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Ice
climbing and avalanche conditions for the more popular ice routes and
ski descents in Rocky Mountain National Park are updated regularly by Eli Helmuth; Estes Park resident, IFMGA licensed mountain guide, AIARE trained avalanche educator and owner of ClimbingLife Guides.
feb.26th ice ski report
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.
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February 26th, 2009
Ice
and Ski Report
Rocky
Mountain National Park
It continues to be one of the worst winter seasons for ice
climbing in RMNP this year with only a few of the standard
ice routes staying in climbable shape and the rest having sublimated or
never formed earlier in the season.
If you're a dedicated ice climber, it may be time to pack the bags and
head north for some of the best ice climbing on the planet in the
Canadian Rockies- view some photos of this ice paradise here.
Or you can get your fix at the 'outdoor gym' of Ouray, but
nothing can replace the big ice and big adventure of the mountains.
We were in the Glacier Gorge this last weekend and the classic West
Gulley is still in great shape, albeit with some avalanche danger that
can and should be avoided. The Black Lake Slabs were thick
and in good shape and on the hike-in, we took a look at the Jewel Lake
ice which is in typical and decent mid-winter shape for this small but
icy crag.
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A group of
three climbers ascending the West Gulley ice route in the Glacier Gorge
of RMNP on Feb. 21st, 2009.
Click on photos to enlarge
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The east face of Thatchtop Mountain and the All Mixed Up cirque on
February 22nd, 2009. The AMU route can still be done on
mostly ice by starting on the far-right section of the thickest ice and
on the second pitch, traversing hard left on the snowy ledges to a
short, steep mixed section(m2-3) that joins into traversing
ice left into the normal finish. The final pitch is
also quite thin and the snowy traverse left at the top of the
route may need a belay to protect against a fatal, small slab
avalanche release from this lee-loaded top slope.
Trails through the Glacier Gorge, Tyndall Valley, and the
Loch Vale are well beaten down and the trail into Black Lake currently
follows the streambed from Jewel Lake up to Black Lk. With
much snowshoe traffic (trail maintenance) over the last few weeks, the
approaches into many valleys in RMNP are much easier although some type
of flotation (ski or snowshoe) is still recommended for these
and any remote adventures into the high country.
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Another view of the West Gulley and the loaded
slopes to the right (northeast) of this classic multi-pitch climb on
January 21st, 2009.
The Avalanche Danger on these slopes is at least
CONSIDERABLE, and so rappelling the route off of v-threads or walking
east on the plateau (snowshoes helpful) to descend next to the BL Slabs
are the preferable exits to avoid these loaded and unsupported slopes.
The upper right photo is the east face of Arrowhead Peak,
which sits above and right of the West Gulley, and the slopes shown in
this photos can often be the source of slab avalanches that can make it
all the way down to Black Lake upon being released.
Caution should be taken when attempting to climb this route or above it
as these unsupported slopes have enough size if they released as a slab
to do damage to a climber as a launch off the cliffs would be a likely
result- there is often avalanche debris to the right of the West Gulley
at it's base.
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The classic couloir Martha (left) on Mt. Lady Washington is
still a snow and
rock route with no ice reported in this narrow,
Patagonia-like gash. It may be ready to go as an
ice climb by mid-March?.
The Columbine Falls and Peacock Pillars (upper right) that sit
below Chasm Meadows and above Peacock Pool are
still some of the best condition
water ice routes in RMNP this winter. The approach is approx.
2hrs. or 3.7 miles and about a 2600' elevation gain above the parking
lot at the Longs Peak trailhead. The setting could not be
more spectacular below the east face of Longs Peak and north face of
Mount Meeker.
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Rocky Mountain National Park ice climbing areas IN shape as of February
26th, 2009:
1. Jewel Lake,
Glacier Gorge.
2. West Gully,
Glacier Gorge.
3. Black Lake Slabs, Glacier Gorge.
4. Columbine Falls, Longs Peak.
5. The Crypt,
Loch Vale
6. Bits and Pieces...
Loch Vale Ice Area
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Rodger Ames skiing down the Trough Couloir on February 22nd,
2009. Mostly firm snow
and only MODERATE avalanche danger in this couloir on this
day are why the Trough can be one of the safer and more direct paths to
the summit of Longs Peak (14,255') in these typical mid-winter
conditions.
