Boulder Area Conditions

Hey all,
So I'm heading out to CO on the 24th after a meeting in San Diego and some chillin in Missoula.....originally this was a ski trip, but since all the snow seems to be landing here in NE I'm thinking of not even bringing skis.

My question is what are the conditions in RMNP and the Front Range as far as ice/alpine, rock, skiing?
Basically just wondering if I should bring my AT gear, ice and/or rock gear.....any info would be a huge help!!
Thanks, Nick

PS I'm not opposed to some bouldering either, our spots are buried here

Anybody?? Conditions update?

I would wait until the last min to decide. It was 78 at North Table in Golden over the weekend. They are predicting snow on Monday. Ice is thin down low in RMNP, but you can always get high enough to find some ice, e.g. Black lake, etc. if you don't mind long approaches.

Trying to guess the weather correctly 48 hours in advance is difficult enough here. Much less 2 weeks from now. It has been pretty warm though. Next week its supposed to cool off 20 degrees or so, but I don't know if that means snow for the high country.

I'd plan on bringing some rock gear. Even with snow on the ground there is plenty of bare rock exposed.

Thanks Elliot, helps a lot. Think the skiing up high could be cool but lugging them all over while flying is tougher

Obviously the weather is hit or miss, but historically speaking, how much snow is there come the first week of April. I planning a trip to Boulder for my Spring Break and would love to climb the flatirons and in eldo. Do you think I'd run into a lot of snow in those areas in late March, early April.

Climb sunny side at Eldo as long as it doesn't snow two days before (or A LOT 3-4 days before). Most of my days climbing at Eldo have been in Feb/March

YO, front range BC-skier, Ice climber, Rock climber here.

Snowpack is deep in some spots, but quality has been dependent on how long the last storm was. Avy danger has been on the safer side allowing for big lines.

Ice is in phat in a lot of places. Check out Jewel Lake in RMNP.

Rock is hit or miss depending on the forecast at the time. Last weekend I climbed in shorts and T-shirt, but that could change.

Grey Satterfield wrote:Obviously the weather is hit or miss, but historically speaking, how much snow is there come the first week of April. I planning a trip to Boulder for my Spring Break and would love to climb the flatirons and in eldo. Do you think I'd run into a lot of snow in those areas in late March, early April.

The short answer is yes (usually). March is, on average, the snowiest month in CO, followed by April.

Edited: oops, just saw that you're asking specifically about Flatirons/Eldo. In that case, the above generally still holds true - that said, it's usually warm between the storms at this point, so chances are decent that it could be dry, so long as it didn't just snow the day before. For perspective, I did the 1st flatiron in late March last year, and the only issue was a bit of ice on the approach trail, and a short snowfield to cross to get to the base of the climb, however once one the rock, it was all dry. But...like you said, you can never now.

Grey Satterfield wrote:Obviously the weather is hit or miss, but historically speaking, how much snow is there come the first week of April. I planning a trip to Boulder for my Spring Break and would love to climb the flatirons and in eldo. Do you think I'd run into a lot of snow in those areas in late March, early April.

April has been hit or miss with snow. I think it was late March early April in '06 we got several feet of snow across the state. That is rare though. March/April are pretty snowy and sunny. So there will be plenty of snow on the ground most likely with the cliffs exposed. There will be small spots of ice and water, but nothing you cant climb around.

The snowiest part of the Flatirons should be the approach. Down in the park before you get on the 1st/2nd Flatiron trail it will probably be muddy with snow packed into ice in the shade. After a snow it usually takes ~2 days, or one amazing 70deg day, to clear the flatirons of snow.

Eldo is the same. 1-2 days, the approach is less than friendly after a snow. But it's not bad.

Keep in mind, March/April is right in the middle of a large scale falcon nesting closure across much of the Flatirons.

Thanks guys, probably not gonna bring my skis but may end bringing ice/alpine gear instead...and rock shoes. Anybody want to get out at some point from the 24th-26th??