Conditions for Weminuche Wilderness / San Juans / Vestal

I'm headed to Vestal next week and would love to know what conditions are like for the approach. I've heard that weather is just moving into the 70's in Silverton and that the faces are melting off nicely, but that approach sounds like a bear... If anybody's been out and about in the area I'd love to hear about it.

Unless you are Reinhold Messneresque, you're crazy to try Vestal this early.

Care to expand? I've got word from Silverton that the drainages are still kind of choked but melting out significantly every day and that most faces in the Grenadiers are largely snow free. Sure, it might be a slog, but hardly Messneresque. If you've got better info or some specific advice I'd be happy to hear it.

Here's what it looked like just about an hour ago. Lots of snow still up there. I'll let you decide whether it'll go in your chosen style of climbing.

I have no idea about the approach, but I'll bet it's a tad more unpleasant than it would be in another month.

-ben

Thanks for this, Ben. There's def. more snow up there than I was told. If we decide to swim up there, I'll follow up with conditions. Thanks again for the specifics.

yeah things can melt quickly this time of year, but last weekend(5/31) we could see the bottom half of vestal and the trinities north faces were snow-loaded from potosi and pilot knob. wham ridge will more than likely be sketchy for a couple of weeks minimum. i wouldn't view it as 5.4 until mid-june.

i'd post pics but i'm moving and don't have regular internet access outside of here at work. good luck if you do go, you'll never forget this trip!

jamie