Tabeguache Peak

Route: Via Mt. Shavano
Posted On: 3/4/2017, By: Stratosfearsome
Info: Snow was pretty hard-packed up Tabeguache (I never spell it right.) A few wind sculptures that were cool. Took an hour and a half to go from Shav to Tab and back to Shav. Tiring and beautiful. 

Route: Via Mt. Shavano
Posted On: 2/19/2017, By: bmcqueen
Info: We did Shav and Tab from Angel of Shavano Campground. Snow was mostly consolidated with minimal post-holing up to the Esprit ridge. The ridge has some cornices, but again, snow was pretty nice to go up. We wore snowshoes on the way up down to the saddle between Esprit and Shavano. Shavano is mostly windblown, so we carried our snowshoes up to the summit and for the descent to the Tabeguache saddle. Had to put them back on at the Shav/Tab saddle and wore them up to the summit of Tab. See Shav CR for pics. 

Route: Via Mt. Shavano
Posted On: 11/12/2016, By: jeffth5
Info: One inch of snow on north facing aspects only. No traction needed. 

Route: West Ridge
Posted On: 9/28/2016, By: irolhiking
Info: 9/27/2016 Started the climb of Tabaguache via the Jenning's Creek TH. Started the hike at approximately 7:25 am. Skies were completelely clear, gentle breeze, about 38 degrees. Most of the trail is easy to follow until you get about 200 yds from the Carbonate/Tabaguache saddle. AFter crossing the tiny creek here just climb the short grassy hill in front of you & you will pick up the trail again before you start the climb to the saddle. Loose scree to the saddle but a short climb. No snow anywhere on the trail & all of it was dry. Still hard at times to follow a trail up the boulder fields but when in doubt, go up. Lots of ups & downs, false summits, but mostly easy if you stay on top of the ridge line. Stayed mostly on the south side of the ridge for the last 100 yds & used four points of contact for the last 20 yd ascent. Minimal to no wind on top, sunny, & no clouds in the sky. All by myself. Indescribable!! I liked this route for the brevity, although still challenging for me, & the lack of traffic. Ran into one other couple on the ridge as I was descending & then the 'foot guy', you know who you are, on the saddle. Perfect conditions!! 

Route: Via Mt. Shavano
Posted On: 9/27/2016, By: katiek166
Info: It was a beautifully sunny day on Mt. Shavano and Tabeguache. There was dusting of snow in some areas. The boulders between Mt. Shavano and Tabeguache Peak were a little slippery until around noontime. There was barely any wind and no threatening clouds so we took full advantage and hung out at both summits for awhile. 

Route: Via Mt. Shavano
Posted On: 9/12/2016, By: graberz
Info: Left TH little after 4am and returned to TH by 12. Both peaks full summer conditions no snow or ice. Strong winds today especially around the two saddles. Only about 9 total on the trail today. Lots of elevation change but fun day! 

Route: West Ridge
Posted On: 7/18/2016, By: FalseIdols
Info: My group got a late start from the West Ridge TH, but knocked out 1,000 vertical in the first mile or so. It's a very beautiful valley/meadow once out of tree line, and there was not another soul in the willows. The route finding can be a little challenging at times, but if you follow 14ers directions you'll be golden. I was leading the pack through the meadow along the talus field, but I didn't realize the other four of my party went left of Jennings creek for a short section. Don't do this, as it's a pain in the arse to cross with all the tall bushes surrounding the creek. We lost the trail once we were above the willows area, but it was pretty easy to see where the trail was headed. Right up to the short, but steep ascent up the saddle. Once up there we could locate point 13,936. The hike up to it was a bit of grind, especially with the howling, 40-50 mph winds knocking us over from time to time. The wind was the worst part of it. Two of us kept going without stopping for rest because at that point we were over this part of the climb. Onto the second false summit! Basically just standard steep sections with lots of scrambling to the top. Except, the friend I was following went up below the ridge crest. It made sense based on the section with the finger shaped rocks blocking our path. The pictures on here don't do it justice. With that said, there were a couple moves that required concentration. Once where I had to drop onto the path/trail, and another when scrambling to the top in my final ascent. For my skill level, I was a bit nervous in both accounts. I'd say they were more a difficult class 2 or even easy class 3 moves. I was relieved everyone of my party made it up without incident. Only two of us went on to summit Shavano. More of the same steep areas on the way up along with the huge gusts of wind. It was easy and long on our descent to the Shavano TH. Great day with just the right amount of scary! I highly recommend taking the West Ridge route over the standard one. 

