Originally Posted by
staehpj1
The good news is that since you start the TA at sea level you are somewhat used to elevation by the time you get to Hoosier Pass. East bound you will have often been at
9000-10000' often so even though Hoosier is higher it isn't that terrible. It may be worse headed west, not sure since I have not gone east to west on the TA. So yeah there isn't much oxygen and it is hard, but it isn't like you won't be acclimated at least if west bound.
You aren’t headed east or west on Hoosier Pass…just sayin’.
That said, the Breckenridge side (north side, going south) approach is a bit tougher than the south side. The elevation gain from Fairplay to Hoosier Pass from the south is 1600 feet over 11.9 miles (2.7% average). From the north, the climb is 1960 feet over 11.2 miles (3.2% average). The averages don’t tell the whole story, however. The south side is a fairly constant sustained climb. The north side is flatter near Breckenridge with steeper climbs (and hairpins) just below the bottom of the pass.