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Up-to-date information on alpine routes, backcountry skiing, and trail
conditions for Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado. Snow conditions
and avalanche danger are forecast by Eli Helmuth; AMGA certified rock, alpine, and ski mountaineering guide and the new 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.
Feb.13 conditions report
Warning: Route
conditions change constantly, especially in the mountains.
Climbing
and backcountry skiing are dangerous. Be flexible in
your plans,
prepare for the worse case scenario, and be experienced enough
for what
you are doing. Seek qualified instruction and use proper
equipment. We
accept no liability for your decisions in the peaks.
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February
13th, 2009
Conditions Report
Rocky Mountain
National Park
Click on Photos to Enlarge
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Eli
tests some pebble grips in the infamous Chaos Canyon on a
February afternoon.
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The
east face of Mt. Ypsilon (13,514') with the (L-R) Donner and Blitzen
Ridges blazing under a February afternoon sun. The Y Couloir
splits the sun/shadow line at right/center of the peak and large
cornices threaten this entire lee aspect on one of Rocky Mountain
National Park's highest peaks.
Mt. Ypsilon and the south face of Fairchild Mtn. (13,502') soaking up
the rays on a calm February 12th.
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After a dry spell in late January, RMNP started receiving snow in small
doses starting on Feb. 6th and approx. one foot of snow has landed
in The
Glacier Knobs aka "Terrain Park" region of the high country.
The recent storm
cycle of the last week has deposited approx. 1" of water
which equates to approx. 1 foot of snow. The snowpack in
the lee and sheltered areas near treeline have a thick (2-4m)
snowpack that also has numerous weak layers sitting under thin but
harder slabs.
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Liz Sampey laying down a
sweet line in the 'Mario Gulley' aka Haiyaha Creek on February 11th,
2009.
I ski-cut numerous slopes nearby the Mario Gulley on this
snowy and windy day that was roaring above treeline. We
managed to duck into the trees to find this excellent powder stash
sitting un-tracked.
There was more slabbiness via wind effect on the upper perimeters of
these knobby hills where the new snow, up to 16" deep
was reactive and releasing in 10m sections on small slopes.
A short distance below in the shelter of the trees,
the powder was non-cohesive and made for excellent skiing.
The avalanche danger would currently be
rated CONSIDERABLE 0n all lee and cross-loaded slopes steeper than 30
degrees above treeline in the alpine zone.
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The
avalanche danger was overall MODERATE prior to this recent
storm
event,
but up to 16" of new snow has landed in the vicinity
of Dream Lake this week.
This new snow combined with the typical high winds
are very effective at moving material into the loading zones of
avalanche paths. The avalanche danger for the upcoming
weekend will be at least CONSIDERABLE rating with
soft surface slabs being the primary culprits.
On the weekend of the 7th, we found slab sensitivity that was
most prevalent in somewhat protected,
cross-loaded and lee slopes, at treeline elevations where we
found a near-surface facet layer that was easily causing slab failures
approx. 20cm below the surface.
With at least 30 cm of new snow now on top of this reactive failure
layer, there could be easily triggered avalanche activity in
parts of the Terrain Park and similar terrain, especially in open areas
greater than 30 degrees in steepness.
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Joanne
and Finley taking the sled for an inaugural run on Finn's first
birthday; Feb. 11th, 2009.
Catching
some big air on the east side of Flattop Mountain.
Photo courtesy of Rio Roman.
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This is what the CAIC is currently saying about avalanche danger in
these mountains and we always recommend checking their
forecast HERE before heading into the high country, and then
continuously reassessing conditions throughout your tour.
"Light snow in the forecast will add another layer
to the snowpack. Wind
directions are expected to shift from southerly to northwesterly
Thursday night, so expect to find fresh wind loading on many different
aspects. Fresh wind slabs and how well they bond, or don't bond, to the
underlying snow surface is the primary avalanche concern. Signs of
instability to watch for include previous avalanche activity and
propagating cracks in the stiff wind slab. Consider the consequences of
your route selection. Even though some slides involving the new snow
layer may not be large, they could carry you into trees or over cliff
bands and they could create deep debris piles in terrain traps."