More than a half dozen climbers had ascended this route the day before
on their way to the summit of Longs.
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Two skiers skinning up the snow gulley which accesses the Black Lake
Ice Slabs and the upper shelf of the Glacier Gorge Basin from
which Longs Peak, Pagoda Mountain, Chiefshead, McHenry's Peak,
Arrowhead Peak, and the Spearhead are all accessed. This
grouping of peaks contains the highest concentration of big rock faces
and high summits in Rocky Mountain National Park.
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Avalanche
Danger on the east side of Rocky Mountain National Park on February
26th, 2009 is overall MODERATE with some pockets of CONSIDERABLE danger
(i.e. Tyndall Glacier, Ptarmigan Glacier, E. Face of Notchtop,
Broadway, Notch Couloir) in the more lee loaded, steeper, and
especially unsupported terrain at treeline and in the alpine zone.
Avalanche activity has been
especially focused on south to southeast facing slopes at and
above
treeline where numerous skier and naturally triggered slab avalanches
have released in the last week. These S-SE slopes will have a
strong CONSIDERABLE danger rating. What was observable in
cloudy conditions last week of the E side of the South Face of Hallett
Peak, showed it had partially released last week as an estimated
50-70cm deep slab up to R3, D3 on this large, lee, and cornice
threatened bowl. A half dozen other soft-medium density
slabs in the 30-60cm depth range (D1-3. R1-3) were observed over the
last week, primarily on these south through southeast aspects where lee
loaded slabs piled up deeper on top of this naturally triggered failure
layer.
Always check the CAIC (Colorado Avalanche Information Center) avalanche forecast and avi activity information for the Front Range region and the mountain ranges of Colorado. Their morning updates are done each day between 6 and 7am with an afternoon update to follow. Access the CAIC here.
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Although the
snowpack on all aspects
and elevations shows some strong over weak layering with a well
developed basal facet layer on the ground (DH), until this last week
there was very little avalanche activity on the majority of alpine
terrain in RMNP. This recent spike should serve as warning
that the worse part of avalanche season can still be ahead as this part
of the state (The Front Range).
The skier triggered slab that I reported on the recent Level 1
Refresher Course Report here, failed on a very thin layer of facets
that were formed when these layers were recently near the
surface.
The cause of this near surface facet growth started on these
southerly aspect slopes with a melt-freeze (MF) crust that developed on
the surface of these more sun-exposed aspects.
Once this denser layer of MF crust was formed, it would have served as
a vapor barrier to a strong temperature gradients (TG) within
the top 20cm of the snowpack. This combination of
MF and TG in the top 20-30cm of the snowpack
helps produce these often deadly, faceted layers
that are the failure layer of the majority of deadly
avalanches in the Continental (Colorado) Snowpack.
This buried near surface facet layer, which is most prevalent on south
through southeast aspects in open areas, has been the cause of the
numerous natural slab releases in RMNP the last 10 days and so caution
should be paid to this and similar layers that can be often be detected
with ski cuts or test-pits.
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This
test pit, dug on a steeper slope at treeline on the Feb. 15th
Level 1 Avalanche Refresher Course showed a few stronger
slabs over weaker layers in the snowpack in this relatively
deep, lee loaded aspect of the Terrain Park.
This particular slope has been skier released in the past via
propagating soft slabs that were D2 in size in this terrain trap
covered slope that sits in the middle between Dream Lake and Lake
Haiyaha.
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Some recent
skiing action from the 'Mario Gulley" in the Terrain Park area of Rocky
Mountain National Park, Colorado. This late-week storm (Feb.
26-27th) has likely deposited similar amounts of fresh snow in these
deep-fill, lee areas such as the Haiyaha Creek drainage and Hunter's
Creek below the south face of Longs Peak where Matt Mosley and I found
up to two feet of fresh snow sitting on top of a 7-9' snowpack.
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The east and north faces of the Northeast Buttress
of Hallett Peak on February 17th, 2009.
The remnants of the Tyndall Glacier are well snow covered in the
background to the right (west) of this steep sided buttress on Hallett
Peak. Although the Tyndall Glacier can be one of the more
dangerous lee-loaded aspects in RMNP due to it's prime avalanche angle
(37 degrees) and lack of support from above due to extensive
cornices. This can be one of the prime slopes mid-winter to
find large crowns or other signs of avalanche activity.
