This east-facing cirque on the Continental Divide and just south of the Ptarmigan Glacier offers some of the more accessible and steeper aspects in Rocky Mountain National Park.  Accessed via the Flattop Mountain trail or from below via the Odessa Gorge, this upper bowl known as the Ptarmigan Headwall offers a handfull of steep faces, couloirs, ridges, and the nearby mellower Ptarmigan Glacier.  Flattop is the most skied upon peak in RMNP and just north of the main summit (12,324') is this 1000' high cirque of slopes with an average (alpha) angle between 35  and 55 degrees in steepness and with slopes that are mostly well supported and wind-compacted;  this can be a safer late spring spot for powder or corn snow on some "falling is not an option" angles.

When the snowpack is solid enough to support skiing on these angles, the Ptarmigan Headwall offers some of the most accessible "rad lines" in Rocky Mountain National Park where sliding down on waxed boards is the name of the game.  #1 is the most skied of these big lines with #2 being the next safest line in regard to cornice threats and slab potential.  All of these are potentially "aggressive" ski lines and an outing here should be thoroughly reconnoitered before dropping into the headwall.

An overview of the east side of RMNP looking down on Bear Lake and the two trail systems that depart from here to climb up to the top or around the base of Flattop Mountain.  The Ptarmigan Headwall is an extra hour of uphill skinning past the east face of Flattop Mountain but well worth the extra effort

An overhead view of the Ptarmigan Headwall with two of the Headwall descents in blue, the Ptarmigan Glacier run in green, and the classic Notchtop Couloir in red.

Another overview of the upper Odessa Gorge, aka The Ptarmigan Valley with Flattop Mountain on the left and Notchtop Mtn. to the right or north of the valley bottom.

Looking west at the Ptarmigan Glacier from the notch in the Notchtop Mountain formation.  This is the mellowest of the descents coming off this part of the Continental Divide with alpha slope angles in the mid-30's down the center of this permanent ice slope in RMNP.

The Ptarmigan Glacier in late summer conditions when the snows of winter melt-off and the permanent ice is left exposed to the summer sun.

Skinning up below the Ptarmigan Headwall in typical spring conditions.  It is approx. 2 hrs. to the base of the headwall from the Bear Lake trailhead or 2.5 hrs. of skinning up the Flattop Mountain trail to the summit of Flattop and the top of the Headwall.

Get it while it's fresh! Spring powder or corn snow conditions don't last forever and getting the goods while it is in safe enough sliding shape is the key to survival in this "expert only" type terrain. 

Skinning up below the Ptarmigan Headwall in typical mid-spring conditions.  These steep slopes are usually lee and often cross-loaded from wind-blown snow during and after storms and conditions should be accurately accessed before venturing onto these potentially avalanche prone slopes.

Digging a pit into the base of the center Ptarmigan Headwall to check snow bonding characteristics in the upper snowpack in early spring conditions.  Hard and soft-slab avalanche potential is not uncommon on these slopes after a winter or spring snow storm.

                                    Laying tracks down the Ptarmigan Glacier in March, 2008 conditions.

Comments (0)