Up-to-date information by Eli Helmuth on climbing route and trail conditions in Rocky Mountain National Park and throughout the Estes Valley of Colorado.  Avalanche forecasts and skiing conditions in the alpine region are also reviewed.  

Warning:  Route conditions change constantly, especially in the mountains.  Climbing is dangerous.  Be flexible in your climbing plans and always prepare for the worst.  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.  

March 29th, 2008     

The last week has been a dynamic one in regard to weather and conditions with new snowfall at the end of this week and today creating some of the best skiing conditions of the year in Rocky Mountain National Park.  Temperatures have been exceeding freezing for the last 5 days at Bear Lake (9450') on the east side of the park and with nighttime temp.'s in the upper teens in this spot, the melt-freeze metamorphism cycle that will continue to strengthen our weaker winter snowpack is underway.

Level 2 avalanche course students digging into the snowpack near the base of the Ptarmagin Headwall on 3/23/08.   These are the steep, east facing slopes just south of the Ptarmigan Glacier.  They drop-off directly from the Continental Divide between the summits of Flattop Mtn. and Ptarmigan Point and we found overall good stability in this specific location on this date.  These slopes can often be lee and cross-loaded slopes and are considered likely avalanche terrain after new snow and wind can easily load these typically lee slopes.

Skiing and boarding down the Ptarmigan "Glacier" on Sunday the 23rd of March- conditions were overall firm on this day with good stability and just enough fluff on top to make it easy.

On Thursday the 27th of March, the Emerald Lake region of RMNP received up to 10 inches of medium density snow and the bonding of this new layer to the old, mostly wind-buffed or icy melt-freeze crust surface was not very good. Luckily on this day, the new snow was not showing any signs of reactivity to ski cutting and around the Dragontail Couloir, it was difficult to gain purchase on the old, slick surface even in this 10 inches of new snow.   At that point in time there was no cohesion evident in the new snow layers but slab formation can occur quickly with the addition of the correct amount of wind (some but not too much) to the snowpack.  Another 2-6 inches of new snow fell today (3/29) during intermittent but strong snow showers that were localized and so in spots there is well more than a foot of new material from the last 48hrs. and avalanche danger is increasing as a result on all aspects and elevations.

Digging into the top of the Corral Couloir on 3/23/08 on the Level 2 avalanche course.   In this pit, we found the weakest bonding results of the day on our tour up and over Flattop Mountain and down the Ptarmigan Valley and Lake Helene back to Bear Lake trailhead where we started.  The relatively easy failure layer was on either side of a knife density melt-freeze crust (S aspect at 12k) where facets had formed below and above this obvious 2cm layer at a 50cm depth with compression test results at 40 degrees being CT-15@50Q1  This particular couloir is mostly well-supported terrain so less likely to fail on this faceted layer but with a cornice looming above, any chunk of that beast hitting this slope could likely cause a slab failure.

The cruel high altitude winds  of RMNP have given some brief respite this past week and so it was mostly mild on Tuesday thru Thursday with average wind speeds well below 20mph and on Thursday during the snowstorm, wind speeds were averaging closer to 5mph at 12,000' throughout the storm.  Longs Peak and Mount Meeker have been constantly snow covered or wind scraped so far this month and no doubt we will see this dynamic weather pattern continue for some weeks or months to come.

                                              Longs Peak in the morning sun on March 25th, 2008

The westerly winds have continued to blast the west aspect of Longs Peak and once again this huge granite slope is mostly devoid of snow except for in the deeper nooks and crannies where some thin strips hide:  the Trough Couloir is the best known example.

                                The west face of Longs Peak basking in the afternoon sun on 3/22/08

       The average wind speed graph for the last week from the Niwot Ridge Meteorological Station 

Spring is the prime time for couloir climbing and skiing and the parking lot at Bear Lake has been seeing lots of skier action on recent weekends.  The great news is that there is so much terrain in RMNP, that one can easily have an entire slope if not valley to themselves and there are many excellent nooks and crannies to explore.  Some of the best bouldering in the park sits next to the great ski runs and so throwing a pair of shoes and a chalk bag in the ski pack might be nice for that warm day in Chaos Canyon.

                        Chaos Canyon and the northeast face of Mount Otis near the Continental Divide

Trails are mostly hard-packed due to the multitude of snowshoers in the last few weeks and the still steady stream of folks out pounding the pavement along the main summertime trail systems.  Be aware that many of the wintertime trails do not follow the summertime routes and in places, it could be easy to be lured by a well-beaten path to no where in particular that some wandering soul put in first thing in the morning and now everyone has ended up following.

                        The south face of Knobtop Mountain with the Notchtop Spire on the far right

Avalanche danger is currently CONSIDERABLE at treeline and alpine elevations, especially on north through east aspects where wind loading combined with significant new snow has potentially created slabs and where steeper angles and a poor bond with the recent snow surface have created pockets of this higher danger.  On all other slopes at and below treeline, the current avalanche danger for the east side of RMNP is MODERATE.  More new snow is forecast for tomorrow night and especially combined with wind could create even more avalanche danger in these same locations.

The "Notchtop Couloir" which is approx. 3 couloirs to the left of Notchtop Spire, falls down the center of this photo from left to right and is considered one of the ultimate ski descents in the Front Range of Colorado.   Snowpack stability was overall good on this slope on the 23rd of March when we skied under it.  The danger here would likely be higher now due to cross-loading of the recent new snow into this avalanche terrain.

Trails have been getting covered with new snow constantly for the last few days and with the warmer weather, creeks and lakes are starting to appear where the ice is thinner or melted away.  With warm days, Lumpy Ridge can be very pleasant this time of year and we have already seen the hatch of the ticks up here at 9,000 while bouldering around the house so medicate your pets and check your self for these vile and disease carrying beasts.

            Mr. A modeling the latest in haute fashion at the Otis Redding Couloir in RMNP

Avalanche danger can change quickly with new snow, wind, or temperatures above freezing, so remember to stay alert and not take anything for granted when making decisions involving travel in and around avalanche terrain.  Always consult the CAIC website for the latest updates on avalanche danger here in the Front Ranges and throughout the state of Colorado.

If you are interested in a training program in any or all of the climbing and skiing arts, please feel free to contact me at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it to discuss the complete range of techniques practice and itineraries that might best meet your climbing or ski mountaineering goals. 

Best of luck with all of your backcountry plans this week!