Route: Via Mt. Shavano
Posted On: 7/16/2016, By: zastrow21
Info: Left Shavano summit at 1050. After getting down to the saddle, trail going up to Tab is a little hard to follow but not bad. Going up is rocky, big steps and good balance. A few patches of snow remain but completely avoidable. A quick trip to do the combo. Having to basically summit Shavano twice is the only downside. Of the couple dozen people on Shavano, only a handful of them did the combo which was nice to have them well ahead of us on the way back. 

Route: Via Mt. Shavano
Posted On: 6/30/2016, By: quinnwolf
Info: Came over from Shavano (see that conditions report). Left Shavano at 8am. Summitted just before 9am. Left just after 9am. Got back to Shavano at 10. There is a large snow field along the ridge just below the summit (its clearly seen from Shavano and the saddle). There is a completely snow-free route on either the left or right side. Going right (above it) (what I did) is a little steeper, but a little shorter. Pick your poison and choose either side of the snow field. Snow equipment is absolutely not necessary. 

Route: West Ridge
Posted On: 6/27/2016, By: denvermikey
Info: Hiked the west ridge route up Tab yesterday. Route is 99% clear and dry except a couple of snow patches that are easily traversed. No traction or flotation needed at all. If you have a decent 4wd, this is a great alternative to the standard route up Shavano. We didn't see a single person the entire hike until we popped up near the summit - on a Sunday. 

Route: Via Mt. Shavano
Posted On: 6/24/2016, By: Mountain Max
Info: Summer conditions on Shavano. We left the trailhead at 4AM and were on top by 8:15ish. Crossed over to Tabeguache in a little over an hour. No crossing of snow necessary except three steps in the saddle which are probably melted by now. There is a long snowfield on the ridge of Tabeguache but it's easily avoidable unless you want to walk in the snow. So all clear but the afternoon storms. Make sure to leave 2-3 hours to get to Tabeguache and then back to Shavano before you go for the double. 

Route: Via Mt. Shavano
Posted On: 6/21/2016, By: hollyhammons
Info: Started at 4:00, summitted Mount Shavano by 8:00. After a break, summitted Tabeguache Peak at 10:30. By then the clouds were already forming fast. There is so snow from the saddle going up Tabeguache, but you can get through it without any gear, and probably avoid most of it. We had ice axes and microspikes so we just climbed straight up the snow, but the gear could have been been overkill. 

Route: Via Mt. Shavano
Posted On: 6/13/2016, By: Hawksnick
Info: It's clear and dry on the descent from Shavano to the Shavano-Tabeguache saddle. However, there is plenty of snow remaining between the saddle and the Tabeguache summit. The first crossing in the picture resulted in deep postholing, but it was short enough that it wasn't a huge issue. The remainder of the snow was somewhat more solid. A glissade is possible coming down the upper slopes of Tab heading back toward the saddle. 

Route: West Ridge
Posted On: 12/7/2015, By: r_grizz
Info: Hiked Tabeguache via the West Ridge on 12/6/15 and it was an absolutely brutal day. Put tire chains on my F150 near the Angel of Shavano Campsite and was able to drive all the way up to the Jennings Creek TH, which is marked with some yellow tape. I'd say the snow on the road varied from 3-8 inches. There had been no recent traffic on the trail, but it was easy enough to follow. Some areas had a few inches of snow, but snow shoes weren't ever necessary. Once above treeline in the drainage leading to the saddle, there are some areas of fairly deep snow, but most can be avoided by staying higher up on the flanking slopes. Once you gain the saddle, the snow is minimal the rest of the way, but there is definitely enough to cause some nasty slippage when combined with the unrelenting scree field, slope angle, and raging winds that we experienced. Microspikes may be helpful, but we didn't ever use them. The crux of the route is at the top of the semi-exposed ridge with some mixed class 2+ to 3 climbing and just enough snow to make things a little spicy. One other thing to note is that we diverted from the standard route when approaching the saddle for a more direct line, but this did lead us across a pretty significant avalanche run out. I'd estimate the bottom of the debris field to be at least couple hundred yards wide. It was old, but the potential for loading on the slope above on climber's left was very obvious. This area should be avoided if you're out there during adverse avalanche conditions. 

Route: Via Mt. Shavano
Posted On: 10/9/2015, By: dogballs
Info: Trail was dry the whole way. There is some snow starting to collect in the shady nooks & crannies, but nothing significant. I did see some fresh cat tracks (2-3 sets, maybe a mom with her kittens) around treeline so if you are going solo be animal aware. Shavano summit took 2hr45min, reached Tabeguache at 3hr30min, and car to car took 5hr48min. Beautiful conditions, but man is that a long hike. Trail is easy to follow and is very rocky. Trip over to Tabeguache is well worth the views, just don't expect a good trail to follow.