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 head guide of ClimbingLife Guides.
Jan. 18th ice report
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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.
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January
19th, 2009
Ice
and Ski Report
Rocky
Mountain Nat. Park
It's been one of the worst seasons for ice climbing RMNP this autumn
and winter as the early season was almost a complete wash with only a
few, mostly very thin, desperate routes coming in and this winter has
been dry and windy enough to keep even the regular fat spots from
forming into their usual plumpness.
The Loch Vale area is the thinnest I've seen it this decade with barely
any of the routes in good ice shape and currently a thick mantle of
snow sits on top of what little ice is there.
The Loch Vale ice are also has MODERATE avalanche danger due to the lee
loading which has put some additional mass onto what is a mostly very
weak snowpack.
With so little to climb, what is an ice climber to do? Well,
with temperatures in the 60'sF in the Front Range this weekend,hopefully
a handful of chalk and a dry, warm cliff were part of the plans.
The current winter trails in the high country of RMNP are mostly packed powder on the popular hikes (Chasm, Emerald, and Mills Lake, they may require some type of flotation to avoid the posthole.
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The Crypt
ice route above the Loch Vale on Jan. 16th, 2008 Avi danger
for this route is currently MODERATE due to the loaded slopes above
this route and the steep gully which would funnel any debris onto this
route. Strong radiation could easily cause large loose snow
avalanches below and above this route.
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The east
face of Longs Peak glowing in the morning light on January 18th, 2009.
No ice was visible on any of the recognizable features on
this immense granite escarpment.
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Two views of the Loch Vale ice area on January 16th,
2009. The snow slope in the right photo,
above and below the route "Mo Flo than Go" has MODERATE
avalanche danger due to the heavy lee loading and high slope angles here which are very
specific to these slopes.
Caution should be taken when attempting to climb this route "Mo Flo than Go" or traversing below it as this slope has been known to slide and the potential is high enough at the moment. Above the route are unsupported slopes that have enough size if they released as a slab,
to do some damage to a climber or belayer and a burial is possible.
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The route Martha (left) on Mt. Lady Washington is currently a snow and
rock route with no ice reported in this narrow cleft on Mr. Lady
Washington. The Columbine Falls and Peacock Pillars that sit
below Chasm Meadows and Lake are likely 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.
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| Current
Rocky Mountain National Park ice climbing areas IN shape as of January
19th, 2009:
1.
Guide's Wall
Odessa Gorge.
2. Hidden Falls ,
Wild Basin.
3. Jewel Lake ,
Glacier Gorge.
4. West Gully ,
Glacier Gorge.
5. Black Lake Slabs , Glacier Gorge.
6. Columbine Falls, Longs Peak.
7. The Crypt ,
Loch Vale
8. Bits and Pieces...
Loch Vale Ice Area
Many alpine routes in RMNP, especially ridges, very narrow couloirs (south-facing best) along with rock faces can be climbed in the winter and early spring seasons.
Avalanche danger signs including avalanche activity are typically less in this sub-range of the Rockies. This is relative to other western mountain due to the park's far eastern location which produces unique conditions: Less snowfall and more wind, which scours the landscape in RMNP with a ferocity in the winter and can result at times in less potential for avalanche danger.
A more shallow snowpack and cold temperatures lead to the current snowpack of pronounced strong over weak layering, avg. snowpack depths of 1 meter and basal faceting that is very pronounced in size (up to 5mm) and layer thickness (up to 50cm).
Essentially the upper snowpack is sitting on top of this thick weak layer and in compression tests, when we cut to the ground, failure occurs moderately on these weaker basal layers.
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The Dreamweaver Couloir on January 18th, 2009. Mostly firm
snow and currently only MODERATE avalanche danger for this route and the descent
of the Loft, would make this spring ice classic a decent mid-winter
route at the moment.
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.jpg) 
The east face of Thatchtop (at left) and the All Mixed Up cirque
showing still minimal ice for this time of year. Avi danger
is MODERATE above this climb. At right, the Cathedral Wall
massif with the Sharkstooth and snowy Taylor Peak showing some vertical
relief on Jan. 17th, 2009.
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Avalanche Danger on the east
side of Rocky Mountain National Park on January 19th, 2009 is overall
MODERATE with some pockets of CONSIDERABLE danger (i.e. Tyndall
Glacier, Ptarmigan Glacier).