CAIC
A bull Elk takes a break in the middle of hwy. 34 to survey the 'carbon
footprint' that nearby travellers are leaving on his environment.
Trail conditions are a mixture of packed and loose powder and hiking
without flotation will be very difficult to any locations far from the
beaten track. Above treeline there is much dry terrain that
has no avalanche danger so there are many options for climbing and
scrambling with minimal exposure to avalanches.
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Eric Sparks
living the dream in the Terrain Park on Feb. 11th, 2009.
Caution
is advised when considering travel on the steeper north,
south, and east lee-loaded and cross-loaded slopes,
especially on steeper slopes above treeline.
Especially where terrain traps are present (trees and cliffs)
or on slopes
that are unsupported
from above or below, extreme caution is advised.
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 Eric
Sparks, a veteran of many Canadian heli-skiing lodges
and epic powder days was comparing this foot deep powder day in Rocky
Mountain National Park (RMNP) to some of the best that he's
seen up north.
Join Eli for a private ski day in RMNP or join him for a Friday Ski
Tour (just $120), Backcountry Ski Seminar, or Avalanche
Course this winter or spring. All departures are from Estes
Park, Colorado and will continue until the snow melts in June. Contact him at
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
to arrange your perfect day of backcountry skiing.
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The Hidden Valley Ski Area (below) in Rocky Mountain National Park is mostly bare ground near the trailhead but the slopes above the road are well covered and worth the effort as you can see from this photo. The upper bowls, which primarily consist of sub-30 degree terrain, are naturally a lower avalanche danger area for skiing and backcountry sliding activities.
Joanne and I are very excited about the start of our new
guide service- ClimbingLife Guides
which opened the doors for business on January 10th. We are
still based in Estes Park, Colorado
and Eli will be continuing to offer the highest quality ski
and
climbing outings and seminars in Rocky Mountain National
Park, Eldorado Canyon and around the world. Eli will be
leading
all of our trips and teaching all training courses while
Joanne manages the business from our home office.
We hope that many of you
will choose to use our services when looking to further your
understanding of the avalanche phenomenon or expand your backcountry
skiing abilities. Eli has the experience as
an educator and athlete to maximize your learning experience and
ultimate performance. Our
seminars in backcountry skiing include in-depth assessments of
avalanche
conditions and practice of safer travel techniques, route finding, and
avalanche rescue skills.
Maybe you'd like to join
Eli for a great day out in Rocky
Mountain
National Park while sliding through some of the best powder that the
Front Range has to offer? We are open every week of the
winter
and spring in Rocky Mountain National Park for private ski outings
and seminars until we depart for one of the ultimate ski mountaineering
adventures - join us
in April to travel to the Alaska Range for a full week of skiing and
climbing in one of the world's greatest mountain ranges.
Best of luck with all your adventures in 2009!
Eli and Joanne Helmuth
ClimbingLife Guides
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American avalanche Danger Scale |
Danger Level
(& Color) |
Avalanche Probability and Avalanche
Trigger |
Degree
and Distribution of Avalanche Danger
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Recommended
Action
in the Backcountry
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| ...WHAT...
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...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. |
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MODERATE
(YELLOW) |
Natural avalanches
unlikely. Human triggered avalanches possible.
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Unstable slabs possible
on steep terrain. |
Use caution in steeper
terrain and on certain aspects. |
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CONSIDERABLE
(ORANGE) |
Natural
avalanches possible. Human triggered avalanches probable.
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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.
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Travel
in avalanche terrain is not recommended. Safest travel on windward
ridges and lower angle slopes without steeper terrain above.
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EXTREME
(BLACK) |
Widespread
natural or human triggered avalanches certain.
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Extremely unstable slabs certain on
most aspects and slope angles. 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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