The 2010 Colorado Ice Conditions Thread

k. riemondy wrote: There are some big cornices up on Mchenrys as well.

Holy f**k

Climbed the Petit Gully yesterday. The route was in great shape with firm neve and ice choked cracks. We continued over to The Gash via one pitch of easy snow, then on to the summit of the sharks's tooth on warm sunny rock. The route should stay in good shape for another couple weeks, but an early start is important for getting the best conditions.

In other News: We had a great vantage point for watching avalanches poor down the East Face of Taylor Peak. Amazingly there's no cornice above the Central Buttress Route. This route should be good to go in a week or so, so catch it in the rare time of low objective danger. In early start will be critical for this face that catches a lot of morning sun. The face is deceptively far back there, so a bivy at the base wouldn't be a bad idea.

Womb with a view didn't appear to be in, and one party bailed off of Tunnel Vision. They said the route was in, but really drippy. Vanquished and The Inquisition had discontinuous patches of ice. Hopefully that's a sign that they're heading in the right direction.

Chockstones of Unusual Size was so filled in with snow, you could probably kick steps from top to bottom. The Wham Couloir has a really cool looking (but probably sun blasted) ice pillar on the direct start pitch. This route would probably make a great fun snow climb right now, on par with the dragon tail couloir. Again an early start is important for firm and safe snow conditions.

Overall, it should be a great couple of weeks coming up for some combination type routes like what we did on the Petit Gully/Shark's Tooth. Another similar route that will be lots of fun is The Englishman's route on Hallett. The lower half stays shaded, and has some great M4-5 climbing. Then by the time you get to the upper half, the east facing rock will have been baking in the sun for a while, and you can switch to rock shoes and bare hands.

Chris S., nice talking with you guys in the parking lot (and again when we took the wrong fork). Sounds like a cool climb you guys did!

My buddy and I climbed a variation of the Right Gully on McHenrys, Saturday. We opted against Big Mac due to the massive cornices already noted. The Right Gully appears to be well sheltered from them. Getting into the gully required one pitch of steep mixed climbing. Snow in the gully was quite secure for step-kicking, but the water ice steps are melting out fast. Very enjoyable. However, wet loose snow slides shedding from the rock-bands forced us off route, and we completed to the summit via the NE ridge.

We saw no evidence of slab activity except for a day or two old 6" crown below Stoneman, just above Black Lake. Minor wet surface slides were ubiquitous in the afternoon.

Climbed Dreamweaver Sunday May 8th. If you enjoy steep snow get on it! No ice. Rock steps were easily negotiable. Came to low on the descent off the loft and got cliffed. Scrambled out on a ledge, found a few pitons. We built an anchor and rapped down to the snow. Glissaded about 1000 ft and we were on our way out.

Route took three of us 2.5 hours from bottom of couloir proper to top of Meeker. Brought rope, ice tools, screws, cams, nuts (they never left our packs)....only needed mountaineering axe and Hoag kicking steps out front.

Another party was on Martha same day, not sure what they found. Probably at least two more weeks before Dreamweaver is "in". Nevertheless had a blast, beautiful weekend in the Park, great friends, and high altitude! Blessed to live here...

Ran up and down the Dragons Tail and Tooth this morning. We found somewhat punchy conditions on the apron and nice firm snow in the couloirs. Good solid freeze last night and it was still 29 deg at Bear Lake when we left the truck. The sun was out as we walked back to the car but the snow never softened while we were on it (sorry skiers).

Really well filled in so it's pretty much all snow except for some very easy scrambling near the top of the Tooth. It would be hard to keep skis on though for that one section. The big cornices still loom over the right exit to the Tail so we stayed in the left branch and near the left side while climbing. People have been skiing the right side judging by the tracks but I didn't want to spend time exposed climbing under them as they'll pop off eventually and they're large.

Anyway tonight and tomorrow's weather may change things but as of 5/10 they were good snow climbing. Spring is almost here.

Chris Plesko wrote: Holy f**k

+1...those are massive!!!

How is Lincoln Falls hanging in there? Anyone been up there in the past week or so?

Did Martha on th 14th of May - snow down below the constriction was solid. Through the constriction, it was bomber, with one mixed/ice pitch. Above the couloir, it is a mixed bag. We hit it on a very hot day, and moved up that slope to the top of Lady Washington very quickly. Go get it, but go early, early.

Anyone have a sense for how much snow fell in RMNP from this latest storm? I'm trying to get some first hand knowledge before the CAIC Friday evening report comes out. They no longer provide region specific updates. I would like to climb Martha this weekend if it's going to be safe. Thanks!

up there you'll probably need something longer than a yard stick to measure

JonW wrote:Anyone have a sense for how much snow fell in RMNP from this latest storm? I'm trying to get some first hand knowledge before the CAIC Friday evening report comes out. They no longer provide region specific updates. I would like to climb Martha this weekend if it's going to be safe. Thanks!

http://www.wcc.nrcs.usda.gov/nwcc/sntl-datarpt.jsp?site=322&days=7&state=CO

Looks to me like 16 inches over the last two days at Bear Lake. Probably more higher up. 90% chance of more snow today.

Scott Bower wrote: wcc.nrcs.usda.gov/nwcc/sntl… Looks to me like 16 inches over the last two days at Bear Lake. Probably more higher up. 90% chance of more snow today.

Thanks, Scott. I haven't seen this page before. Quite useful.

Has anybody been up dreamweaver and martha last week? Shooting for both in a day on Sunday. Avy conds below the loft? Thanks

Climbed Fields Chimney on monday May 23, pretty amazing up there right now. Alexander's looked pretty fat and the Eighth Route definitely looked climbable. Might not last long with this current warming trend.

Heading into Fields Chimney, May 23, 2011.

Ahhhhhhhh!!!! I can't believe I just jacked my ankle!

Chacal wrote:Has anybody been up dreamweaver and martha last week? Shooting for both in a day on Sunday. Avy conds below the loft? Thanks

Do you mind posting an update after your climb? Planning on climbing Martha on Monday. Thanks!

WOW! Looks like I need to get up there on monday.

WOW! Looks like I need to get up there on monday.

JonW wrote: Do you mind posting an update after your climb? Planning on climbing Martha on Monday. Thanks!

So, headed up the Mills Cirque yesterday. Prepare to swim in snow if you get anything else than an alpine start. We started the approach on skis at 6am, and by 9 at the base labm's, now without skis, we were postholing. Heading up to Alexander's chimney decided to abort: lamb´s slide had significant snow and would have been nightmarish, let alone the amount of unconsolidated snow up the 1st pitch, I thought would be not worthed, difficult to get past it. Maybe harder climbers find it great, that is my opinion, Field's chimney looked excellent. The good news is that it will be in late into the season (and pretty fat.)

Getting to the base of Martha was a pain, lots of powder! Yes, waist deep powder to the first constriction. From there, somewhat harder snow (very little ice) that we soloed al the way to the top (no mixed conditions at all.) Descended the gully east to the route to retrieve skies from lake. The ski down to the car sucked, particularly from the Mills morraine to the trail junction. (Again, would have been most likely OK if had started way earlier.) So, go up there early and down early and you will enjoy,

East and south facing slopes were having a good deal of point release avlanches in the cirque, so just a heads up with the snow pack.

Climbed Alexander's Chimney today. The only climbable ice is on the first pitch, and that is rotten. Good fun groveling up the snow-covered rock though!

In the pre-dawn light we admired a lot of different ice smears around the longs peak cirque. By noon when we were down, they were all gone. It was VERY warm and sunny up there today, and the snow didn't freeze overnight. Tons of large wet loose slides by afternoon.