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Eli pulls a trick maneuver in the Glacier Gorge involving a log and a
bouldering dismount. (left) Rodger Ames kicking some steps up
the Trough Couloir in late February, 2009. (right)
There are some deep pockets of
powder stashed into those areas of the park where the right combination
of wind and terrain form these powder zones. If you know
where to
look, there is some great mid-winter skiing in the wilds of Rocky
Mountain National Park. Join Eli on a Friday ski outing or
one of our upcoming backcountry ski seminars to learn more about the
easily accessible
and high quality backcountry skiing in the park.
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Eli
Helmuth of ClimbingLife Guides offers backcountry
skiing and avalanche
seminars that focus on practical skills for minimizing the
risks while maximizing the fun in and around avalanche
terrain.
These
seminars can help you increase your skills in
making
better backcountry decisions while taking advantage of the great
mid-winter
skiing and
climbing that Colorado has to offer. Contact us at
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
for more information or to register for one of
our Friday ski outings, an avalanche seminar, a backcountry
ski
course, or a private ski tour with Eli Helmuth, RMNP's most experienced
mountain and ski guide.
A
view from the west face of Longs Peak towards the east faces of
McHenry's Peak (13,327'), Powell Peak (13,208'), and Taylor Peak
(13,153') L-R.
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Photos below are only representative of common conditions, they are not current.
Consult the CAIC website for current Avalanche Danger forecasts here.
Routes are sorted by current forecast Avalanche Danger Level:
ice climbing conditions rmnp
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LOW
Avalanche Danger as of 2/26/09
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Hidden Falls
WI- 3+
Barely- IN
quickly decomposing
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Loch Vale Ice
WI 2-5
M1-8
Barely -IN
bad year
for ice
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Jewel Lake
WI
2-3
IN
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LOW Avalanche Danger as of 2/26/09
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Jaws
WI
3-5
OUT
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Squid
WI 5
OUT
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Deep
Freeze
WI-
5
OUT
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MODERATE Avalanche Danger as of 2/26/09
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Columbine Falls
WI
3-4
IN
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Necrophilia
WI
5, M5
OUT
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Black
Lake Slabs
WI2
IN
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MODERATE Avalanche Danger as of 2/26/09
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The
Crypt
WI-4
IN
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Grace
Falls
WI
3-5
IN |
NE
Gully
WI3
IN
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CONSIDERABLE Avalanche Danger as of 2/26/09
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Flying
Dutchman
WI-2
IN
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All Mixed Up
WI
-3, M2
Barely-
IN
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West Gully
WI
- 3
IN
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CONSIDERABLE Avalanche Danger as of 2/26/09
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Martha
WI - 2, M-1
OUT
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Hallett's
Chimney
WI-5,
M-4
OUT
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Field's
Chimney
WI-5.
M4
OUT
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CONSIDERABLE Avalanche Danger as of 2/26/09
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Alexander's Chimney
WI-4, M4
OUT
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Smear of Fear
WI-5,
M5
OUT
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New
Beginnings
WI-5,
M5
OUT
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CONSIDERABLE Avalanche Danger as of 2/26/09
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The
Window
WI-5,
M4
OUT
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Vanquished
WI-5,
M4
OUT
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Hot Doggies
WI-5+
OUT
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CONSIDERABLE Avalanche Danger as of 2/26/09
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East Face, Notchtop
WI-3+, M3
OUT
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avi danger scale
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North American
Avalanche Danger Scale
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Danger Level
(& Color)
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Avalanche Probability and Avalanche Trigger
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Degree and Distribution of Avalanche Danger
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Recommended Action
in the
Backcountry
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Why
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Where
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What
to Do |
LOW
(GREEN)
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Natural avalanches very unlikely. Human triggered avalanches unlikely.
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Generally
stable snow. Isolated areas of instability. |
Travel
is generally safe. Normal caution is advised. |
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(YELLOW)
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Natural
avalanches unlikely. Human triggered avalanches possible.
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Unstable
slabs possible on steep terrain.
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Use
caution in steeper terrain and on certain aspects.
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CONSIDERABLE
(ORANGE)
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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)
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Natural
and human triggered avalanches likely.
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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)
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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. Large, destructive avalanches
possible.
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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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