Vedauwoo Season?

For those in the know:

Is there snow on the ground still at the Voo? When does OW season open up? It looks like it's kinda chilly for the next couple of weekends, but am I safe to assume that I could head up there by the end of the month and be comfortable for climbing and camping?

Thanks

Locker wrote:"but am I safe to assume that I could head up there by the end of the month and be comfortable for climbing and camping?" That sure is a loaded question. LOL!

I have been snowed on in may there. I have climbed in a t shirt in January. Check the forecast. It's reasonable but weather does roll in on occasion.

WYDOT Atmospherics for Vedauwoo
07-APR-13 02:47:01pm
Air temperature 42°F
Relative humidity 41%
Dew point 20°F

Wind gust 32 mph
Wind average 24 mph
Wind direction W

There is never any snow at Vedauwoo. It all gets blown down to Colorado. As the guidebook [advertisement: Climbing at Vedauwoo ] says, “… the wind season (early January until late December) can be a bit trying. …Traditionalists will note that climbing before Easter or Passover is unlikely but the season is in full swing by Pentecost…” Keep the faith as there are only 37 days remaining until Pentecost.

I haven’t gone to Vedauwoo so far this season because of the wind, e.g., see atmospheric sensor reading above. These are 2 links to check for a view and for atmospherics.

wyoroad.info/highway/webcam…

wyoroad.info/pls/Browse/Sen…

Cheers,

Rob.calm
07-Apr-13 15:52:00 MDT (-5 UMT)

The season usually begins on a Thursday in July... ends on a Tuesday... in July. Thats if you want comfort.

Sam Lightner, Jr. wrote:The season usually begins on a Thursday in July... ends on a Tuesday... in July. Thats if you want comfort.

Woo weather this week:

forecast.weather.gov/MapCli…

still a lot of wet/icy crack up there and drifts with man swallowing crevasses. Splatte would be a safer bet

I, and a great many other folks who lived in Laramie for a while, have climbed at Vedauwoo every month of the year. Its hand to live close enough that the one day out of the month without wind can be recognized early enough to call into work/ditch school and still get a few pitches in.

This year, as mild as the winter turned out to be, a lot of the south-facing stuff will be dry and ready within the next few weeks, but don't expect the road into central to be open until mid- to late-May. The north face of the Nautilus, outside of the Slots and Cornelius, are probably still too cold and iced up to be worth the slog, while the south face will probably be pleasant. A lot of the outlying areas will be inaccessible until the road melts out, which could be any day now for some of them. I'd wager that the back way into Plumbline is still snowed in, likewise with the short route to End of the Road Rocks.

Note that I don't live in Laramie (or even Wyoming) anymore, but from experience and based on the snow amounts at Happy Jack and Green Rock, that's what I'd expect.

Hi John:

I'm a Wyo native, UW grad, and been climbing at the Voo for a long, long, time.

One word for the conditions - unpredictable. This time of year it can be melted out, have a snowstorm of a few inches with wind, and the road drifted in and impassable again. See next sentences.

Right now high wind watch. 8-12" of snow predicted on Sunday through Tuesday.

While attending UW, late April/early May was the earliest you could get in - always subject to the spring snow/wind storm.

That said, you can often hike in over a little snow and do sunny climbs on the south side of Nautilus...or maybe even on Walt's Wall.

Last April, there weren't any significant spring snowstorms and we camped on BLM land south of the road by the Nautilus. The campgrounds didn't open until the 3rd week of May last year...and they didn't turn on the water until later.

Don't worry, those offwidths will be waiting patiently to spill your blood!

That all being said, going forward, if there's a particularly warm spell and it's been reasonably warm for a few days in Berthoud beforehand, Go for it. You'll find something fun to climb. It's not really that far away from you.