The snowpack on
all aspects and elevations shows overall strong over weak layering with
a well developed depth hoar layer on the ground.
It seems that a very large trigger (cornice drop, hucking boarder)
or a very unsupported and weak slope could see avalanche
triggering by humans as likely, so backcountry visitors still need to
be savvy about where they travel over snow covered terrain.
At least 50% of the alpine surfaces of Rocky Mountain National Park on Jan.
19th, 2009 consists of bare ground and so on these slopes,
avalanche danger is currently LOW or non-existent. |
This test pit done on a steeper
slope at treeline on the Dec. 11-12th Avalanche Seminar showed
a stronger slab over a weak lower snowpack consisting of at
least 50cm of very large grained facets with half of that layer being
well developed depth hoar grains.
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A
close-up (left) of the
east face of the Cathedral Wall massif and (right) a great
view of the east and south faces of Hallett Peak, taken from Lake
Haiyaha on a mostly calm January 16th afternoon.
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The west face and north faces of Longs Peak on January 16th, 2009.
Both of these windswept aspects of Rocky Mountain National
Park's highest peak are relatively free of snow which translates to an
avalanche danger in the MODERATE range.
It looks as though most of the snow on the north face can be avoided by
sticking to the normal summertime route and only the Trough Couloir on
the west face is holding much snow. Winds at these elevations
have been mostly in an easterly direction and with gusts above 60mph
for 25 out of the last 30 days, there is little if any snow
left on these faces to create much in the way of avi danger.
The east face of Longs could be and likely is a very
different story of lee-loaded slopes and unsupported terrain.
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There are some
pockets of deep 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 the backcountry ski courses to learn
more about the easily accessible and high quality backcountry skiing in
the park.
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A close-up of the Cathedral Wall (left) where Womb with a View
(WI5, M5) ascends the obvious cleft to the left of the sunlit prow.
At right, the
Deep Freeze ice route on the north face of Thatchtop
Mountain still has a bit of ice below the crux pitch which is
apparently more straightforward without the ice as the cracks are more
easily accessed for protection of this challenging pitch.
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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.
You
still have time to take advantage of our 10% discount for being one of
the first 25 customers to sign-up for a backcountry seminar.
These
seminars will help you increase your skills in
making better decisions while taking advantage of
the great mid-winter skiing and
climbing that Colorado has to offer. Contact Eli 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 or backcountry
ski courses.
A large bighorn sheep takes a break from foraging on the east ridge of
Mount Lady Washington to check us out while on our descent from Mount
Meeker on January 19th, 2009.
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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
WI 4 |
WI 2-5
M 1-8 |
WI 2+ to 3 |
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IN
(stepped-out)
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IN
(bad year for ice) |
IN
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WI 3-5 |
WI 5 |
Deep Freeze
WI5, M5 |
 |
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OUT
(will form again?)
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OUT(1/2 way)
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OUT
(mostly dry)
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MODERATE Avalanche Danger
Necrophilia
WI 5, M5 |
Crypt
WI-4
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WI 2 |
 |
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OUT
(totally dry)
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IN
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IN (70%) |
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Grace Falls
WI 3-4
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NE Gully
Thatchtop
WI- 3
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WI-3
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IN
(WI4+)
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IN
(two WI-3 pitches)
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IN
(crux ice thinning) |
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Dark Star
WI 4+, M4 |
Hallett's Chimney
WI 5, M4 |
Field's Chimney
WI 5, M4 |
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OUT
(often IN July) |
OUT
(soft snow and
chockstone cruxes
Occasionally IN-
May or June) |
OUT
(mostly dry or
snow covered) |
Alexander's Chimney
WI 4, M4 |
WI 5+, M5
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M5, WI5
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OUT
(first two pitches IN,
chockstone and
above dry) |
OUT
(not formed)
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OUT
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The Window
WI 5, M4
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Vanquished
WI 5, M4
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Hot Doggie
WI 5+ |
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| OUT |
OUT
(mostly dry) |
OUT
(50%)
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CONSIDERABLE Avalanche Danger
WI 3+, M3 |
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IN
(crux 1st pitch
rock slabs)
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| 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. |
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MODERATE
(YELLOW) |
Natural avalanches unlikely. Human triggered avalanches possible. |
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. |
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. |
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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