind buff on the GoPro really deletes most of the wind. If my clothes were ever moving in a vid, I would probably be VERY miserable. I can’t stand high winds 😂

Congratulations and way to tag this to help fend off your mental battle. Best.

Thanks for sharing an emotional hike. Would have been easy to keep this one to yourself.

Awesome summit!! The summit news shocked me. So sorry for your loss. Losing someone always is a shit sandwich. 😞 But when it's mixed with something you also love ( the mountains ) is extremely difficult to navigate. What you do next means all the difference. Overcoming those fears means you're healing and growing. Keep it up, playa!

Nice! I really like the shots in this one… nothing lost by the drone deciding to take a day off. Looked like some 🌶️ fun in spots.

@TheVirtualSherpa

6 ай бұрын

It spit out black liquid at one point, so that must be good for future flying 😰

@mike_hore

6 ай бұрын

@@TheVirtualSherpa😬😬😬

Great vid; great footage. I personally would not carry any avi ear if I' out by myself. Two people or more-yes. Alone-no. And I'm definitely not one of those to criticize someone who chooses to climb alone. I prefer it.

@TheVirtualSherpa

6 ай бұрын

I hear you. The beacon is a body finder if caught solo - let’s call a spade a spade. I carry the other gear in case I happen to see someone else caught in a slide. To each their own when solo but I would die on the hill of at least having a beacon but that’s just me.

Hey just want to take the time to say thanks! Your videos continue to inspire and help me since I moved to CO 3 years ago and I'm glad to see you're putting out new content! I'm curious why you chose to stick with the hiking poles at 5:30-6:30 vs switching to the mountain axe? I'm in no way judging the use of one over the other, I am just learning to use the mountain axe myself and wondered if you could offer some insight into your decision?

@alexbaum389

6 ай бұрын

No chance he could self arrest in time at that point and poles give 80% what you need out of an axe. So just a time saver.

@TheVirtualSherpa

6 ай бұрын

Yeah to be honest, the snow was really not consolidated enough to get an axe to stick and a self arrest there would really do very little. To the point below about the poles, it was just easier and they felt stable, that was more or less the decision making.

@chrisfratkin2405

6 ай бұрын

Thanks, that is helpful!@@alexbaum389

@chrisfratkin2405

6 ай бұрын

I appreciate the insight!@@TheVirtualSherpa

I've been watching your channel pretty regularly now, thank you so much for putting this kind of footage out there and sharing your passion for the mountains. You've inspired me to come out to Colorado and do some of the challenging 14ners. How did you train to become proficient in class 3, 4 and 5 hikes?

@TheVirtualSherpa

5 ай бұрын

Lots of practice. In a controlled setting, bouldering and indoor climbing is good to get the feel of it.

@fraudpolice4603

5 ай бұрын

@@TheVirtualSherpa thank you, I have started bouldering. I'm from the NE, and climbed a lot of the mountains up here including Washington and Katahdin. I was thinking of starting off with 4 to 5, class 2 14ners and then ramp up to class 3/4 in the Aspen area (Bells, Pyramid and Capitol). I hope it's not too ambitious.

Hey man I’d love to come hike with you I’m a professional drone photographer as well so could help capture aerial shots. Been wanting to try the Kelso Ridge. I’m in Denver.

At 15:13 what is that huge peak in background?

@TheVirtualSherpa

6 ай бұрын

Pikes

Just curious about your contingency plan for, say, an ankle injury, while hiking solo near the summit?

@TheVirtualSherpa

6 ай бұрын

always carry first aid and my inreach should things go really south

Looks really exposed and scary. I would like it better without ice and snow.