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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.
Jan 20th conditions
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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January
21st, 2010
Ice
and Snow Report
Rocky
Mountain National Park
It's been warmer than normal for this time of year in the Estes Valley
and RMNP, and this heat has definitely helped the snowpack settle and
sinter (bond), especially on warmer aspects (South to West).
Only an inch of snow has been recorded at the Bear Lake Snotel station
at 9520' in the last week and temperatures reached a daytime
high of 43F on Sunday the 17th at these lofty altitudes.
As
a result of little new snow and above freezing temperatures for a week,
the CAIC has lowered the avalanche danger rating for the Front Range
mountains down to MODERATE, which translates to human-caused avalanches are possible.
There
was one avalanche fatality reported in the Vail area from last week.
The boarder involved was actually killed the week before, but being a
lone rider without back-up, his body was found by chance a week later
in a very shallow burial.
It's
worth taking a good look at the accident report on the CAIC website here,
especially for the photos from the avalanche site which show how dense
of a forest this relatively small slab avalanche released in.
Although the avalanche
danger is only MODERATE, caution should be taken on the most likely
slopes, those that are lee or cross-loaded, between 34 and 45 degrees
in angle, and especially those that lack support from below or above in
the shape of cliffs or cornices.
Solid
ice conditions on the moderate alpine mixed route Martha on Jan. 16th,
2010. Melt-freeze conditions have produced solid enough snow
and good ice that should last for some months to come and perhaps even
fill-in better as the winter progresses.
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Looking
up the Martha couloir on Jan. 16th, 2010. Conditions
in this south-facing gash on Mt. Lady Washington are often
best in mid-winter when there has been a freeze-thaw regime in place
with minimal new snow, which is exactly what we've been experiencing
the last few weeks. For more information on Martha, click here.
Photo's
from Martha and the Diamond courtesy of Kevin Landolt who has
an excellent blog here.
Click
on outlined photos to enlarge.
Mixing
it up in Martha in very warm mid-winter conditions on Jan. 16th, 2010. I've
climbed this route at least 20 times in mid-winter and even on mornings
that have started at 0F, the radiant warmth in this tight cleft can make for a
very comfortable ascent.
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As you can see in
the photo above
of the east face of Longs Peak on Jan. 16th, 2010 - Broadway and the
Notch Couloir look to be only somewhat snow covered which is a good
thing as these are some of the most avalanche prone slopes in the
mid-winter on Longs Peak. The north face which is just out of
this photo, is mostly dry at the moment with barely any sn0w covering
the slabs above the ring bolts.
Unfortunately, the
classic ice routes on this aspect of Longs never came into shape this
autumn, with the Smear of Fear staying mostly dry and Alexander's
Chimney only icing up for a few pitches. Both of these routes
have only lost ice through sublimation in the last few months.
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Yesterday,
the 20th of January, I decided at a late hour to ski up and down Longs
Peak, leaving the trailhead at 9:15am under calm and cloudy skies.
The Niwot Ridge site was showing no wind at that hour, so I
skied up the Glacier Gorge as fast as possible hoping to summit under a calm
window of weather.
Although I skied from the trailhead to Black Lake to the Spearhead plateau, I saw one hiker who had made the entire trek in shoes without flotation on this sidewalk width trail that mostly follows the drainage from Mills to Black Lake.
Light
snow fell for most of the time I was out, but unfortunately, just as I
hit the Trough Couloir, the winds picked up to a brisk gale. I climbed to just
the top of the Trough in increasing winds with the summit no longer a
goal as I was minimally dressed and the hour was getting late.
Skiing
conditions in the Trough were less than ideal, with just an inch of
fresh snow on top of a sastrugi surface which though mostly
styrofoam, was rippled and many sections of the couloir had water ice
on the surface.
A foot of powder (and no wind) would make for
ideal conditions in this classic route up (and down) Longs Peak during the winter
months.
The
bottom of the Trough Couloir with patches of water ice.
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Looking up the Trough Couloir on Jan. 20th, 2010. I wore
sneakers for the last 1/2 mile of climbing up to this point as the
ground was mostly dry and I had planned on wearing these lightweight sticky shoes to the
summit as the Narrows and Homestretch were also completely dry.
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A
close-up of the All Mixed Up cirque on the east face of Thatchtop
Mountain. Although there is abundant ice on this featured
slab, the most straight-up routes require a decent rock rack and
drytooling skills into the solid 5.7 range- a few arrow pitons and nuts
to hammer-in could also be helpful for sewing up this positively edged
mixed climbing. Cams up to #2 camalot seem to be sufficient,
especially in the .25 to .4 sizes. More info on this route
can be found here.
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Although
it's been a rough winter thus far for backcountry skiing in RMNP, we're
optimistic that the usual spring jet stream flow will bring abundant
moisture in the form of snow to the high peaks.
February
through May are the biggest snow months in the Front Ranges,
so we have plenty of time yet for skiing season to come into
shape and we're looking forward to daily forays on ski's in the months
to come.
Since
the skiing has been slow thus far, I've taken advantage of the extra
free time to work on gear reviews and other new projects for the
website, as well as to play on some projects in the Hidden
Falls area of the Wild Basin of RMNP.
Eli
catching the swing with the left tool on the new mixed line at Hidden
Falls.
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(Above) Ryan
Bogus working the rest move on our new mixed project to the right of
Hidden Falls. I installed the five bolts on this route with a
hand drill, which in such solid rock with big bolts was some of the
hardest 'climbing' I've done yet this year.
Ryan is currently enjoying the ice and mixed climbing in Scotland and
so we plan to get back to Hidden when he returns to put in some
more 'flying time' on this route that will likely clock-in at an M8
(5.12) rating.
