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.

June 1st Conditions:

This will be the final Ice Conditions report for the 2007/08 ice season in Rocky Mountain National Park.  Information on any of the alpine ice routes that come into shape this spring or summer will be included in the weekly conditions reports.  Stay tuned, as the east face of Notchtop could have a good spring season, following a banner fall.  And there is currently a plethora of ice on Martha on Mount Lady Washington with the formation of Dreamweaver and the Notch Couloir currently in progress.

         Mike Conkling in the depths of the third pitch of Martha, RMNP on May 18th, 2008

The high country of RMNP saw a dramatic swing in temperatures and conditions over the last week with a solid one to two feet of new snow from the 10th-12th storm sitting on top of the prior melt/freeze crust.  Much of this crust was weak on lower elevation slopes(11,000') and in more wind-protected environments and as a result, boot penetration was easily up to the knee in these spots a week ago.  Warmer temperatures and a few clear nights since have consolidated the snowpack somewhat and at the higher elevations above 11,500', a cold wind and clearer skies have helped to solidify the upper snowpack enough that snowshoes were not necessary walking off-trail above treeline this last weekend.

This past weekend on Longs Peak (5/25), everywhere above treeline was a solid crust of ice before sunrise until 11am.  We encountered strong winds in the early morning and all the way above treeline to Granite pass and into The Boulderfield, it was gusting up to 40mph and snowing which was a deterrent to us and a few other parties.  But by noontime on Sunday  the first significant decrease in the winds occurred which had been gusting regularly to 50mph over the preceding 5 days. 

                       Mike getting some solid sticks in the icy gully of pitch four of Martha (WI-1) 

Sunday morning (5/25, at 4am) on Longs it was a sheet of ice above treeline as the melting snow had put down a wet veneer that froze solid in the very clear night sky that was supplemented with a bright moon that helped define the alpine tundra landscape.  There was no trail visible from Chasm Pass up to the Boulderfield and we cramponed up snowslopes directly from Jim's Grove up to Granite Pass and straight-up to the Boulderfield before the westerly wind drove us back down to the shelter of the trees.  Since then, the peaks have been in a thick cloud and likely it is snowing at a good rate up high which will increase the avalanche danger in those locations that receive 6 inches or more during this storm.

              A topo-photo of the route Martha from alpinist and blogger, Brian Kraus.

I'll be out skiing the next few days in the high peaks and will report back what we find above treeline as a result of this recent storm.  It could be the right combination of ingredients to fuel a springtime ice revival, which if happening, will likely be short-lived with the upcoming heat wave.  But the warm days and clear nights will bring many routes into shape and surprisingly, the alpine classic Martha is still in great shape through this holiday weekend and could stick around for another week or two.  Martha stays in the shade until about 10am and so an early start this weekend would be recommended to minimize the risk of heat-caused falling debris.

    The final crux ice section (WI -2) of Martha on the south face of Mount Lady on May 18th, 2008. 

By the time Martha disappears for the season, it will be time for Dreamweaver and the Notch Couloir to form-up well and some other harder classics such as Vanquished and Hallett Chimney could come into ideal ice shape in the coming weeks.

Alpine routes such as the east face of Notchtop Spire, the Notch Couloir on Longs, and the Loft ascent/descent on the east side currently have CONSIDERABLE avalanche danger due to the potential new snow load added the last 24hrs on what is already avalanche-prone (unsupported)  terrain.   Other alpine terrain on the east side of RMNP would be currently rated MODERATE avalanche danger with pockets of CONSIDERABLE danger where lee loading and higher angles make for poorer instability.  These danger ratings could decrease quickly with a few clear and cold nights and warm days to better solidify these upper layers of the snowpack.

The classic Stettner's Ledges on the east face of Longs with a coating of ice and snow on 5/18/08.

Some other classic alpine routes that could be in most ideal shape in the weeks to come would be the Flying Dutchman Couloir on the Ship's Prow, the Quicksilver and East Face routes on Taylor Peak, and the Ptarmigan Couloirs on Flattop Mountain.  With some clear nights and not too hot days, the east faces could grow some more ice and on Longs, as well as on Pagoda, Meeker, Chiefshead, McHenry's, Arrowhead and Ypsilon, the ice bounty could be stellar if conditions conspire to give us a springtime treat.  Often, getting out there with tools in hand is the best and only way to find that rare ice beast in the peaks with the potential result being "taking the tools for a walk" the outcome of finding nothing but running water and poorly bonded slush where there was ice a day earlier or later?

    Looking from Martha at the Flying Dutchman and Lambslide Couloirs (L-R) on May 18th, 2008

Please feel free to 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.   Or if you just want to take-on a classic route of any length or difficulty, contact me to discuss the possibilities.  Eli  guides exclusively through the Colorado Mountain School Concession in Rocky Mountain National Park.

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

CONSIDERABLE 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

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