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 and AIARE trained avalanche educator and forecaster.
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. Climbing Life 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 kill themselves.
November 20th Conditions:
The weather, as all of the Colorado locals know, has been incredible the last few weeks and up in RockyMountainNational Park, the fantastic alpine rock climbing of Lumpy Ridge has been seeing temperatures in the low 70's until today. Although we received an intense, mostly wind dominated storm last week, very little moisture made it to the ground and combined with the dry, stable airmass that has been sitting on top of us, ice conditions in the park have mostly eroded thus far in November.
The west face of Longs Peak shining in the afternoon light on Nov. 16th, 2008. Photo M. Cushman.
It's been a rough week here on Pole Hill (can't complain really) with the loss of my camera in EldoradoCanyon (someone supposedly picked it up to "take to the rangers") and my computer being shutdown for most of the week due to a virus, it's been a tough one for this confessed computer/photographer junkie. Luckily I have the much appreciated assistance this week of professional photographer Scott Borger and climber Mark Cushman and I invite you to visit their sites for more great photos and info on their recent trip to the Glacier Gorge in RMNP on Nov. 16th. Sometimes you do just want to throw all the technology out the window and just go climbing.
A frozen Black Lake strong enough to hold more than bodyweight. Photo S Borger.
The one potential upside in regard to ice formation with the warm weather is that there may have been some decent melt-off of snow on south and west aspects so ice could be forming more with some water in action. So areas like the Hot Doggies and Guides Wall in the Odessa Gorge as well as on The Squid, and potentially even in the lower elevation Hallett's Chimney have good potential with this recent freeze.
The West Gully shining in the morning sun on Nov. 16th above Black Lake. Photo M. Cushman.
The bad news is that the very dry air (around 10-15% humidity) combined with a constant wind up high are the ideal ingredients for removing ice from the alpine zone through the process of sublimation and especially the wind is a key component in this transition from solid (ice) to vapor (water). So routes like Alexander's Chimney and Duncan's Drip on Mt.Meeker are only losing volume at this time and will likely not improve as the winter advances. Other routes such as Vanquished and the Smear of Fear also suffer under this type of weather regime.
A climber on the first pitch of the West Gully. Photo S. Borger.
Other areas that have better water sources such as All Mixed Up and the West Gully , both in the Glacier Gorge, may have been thinned significantly this last week, in fact AMU is now considered "spicy" and "mixed" which is more common in the late winter after the sublimation processes have been occurring for many months. So for the moment it is advised to bring in addition to shorter screws, at least a half dozen cams, a set of nuts (ideally suited for hammering into cracks) and a couple of pitons (arrows and knife blades) as the gneiss on this side of Thatchtop can be a bit tricky for rock gear when the ice is thin.
A climber on the second crux pitch of the West Gulley. Photo S. Borger.
The ice and mixed route East face of Thatchtop is reportedly in good condition with just the initial pitches being a bit more mixed than usual (bring cams). Otherwise, the new snow last week was mostly blown off of this often lee face, and so firm windslab conditions were found in the snow sections and thick enough ice on the remaining upper ice pitches. The route can currently be rappelled from fixed anchors (always check well) in four 60m rappels or for a bigger adventure climb to the top of the peak with a descent via FlattopMountain or the Ptarmigan Glacier.
A climber on the last enduro pitch of the West Gully ice route with Black Lake and the ice slabs below. Photo M. Cushman.
Hopefully with a new camera in hand, I'll be out in the high country of Rocky Mountain National Park a fair bit the next few weeks. In the first week of December, I'll be teaching a private Level 1 & 2 avalanche course for 7 days straight so we'll be taking many snow pit samples from the Lambslide Couloir, the Ptarmigan, Andrews, and Tyndall Glaciers as well as anywhere else we can find enough snow, and with some luck maybe we'll have some more new snow by then to report back..
A close-up of the Black Lake Slabs which are some of the longest lasting water ice in the park. Photo M. Cushman.
Please contact me at
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if you would like to discuss training in ice or mixed climbing, avalanche education, or any type of rock climbing, ski mountaineering or guide training programs. I am also available for classic routes such as Alexander's Chimney, the east face of Notchtop, Organ Pipes, etc. if you're looking for the ideal partner for that sought after route Now is the best time of year before avalanche conditions rise and temperatures drop to get-in some of these classics.
Best of luck with all all your adventures!Eli
Eli Helmuth does all of his guiding in RockyMountainNational Park as an employee of the ColoradoMountainSchool, the sole technical climbing concessionaire in RMNP.
Routes are sorted by current Avalanche Danger Level:
