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.

January 23rd Conditions:

This last week was another super cold one with temp.'s hovering in the single digits.  New snow amounts on the 19th and 21st totaled about a foot above 10,000' in RMNP which combined with sustained 40-60mph winds that stripped bare many slopes and loaded others in what has become a regular cycle this winter.  Consistently cold temperatures have sublimated ice routes in locations where they are no longer being fed by fresh water, primarily on the higher alpine climbs such as Alexander's Chimney.  Other locations, such as the Hidden Falls continue to grow despite temperatures that have stayed well below freezing for over a month.

                                        The east and north faces of Longs Peak on January 20th, 2008

As long as the cold temperatures continue, the RMNP favorites:  Jaws and The Squid will continue to stay solid and climbable as they are  at the moment.  However, if the temperature rises above freezing, the sun could quickly take out either of these two excellent, steeper ice routes.  Being even close to these beasts when they fall down is a scary proposition, and it would be best to avoid either if the sun is beating down hot in these locations.

                                                           The Squid on Jan. 21st, 2008

                                 Ed Havraneck clinging to the tentacles of The Squid, on 1/21/08

Snowfall and high winds have made access to some of the more avalanche exposed locations like Hot Doggies or Martha somewhat dodgy at the moment as some of the areas of highest danger are currently above or blocking the way to these classic routes which lie at either end of the difficulty spectrum.  Both could have ample ice to be in great shape and last week I saw more ice than ever on the south face of Mount Lady Washington- some of which could be accessed without treading too much in avalanche terrain. 

The final slope to Chasm Meadows on the approach to Martha had a strong CONSIDERABLE danger last week due to severe 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.   The north face of Longs does currently look like mostly bare ground from here after the hurricane winds of the last few days.  Likely the west face of Longs is equally scoured and a good choice of route to the summit of RMNP's highest peak.

   How many climbers can fit on Hidden Falls at the same time?  We found three to be the limit on 1/20/07.

The closest access areas with the lowest avalanche danger have been the most popular this winter and Hidden Falls and the Loch Vale have seen some weekends with more than two dozen climbers vying for the few lines which are viable in either location- which at maximum are 7-8 moderate ice variations total in these two locations.  Starting early (and ending early) or starting very late, or visiting on a weekday are the best strategies to avoid the crowds which are an inevitable consequence of having more users than there are resource.  Jewel Lake, The Crypt, and Reflections ice areas are some of the quieter  alternatives in the park and although they require a bit more hiking, the solitude can be well worth the walk or better yet, ski.

      Everyone getting along and having fun on a "quiet" Sunday with just 10 climbers there for the day.

Most of the slopes at and below treeline are quite faceted and weak from top to bottom and this is making for more difficult approach conditions as well as higher avalanche danger than usual this season.  North and east facing slopes above treeline are a mix of very dense slabs sitting on top of thin, faceted layers and all of this sitting on a bed of depth hoar which is sitting at the bottom of a 1.5 - 2 meter deep snowpack in the Tyndall Gorge region of RMNP.   This kind of snowpack "sandwich" is a dangerous one as the recent deadly avalanche throughout the state this season have shown.  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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