Ice and avalanche conditions for the more popular ice routes 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.

February 8th Conditions:

Last week's short  "heat wave" may have temporarily affected the strength of the south-facing ice routes Jaws and The Squid, but with highs in the teens the last week, these two usually very ephemeral classics are still standing and in good shape going into this second weekend in February.  Next weeks forecast temperatures might spell the demise of these two for the season so this could be one of the last chances to climb one or both of these before they come tumbling down to the ground.

                         The ice route Jaws in the Fern Canyon of the Odessa Gorge in RMNP on Feb. 3rd, 2008

Considerable new snow for the park has loaded many of the approach slopes and now that the wind has kicked-in for real with gusts hitting 80mph at the 11,000' altitudes in the high country today and yesterday, much of the new snow will be re-distributed in every direction of the high country as it typically the pattern when winds are of this amplitude.  Lee can be any aspect under these types of almost hurricane force winds and so where the snow is piled up deep will be the highest avalanche risk areas.  Many slopes will be scoured under this east-heading wind which is capable of scouring slopes on every and all aspects so we will see by tomorrow or Sunday where the damage has been done.

                                 Jaws in warm, February 2007 conditions, just before its yearly demise

Ridges and windward-facing slopes (west) are always the best places for safer travel in the snow covered winter months, so the ridges on peaks such as Longs and Meeker (east ridge) will be the best bets for a winter ascents, once the winds have died down to a more reasonable level.  The Trough Couloir on Longs continues to be the safest avenue for a winter ascent of this northern-most 14er in the state of Colorado and with almost 3,000' of vertical elevation gain on snow that provides very good cramponing conditions and a mostly direct path to the summit.

                                      The Squid, still standing and in WI 5+ shape on Feb. 5th, 2008                          

Avalanche conditions in the high country are still a wide range from LOW to CONSIDERABLE with the highest danger being in steep and lee avalanche terrain above treeline, especially on unsupported slopes like those at the base of the east face of Notchtop Mountain which can also threaten the routes nearby such as Hot Doggies, New Beginnings and Grace Falls.  Other popular classics such as the All Mixed Up on Thatchtop Mountain have some avalanche danger but the greatest risk may be the severe postholing through the forest to the base of this route.  Up to a meter of new and wind-deposited snow has landed in this and other similar lee locations which makes for great downhill skiing but difficult uphill travel.

  A close-up of the "Olympic Games" ice area located close to Nymph Lake and less than a mile from Bear Lake

Most trails will be very snow covered by the time this windstorm slows down on Saturday, and unless you take the "crack of noon" strategy to wait until the trails are stomped in to the Loch Vale Ice area, Jewel Lake, or Hidden Falls;  flotation will be necessary to travel on what could be more than a foot of new snow.  Lee loaded areas like Jewel Lake could have many feet of loose snow blocking the approach and with our weak snowpack, postholing could be up to the waist in many spots. 

A view of the "Terrain Park", one of the more popular treeline skiing areas in RMNP with the common trails marked in green and the popular ski descents in blue.  The Olympic Games ice area is circled in red.

The final slope to Chasm Meadows on the approach to Martha had a strong CONSIDERABLE danger again this last week due to severe wind loading, which means that human-caused slab avalanches are probable and based on the view from here of Longs Peak, there is likely an excessive amount of loading in this and similar locations at the moment.  

A close-up of the North Buttress of Hallett peak with the snow filled-in Hallett's Chimney on the left side of this snowy buttress on Feb. 5th, 2008.  The Love and Culp-Bossier routes head straight-up this section of cliff.

The north face of Longs will likely be mostly bare ground after the hurricane winds of the last few days and could be in great shape by this upcoming Sunday.  For the most up-to-date avalanche forecasts and accident reports for the entire state of Colorado, please consult the Colorado Avalanche Information Center website for daily updated reports

Please contact me at   This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it   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.

LOW Avalanche Danger          

MODERATE Avalanche Danger

Necrophilia WI 5, M5	Deep Freeze   WI5, M5	Black Lake Slabs  WI 2
OUT	OUT	IN

CONSIDERABLE Avalanche Danger

HIGH Avalanche Danger 

The Window WI 5,  M4	Vanquished WI 5,  M4	Hot Doggie WI 5+
OUT	OUT	OUT

East Face of Notchtop WI 3+,  M1

OUT (due to high avalanche danger)

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