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August 7th Conditions Report for RMNP

 

Up-to-date information on alpine routes, backcountry skiing, and trail conditions for Longs Peak and Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado.  Snow conditions and avalanche danger are forecast by Eli Helmuth , an AMGA certified rock, alpine, and ski mountaineering guide and owner of ClimbingLife Guides; a year-round guide service based in Estes Park offering worldwide mountain trips and local seminars in the climbing and skiing arts.




Warning:  Ice and avalanche conditions change constantly and the information provided here should not be the final say in making the best decisions in regard to your risk management in the mountains.  ClimbingLife, LLC and its contributors accept no liability for your decisions based on this information.  Ice and mixed climbing are very dangerous sports and one can easily die or be seriously injured engaging in these activities.  Proceed at your own risk, plan for the best outcome and be prepared for the worst.

August 7th, 2009

Conditions  Report

Rocky Mountain National Park  


The weather has been almost perfect the last few weeks with little to no thunderstorm threat until late in the day.  Without this monsoon threat, it has been a bit easier to relax and enjoy hanging out on the cliffs at  a more relaxed pace than usual in the valleys and high peaks of Estes Park, Colorado.

An ascent of the east face of Spearhead on August 5th found dry and warm conditions on this gorgeous granite face.  The snowpatch at the bottom of the face is melted out enough to form a talus path directly to the base of the Sykes Sickle with all of the other routes on the face offering snow free approach paths and descents.

The trail into Glacier Gorge was in great shape  all the way to Black Lake and on the plateau many cairned routes take you to the main drainage at the base of the  east face of Spearhead.

The snowpatches at the bases of north faces of Chiefshead are still steep and substantial enough this year that on clear mornings they require crampons and a solid belay or 'no-fall' skills.  By the late afternoon these rock hard snow snow slopes have been shoe skiable, but in the mornings they require crampons for any sort of grip and chopping steps with rocks or camming devices is  a sketchy solution.  

spearhead rock climbing colorado

Bert Honea making a 5.10 traverse from the top of pitch 3 on Spear Me the Details into the 5.9+ dihedral of All To Obvious  on the east face of Spearhead in the center of the Glacier Gorge, Colorado.

Eli and Bert linked  pitches on these two routes, finishing on the crux pitch (11b) of a third route:  Obviously Four Believers,  making for a total of  6 pitches up this featured 1000' granite face with pitch difficulties of  5.7, 5.8+R, 5.10bR, 5.10c, 5.11b, and 5.9+ on mostly steep and featured  granite in an incredible setting at the headwaters of the Glacier Gorge in Rocky Mountain National Park.  

Our total approach time on this splitter day was approx. 2.5 hrs. with about 5 hrs. on the face and another 3hrs. for the total descent to the car to make for an 11 hour day that started with a coffee and ended with  a cold beer.
  sharkstooth spire colorado

The northeast face  of Sharkstooth on July 27th, 2009.   This 30 degree snow  field blocks the easiest access to the base of the routes on this side of one of RMNP's grandest rock features.  Lightweight crampons or shoe cleats can do the trick for a quick ascent of this early morning, rock hard snowslope.

The upper snowslopes that lead to the Sharstooth/ Saber Col can be avoided by climbing on solid rock to the right of the snow.


Although we had a late start to the alpine season in RMNP this year, if you were ever inclined to call-in sick from work to partake in an alpine rock obsession, this could be the month.  

We've had over two weeks of mostly splitter weather that has had minimal lightning or rain threat and I've started leaving the trailhead without a raincoat with a forecast as  positive as this.

No doubt I'll pay for my hubris in wearing cotton above 10,000' but for now, I'm enjoying every glorious day of summer in Colorado.

The weather in Eldorado and Boulder Canyons has been perfect as well with only a few hot hours each day followed by enough clouds and a breeze to keep the afternoons cool and enjoyable for cragging above these two canyons formed by Boulder Creek.

There have been a couple of spectacular nighttime lightning storms  in the last week that have given us amazing electrical shows with most of the lightning going cloud to cloud and thus reducing the fire and electrocution dangers.  

It may not be the most prudent time for sleeping in the Boulderfield or anyplace else above treeline when this type of nighttime lighting danger is HIGH.

spearhead alpine rock climbing colorado
Bert Honea  starting the runout of the 5.8+R second pitch, the 12" wide dihedral of  Spear Me the Details (IV 11d).  We skipped the crux pitches of this ultra-classic route by traversing left at the center of this photo to join ultimately the last two pitches of the excellent, Ultimately Four Believers (III 11b).


taylor peak colorado
The snowy shoulder and east face of Taylor Peak on August 3rd with  the Taylor/Powell Headwall looking well filled-in with snow  for the upper half but with a very rocky landing at the bottom.

The rock quality on this aspect of Taylor Peak (13,153') is very good and there are many unclimbed cracks waiting to be explored above the snowslopes in the center of this photo.  The existing routes including Quicksilver (III 5.8) are of good enough quality to warrant a repeat in the summer months when the steep slopes on this lee-loaded massif are finally mostly free of snow.

longs peak colorado

The east face of Longs Peak and north face of Mt. Meeker after the new snowfall on August 1st, 2009.  This thin coating of snow was melted off by mid-day on most surfaces but it would have made for an exciting night of  sleeping out on either of these mountain sides where nighttime temperatures would have been in the teens during this cold and wet storm.

west face longs peak colorado

Looking across the west face of Longs Peak and the west ridge, also known as The Keyboard to the Winds.  These hard to reach alpine towers are throwing down long shadows before noon on this mid-summer day in the Glacier Gorge of RMNP, Colorado.

sharkstooth colorado sharkstooth colorado rock climbing
  (Upper Left) Views from below the Andrews Glacier of the Sharkstooth and east face of the Stiletto at dawn.  (Upper Right) Climbers on the classic Northeast Ridge of the Sharkstooth (12,630') 

Current avalanche danger overall for the high country of RMNP is starting LOW each morning, then rising to MODERATE on the warmest afternoons with most of the danger being in the form of D1 sized loose snow avalanches (point release) in the upper 3-6" of the snowpack.  Although any avalanche activity other than cornice collapses (think Y-Couloir) will likely be small enough not to bury an individual, if you are unroped or unanchored on exposed terrain, a D1 sized avalanche could launch you over the edge. (Broadway, Kieners, North Face of Longs, etc.)

spearhead rock climb colorado rock climbing training boulder colorado

   (Above Left)  Bert following pitch 3 (10bR) and well above 11,000' on Spear Me the Details on the east face of Spearhead.  (Above Right)  Mike Arnold training in aid climbing in the cooler foothills above Boulder Canyon, just 15 minutes west of downtown Boulder, Colorado.

keyhole route longs peak colorado

The Keyhole in the north ridge of Longs Peak hangs over the Agnes Vaile hut  that shines in the morning sun on August  4th, 2009.  The Keyhole route that goes continues through this gap in Longs Peak is now considered "non-technical" by the Park Service as enough of the snow has melted off of the Trough Couloir and Homestretch sections of the route to no longer require crampons or an ice axe for steep snow travel.

west face, longs peak, colorado

The north and west faces (L-R) of Longs Peak under thick clouds on the afternoon of August 6th, 2009.  Abundant snow still sits in the Trough Couloir and at this rate of melting, likely some of this firm frozen moisture will last through another winter.  Snow in the couloir will speed-up the accumulation process this winter of new snow filling-in this longest couloir in RMNP.

eldorado canyon rock climbing colorado

(Above) Andrew Nunnally belayed by Dan Hysom, topping out on a top-rope on the east face of the Whale's Tail in Eldorado Canyon State Park.

Eli Helmuth is  offering a weekend Trad Leading Seminar again  on Aug. 29-30th and with enrollment  limited to just four participants, the educational aspects of this seminar can be maximized.
Learn more about this hands-on skills advancing seminar here.


Our last few weeks of summer clinics and seminars concludes in August:  check-out the remaining offerings  this summer here including:  

Friday Skills Seminars  (movement and  techniques coaching every Friday)

Crack Climbing Clinic -         Aug. 9th
(master the art of jamming)

Rock Rescue Clinic -
Sept. 19th
(know and practice what to do and how to deal with an accident)

Trad Rock Seminar -
Aug. 29-30th
(become a more skilled trad climber and leader)

Top-Rope Clinic  -
Sept. 20th
(learn and improve the fundamentals of self-sufficient climbing)


finley helmuth

Finley Helmuth doing a bit of home gardening which is an important U.K. pastime and this lad is half-British.


Eli will be heading to Peru on a ClimbingLife Guides open expedition (read more here) from the 4th until the 24th of October.   Two or three week options are available for  alpine climbers interested in expanding their skills on the giant peaks of Peru with one of America's most accomplished alpinists and IFMGA Mountain Guides.

Contact Eli at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for more information about this Peru expedition or our trip to Ecuador in November of 2009 to climb the three biggest volcanoes in this  beautiful Andean nation.

prospect mountain rock climbing estes park

Leon Druch of Philadelphia climbing steep rock in his first week ever of rock climbing experience, all accomplished on the numerous crags and spires in the Estes Park valley.

Eli is available year-round to coach climbers of all abilities and experience in the fundamentals as well as high-end techniques required in traditional rock and mountain climbing. 

eldorado canyon rock climbing colorado

Andrew Nunnally  of Tennessee training in lightweight mountain boots with a self-belay technique on the west face of the Wind Tower in Eldorado Canyon State Park on a recent ClimbingLife Guides Friday Rock Outing.  Click here for more information on this and all of the other rock training programs offered by the most professional and qualified guide in the Front Range of Colorado.

 glacier gorge colorado

Climbers arriving in the early morning to one of the many ponds scattered across the plateau below the east face of Spearhead in the Glacier Gorge of RMNP, Colorado.


 

 


North American Avalanche Danger Scale

 


Danger Level

(& Color)

 


Avalanche Probability and Avalanche Trigger

 


Degree and Distribution of Avalanche Danger

 


Recommended Action

in the Backcountry

 

What Why Where What to Do

LOW

 (GREEN)


Natural avalanches very unlikely. Human triggered avalanches unlikely.

 

Generally stable snow. Isolated areas of instability. Travel is generally safe. Normal caution is advised.



   MODERATE
(YELLOW)

 

 

 

Natural avalanches unlikely. Human triggered avalanches possible.

 

 

Unstable slabs possible on steep terrain.

 

 

Use caution in steeper terrain and  on certain aspects. 

 

   

    CONSIDERABLE

(ORANGE)

 

Natural avalanches possible. Human triggered avalanches probable.

Unstable slabs probable on steep terrain. Be increasingly cautious in steeper terrain.


HIGH 

(RED)

 

 

Natural and human triggered avalanches likely.

 

 

Unstable slabs likely on a variety of aspects and slope angles.

 

 

Travel in avalanche terrain is not recommended. Safest travel on windward ridges and lower angle slopes without steeper terrain above.

 

EXTREME 

(BLACK)

 

Widespread natural or human triggered avalanches certain.

 

Extremely unstable slabs certain on most aspects and slope angles. Large, destructive avalanches possible. Large, destructive avalanches possible. 

 

Travel in avalanche terrain should be avoided and travel confined to low angle terrain well away from avalanche path run-outs.

 



 

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