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.

May 8th Conditions:

If you didn't like the weather today, wait a bit and it will likely change to something else- and very quickly and maybe violently if the current weather pattern holds.   Yesterdays jaunt up Mount Lady Washington via Martha was on perfect neve snow and solid ice for the entire length.  No new snow in a week and firm conditions all the way up to Chasm Lake, Lambslide, and Broadway has helped deliver a few ascents of Kieners, Dreamweaver, and Martha this last week.  Today's report is a very different story.

                       The east face of Longs Peak and the Lambslide Couloir on May 7th, 2008

Substantial new snow blasted down from the west for most of the day on May 8th, and accumulations up to 6 inches deep covered most slopes above 10,000' nearby Emerald Lake and the surrounding peaks of RMNP.   It was still coming down hard when we left the trailhead at 4pm. 

This new snow combined with some heat or additional snow could result in a big increase in avalanche danger by tomorrow and the weekend.  Avalanche danger was rated LOW on all aspects and elevations yesterday and today it was MODERATE with pockets of CONSIDERABLE on steep and lee slopes above treeline.  There was a decent amount of sluffing in the Dragontail Coulolr at mid-day today due to all of the new snow which was a mix of graupel and colder snow and without a freeze last night, the snowpack was fairly loose and wet with boot penetration today going to mid-shin (on a long leg).  So unless it freezes solid for the next few nights, heat related avalanches will be more likely at an earlier hour of the day, especially on warm aspects (southeast to west) and steeper slopes ( >30 degrees).

               The south face of Mount Lady Washington and the cleft which is Martha leading straight up the middle.

The warmer weather throughout most of this last weekend and so far this week has brought down many of the south-facing ice routes and only the higher elevation and colder slopes are currently holding stable enough ice.  Yesterday (5/7), I left the Longs Peak trailhead at 7am to check-out conditions around Chasm Lake and quickly walked above the clouds to find bright blue skies and colder weather on the hike-in with a sea of clouds below me to the east.  Conditions looked really good in Martha on Mount Lady Washington, so after a couple hours of walking, I pulled out the ice tools and started up this classic moderate mixed route in RMNP.

                         Looking up at the narrow snow section and the first ice crux on Martha on 5/7/08

With no wind to speak of and firm neve snow, the cramponing conditions were excellent and a mix of flat and frontpointing took me quickly up to the first of two ice cruxes on this typically 4-5 pitch route.  The first ice section was filled in nicely and the ice was new, about 6" thick, and solid for this short "boulder-problem" of WI2.  Some very nice, lower angle ice lasted for a bit above here and a few short rock moves (4th class) brought me to the final ice crux.

                   The middle ice section (WI-1) above the first crux on Martha - typically the 3rd pitch of the route?

There were a couple of long sections of fresh water ice on the left wall of the couloir in here and the warm sun was starting to loosen some of these sharp daggers so I quickly made my way past them and up to the final crux which is also the end of the technical difficulties of the climb.  I started the route in a t-shirt but in the shadows of 9am, a windshirt was nice but without the need for a warm hat and more than thin pants.

                                   The final ice curtain (WI-2+) at the top of Martha on 5/7/08

The final ice crux was as fat as I've ever seen it and the ice was fresh and solid once again to make for some nice sticks.  The crampons did stand on solid rock for a few steps which I suppose were in the (M1) mixed category but it was over before too long and I was back home by noon enjoying a frosty beverage and getting ready to write a conditions report that described LOW avalanche danger which was what I found all day in the Longs Peak Cirque on 5/7/08.  That all changed today with this new snow and could worsen with another storm system forecast for Saturday.  But who knows- it could just be in the sun up there again?

                        Some ice still left on the left side of Hidden Falls on May 1st, 2008

Heat related avalanche danger on southeast to west aspects will be an issue in the weeks (and months) to come as the peaks start the "shedding season" during which they lose much of their winter coating through a continuous process of heat-caused "point-release" avalanches and cornice collapses.  Avoiding these spots in the heat of the day (noon-3pm) would be helpful in reducing this somewhat predictable risk.  Ice climbing should be generally avoided in the strong sunlight or when temperatures are exceeding freezing as ice can quickly degrade in these atmospheric conditions.  Very early starts and an eye on the weather will be key to survival in this "shoulder season" in the mountains.

    The Flying Dutchman Couloir, adjacent to the Lambslide Couloir below the east face of Longs Peak on  5/7/08.

Routes are sorted by current Avalanche Danger Level:

LOW Avalanche Danger          

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

MODERATE Avalanche Danger

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

CONSIDERABLE Avalanche Danger 

East Face of Notchtop WI 3+,  M1

IN  (heat-related and new snow sluffs  plus cornice collapses a potential hazard)