Up-to-date information by Eli Helmuth on climbing route and trail conditions in Rocky Mountain National Park and throughout the Estes Valley of Colorado.  Avalanche forecasts and skiing conditions in the alpine region are also reviewed.  

Warning:  Route conditions change constantly, especially in the mountains.  Climbing is dangerous.  Be flexible in your climbing plans, prepared for the worst and experienced enough for what you are doing. Seek qualified instruction and use proper equipment.  We accept no liability for your decisions in the peaks.   

Tuesday, July 1st, 2008

The summer season is officially here and the weather has been as good as ever these last 10 days of June in the Estes Valley and high country of Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado.  It should be a busy holiday season in the peaks with so much terrain currently "in-shape" and ready for action.  North facing rock buttresses, south-facing ski runs, a mostly dry Diamond- take your pick and have a great adventure!

                                           Sunrise on the east face of Longs Peak on June 30th, 2008.

Yesterday on the east face of Longs Peak, conditions were stellar and we counted one party headed to the Diamond wearing sneakers with rocks in hand, a team on a portaledge 10' above the ground on the Grey Pillar, our team of two on Kieners, a team on the Keyhole Ridge, a soloist in sneakers on the North Face (a newby Stolbist), and at least a half-dozen folks on the Keyhole- some in only sneakers and jeans with a water bottle in hand (the route is currently rated "technical" by the NPS).  It must indeed be the summer season based on all of this clear evidence.

A close-up of the Diamond on June 30th, 2008.  The typical "last patch" of snow on the Casual Route, below the Dihedral Pitch is in place and the North Chimney and Broadway are mostly snow covered and described by Jack Roberts as being "a mixed climb" at the moment. 

The Lambslide Couloir was in great neve (frozen snow) shape yesterday but there were still a few bits of softness due to incomplete freezing in the less-dense layers (new snow from 6/5) that made for some easy pigeon-hole steps and great cramponing all the way to Broadway. 

Once we reached Broadway we were able to keep the crampons in the pack for the remainder of the day and by staying on the lower-middle section (the famous step-across), we were on dry ground for the entire traverse that finished with  30' of dryness between the snow of the Notch Couloir and the edge of Broadway to the start of Kieners proper.

                                    John Ackelson on a quickly drying upper Kieners on June 30th, 2008.

There is water running on much of the rock sections of Kieners as the last patches of snow melt away at a furious rate and so most of the lower east slab routes on the Diamond face are currently wet.  Our descent of the North Face was on all-dry rock until the last few hundred feet to the rappel anchors where there was enough snow to warrant a belay and careful movement as a slip and slide could send one over the edge of the Diamond and make for some big air time. 

                                     The North Face of Longs Peak in the afternoon of June 30th, 2008.

All of the bolts on the North Face were exposed except for the very lowest ones near the notch of the Chasm View where there is still a lot of snow piled up from this spring's storms.  We did two 20m rappels off of the bolts down to good post-holing snow (a bit of ice in spots), then down snow for 500' to the talus and scree of the Boulderfield.  There was water running over most of the exposed rock below and above the bolted sections of the NF and the base ice was exposed in spots meaning that it will become icier in the days and weeks to come. 

              The Boulderfield, North Face, Dove (snowfield), and Keyhole (north ridge) (L-R) of Longs Peak on June 30th, 2008.

The trail up to the Boulderfield from the Longs Peak trailhead was 99% completely dry up to Chasm Pass and with no wind and temperatures in the 40's, the nighttime has been perfect for comfortable approaches into the peaks.  After crossing the foot-wide, ash covered snowslope over the trail into Chasm Meadows, we were at the lake in an easy 2.5 hrs.   Chasm Lake was well frozen in the early morning and that relieved any fears we had of falling through the still-thick ice that was still snow covered for more than 200' wide along the north shore. 

                        The upper and crux sections of the Flying Dutchman Couloir in the sunrise on June 30th, 2008.

The snow was mostly frozen solid in the morning due to the effects of long-term metamorphism and a spell of mostly very clear night skies which at these altitudes, release a significant percentage of daytime heat due to long-wave radiation and convective cooling.  Avalanche danger was LOW as a result of this long-term solidifying effect on the winter snowpack.  Cornice collapses are still a long-term threat for the month of July and route selection would ideally consider the potential of this constant threat in certain locations like the Y-Couloir on Mt. Ypsilon (I'll be up there tomorrow taking a look at it) and the descent off of the west side of Notchtop Spire.

                            Looking down on Chasm Lake from high up on  the east face of Longs Peak.

The Keyhole route looked about 1/2 dry on the Homestretch and the word from summitters yesterday was that the traverse of the west face between the Keyhole and the Trough Couloir were mostly snow covered.  It looked that due to a lack of snow experience and equipment, many of the Keyhole climbers were avoiding the snow covered bits by scrambling on the surrounding granite slabs on the left-side of the Trough.

                 An approaching storm above the tundra and Jim's Grove on the east side of Longs Peak.   

Other desirable couloirs of RMNP that include the Dragontail, Notchtop, and the Taylor Glacier Headwall are still in very good climbable shape with the south-facing ones being the quickest to dissappear in the weeks to come.  Very early starts (on the snow by sunrise at 5:30 is best) make for the best and safest climbing conditions.  With the now-firm snowpack, snow anchors such as deadmen and flukes can have some good strength and as most of the couloirs in RMNP are flanked by solid gneiss or granite, a small selection of mostly camming units make for strong and easy anchors for these classic steep snow climbs.

                        Chris and John in the narrows section of the Dragontail Couloir on June 20th, 2008.   

Even the north-facing crags are melting out quick in this finally warm weather and we climbed the Love and Culp-Bossier routes on Hallett Peak's North Buttress in the last week while finishing up the 10-day long AMGA alpine guides course.  The Love Route had a few wet handholds in the crux which should be mostly dry by now and the Culp-Bossier was in great shape and it has been seeing many ascents in the last few weeks.

                                    The north buttress of Hallett Peak in the morning sun on June 22nd, 2008.

The approach to Hallett's north side is still snow covered for the last few hundred feet up to the base of all of the routes- aluminum crampons that fit on approach shoes are the ideal toolf or slopes like these and the Mills Glacier slopes at the base of the North Chimney on Longs.  The east descent off Hallett is 99% completely dry until reaching the valley floor.

                        Kyle taking the ropes up the upper half of the Culp-Bossier route on June 22nd, 2008.

We also managed an ascent this last week of the very classic The Nose, which is one of the more interesting routes on the Sundance Buttress at Lumpy Ridge.  My hands were too full with the leading to take any photos and the hanging belays through the crux headwall were also a bit small for photography, but if you are solid at the 5.10 Lumpy grade, then this one shouldn't be missed.  Save a .5 camalot for the pinch/undercling hold in the middle of the the first traverse on the headwall(hint-cam goes in from the left).  A #1 camalot fits great before the second crux (5.10) traverse left and the 5.8(R) slab above can be well protected with cams in a crack on the left with long slings (48") to help with rope drag.  This is an amazing pitch, especially if combined into a long one with the preceding traverse pitch.