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(Above) The West
Gully and Stoneman ice routes in still great shape on Jan. 20th, 2010.
The slope above Stoneman is one of the higher avi hazard
patches in this area due to it's unsupported nature and the lee loading
that is constant in this exposed cirque. With a 70m rope, the
West Gully could be done in two pitches. With a standard 60m,
three pitches is very doable.
Winds
over the last few weeks have been consistently peaking (with
one day off) in the 50
mph range at
12k along the Continental Divide, and so there are many areas with LOW
avalanche danger despite the current rating from the CAIC for
the Front Range that has
stayed at MODERATE for the last week. There are also slopes
that are likely to be HIGH rating for avalanches, primarily on
unsupported, lee loaded slopes above treeline.
As
always, we recommend checking the CAIC website daily
to follow changes in the snowpack and for the most current danger
ratings and avalanche activities across the state of Colorado.
We
have
been very fortunate thus far this winter that despite a very weak and
reactive snowpack, there has been just one avalanche fatality in
Colorado.
Last year at this time, Colorado had four avalanche fatalities with a total of 27 in the U.S. for the season- this year the total currently stands at 6 fatalities nation wide. In much of the Rockies at least, this is likely a result of the
less than ideal riding
conditions
which have decreased the amount of backcountry traffic and thus
potential for avalanche accidents.
(Above
Left) Views of the Jewel Lake ice climbing area in the
Glacier Gorge which looks to be in fat shape.
(Right) Nick and Marco practicing avalanche rescue techniques
on a CLG Avalanche Seminar in Rocky Mountain National Park.
Please consult our website here for a complete list of
Avalanche Field Seminars, Level 1 Refreshers, and Backcountry
Ski Courses offered throughout the winter and spring in RMNP, CO.
(Above Left) The crew (Nick, Marco, Dan, and Steve) digging
test pits in Chaos Canyon on the Avalanche Field Seminar from January
9-10th with Eli Helmuth of ClimbingLife Guides. We experienced a large slope collapse (WHUMPF!) as we took off the ski's on this 31 degree angled slope that was a result of failure on the depth hoar layer 180cm below us on the ground. Only the low slope angle, which is why we chose to dig into this safer slope, kept the hillside from releasing in a slab avalanche.
(Above Right) Ryan Bogus on the finishing moves of our new
project at Hidden Falls, RMNP.
 
Eli
Helmuth is an UIAGM Licensed Mountain Guide and AMGA Certified Rock,
Alpine, and Ski Mountaineering Guide.
Nick,
Dan, Steve, and Marco at the end of our two day Avalanche Field Seminar
in RMNP.
Eli
Helmuth of ClimbingLife Guides offers ski tours and private backcountry
Avalanche
Seminars
and Backcountry
Skiing
Clinics that focus on
practical skills for minimizing the
risks while maximizing the fun in and around avalanche
terrain whether you are on skis, board, snowshoes,
or crampons. If you've already taken an avalanche course,
check-out our Level 1 Refresher Clinic
which is a mountain based
day in the peaks of RMNP, dedicated to increasing your abilities in
making decisions in avalanche terrain.
These
seminars will increase your skills and abilities in
making
better backcountry decisions while taking advantage of the great
mid-winter
skiing and
climbing that Colorado has to offer. Check-out our full
schedule
of outings here
for the 2009/10 season.
Contact
us
at:
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
or call 970.744.4898 to plan a fun-filled and
educational mountain outing with Eli Helmuth, RMNP's most experienced
mountain guide.
Check-out
photos from our recent trip to Ecuador here
for climbs
on
the mighty volcanoes which flank the Altiplano, between the Amazon
Basin and Galapagos Islands of this exotic Andean nation.
We'll be returning to Ecuador in November and to Peru in
September of 2010- join us!
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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:
LOW
Avalanche Danger as of 1/21/10 (human caused unlikely)
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Hidden
Falls
WI- 3+
IN -getting beat up
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Loch
Vale Ice
WI
2-5
M1-8
barely
IN- bad year
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Jewel
Lake
WI
2-3
IN
and busy
with guided groups.
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LOW Avalanche Danger as of 1/21/10 (human caused unlikely)
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Jaws
WI
3-5
IN
, but only easier left variation.
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Squid
WI 5
OUT
- too dry
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Deep
Freeze
WI-
5
OUT - too dry
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LOW
Avalanche Danger as of 1/21/10 (human caused unlikely)
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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 1/21/10 (human caused possible)
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The
Crypt
WI-4
IN-
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Grace
Falls
WI
3-5
IN
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NE
Gully
WI3
IN
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MODERATE
Avalanche Danger as of 1/21/10 (human caused possible)
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Flying
Dutchman
WI-2
OUT
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All
Mixed Up
WI
-3, M2
IN-
rock in middle
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West
Gully
WI
- 3
IN-
fat
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MODERATE
Avalanche Danger as of 1/21/10 (human caused possible)
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Martha
WI - 2, M-1
could
be IN
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Hallet's
Chimney
WI-5,
M-4
OUT
- wait until spring
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Field's
Chimney
WI-5.
M4
OUT
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MODERATE
Avalanche Danger as of 1/21/10 (human caused possible)
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Alexander's
Chimney
WI-4,
M4
IN
but thin
and
not complete
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Smear
of Fear
WI-5,
M5
OUT
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New
Beginnings
WI-5,
M5
OUT
but forming
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MODERATE
Avalanche Danger as of 1/21/10 (human caused possible)
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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
but close to IN
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CONSIDERABLE
Avalanche
Danger as of 1/21/10 (human caused probable)
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East
Face, Notchtop
WI-3+, M3
IN - thin year
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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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| What
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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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