Skiing in Rocky Mountain National Park: Join us this winter!

How to ski powder for a living

Colorado Mountain School Guide, Mark Kelly, will be presenting a multi media look into a career working on snow. He will discuss some of the steps necessary to become a world-class ski or snowboard guide.  Come and see how he progressed through ski patrol work in Colorado and Utah, then into the AMGA track of ski mountaineering certification, and lastly what it takes to become a certified helicopter ski guide working in the Chugach Range of Alaska.

When: Wednesday, December 1st
Where: Neptune Mountaineering
Time: 8:00pm
Cost: Free

Door Prize Raffle

RMNP Conditions Report - Nov. 20th, 2010

 Moonrise last night near Berthoud Pass

Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing, wind braces us up, snow is exhilarating; there is really no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather.—John Ruskin

Hmm, I mostly agree with John in this…except for the wind part. I don’t really hate wind, per se, but I pretty much hate being in the wind. There are few things worse than digging a snow pit and then standing around in it while the wind blows snow down your neck. Or climbing and having wind-deposited snow sluffing heavily down the ice route and pouring down your neck. Or getting blown off your feet. Or watching your partner disappear in front of you in a whirling whiteout as you visually grope for some semblance of up or down. Or enjoying an icy blast of tiny, sand-like snow grains on your face as you plead with the uncaring skies for mercy. I realize wind is necessary for the health of the earth but I’m not sure I agree with Nature in its decision to overdose us in some vain attempt to somehow increase our health here in RMNP. Suffice it to say, it’s been windy in the mountains lately.

 Below Notchtop, the Hot Doggie area in the background...not in yet

Last year, we were sort of spoiled with the most windless winter many of us can remember…ever. The unfortunate byproduct was an apparent lack of snow and sparse coverage. The sad reality is this: without wind Colorado wouldn’t get snow. More geographically poignant, the east side of the Park (where so many of us like to ski) needs these strong winds to fill in all the boulders and make our favorite slopes more skiable. The wind is the architect and sculptor that fills all the nooks and crannies, smoothing over the angular features under an icing more delicious than any cake. I just wish the wind didn’t enjoy lashing at my neck so much.

A pre-storm ascent of Notchtop's NE Face

Aside from wind, the big news is snow and how much snow. The Park did well in last weekend’s storm, picking up well over a foot by the time things wrapped up sometime mid-week. Unsettling weather blew in and gradually deposited more and more snow on our snowpack and then, suddenly, the heavens erupted on Monday night and Tuesday. Snow was falling at a 3”-per-hour rate as I skied around near Emerald Lake on Tuesday, with winds rocketing in the alpine. As expected, the avalanche hazard increased with this sudden load and we’ve witnessed several natural avalanches around the Front Range since then. Digging in the snow reveals a somewhat sensitive windslab with some curious and potentially dangerous layers deeper in the snowpack. All around the Front Range, clues as to the instability of some slopes are obvious with large crowns underneath cornices and substantial debris piles spread across the bottom of slopes. Since the storm wrapped up, the winds have been working their hardest to strip snow from some faces only to deposit it on others to varying degrees and depths. The result is our classic highly-variable snowpack. Let’s treat it with respect!

 Roadside slab avalanche, shot yesterday

So what’s good for skiing in the Park right now? Hidden Valley did well above the road, with sparse coverage below treeline. The Banana Bowls on Flattop have been filling in nicely as well as further up towards the Ptarmigan Fingers area. Early season is a somewhat dangerous time to be skiing and not just from an avalanche standpoint; the snowpack is shallow and rocks, creeks, and logs abound. I’ve already smashed one pair of skis after only 10 days out.

 Large avalanche debris in the Ptarmigan Fingers in late October, the slide smashed through the tarn placing large chunks of lake ice in the avalanche debris

Before the storms rolled in, I was able to nab a quick ascent of the NE Face of Notchtop with a couple friends who were in town for the AMGA guides conference. We got rocked with heavy sluffs (thanks, wind) but pulled it off just before the weather got really bad. Now, fresh cornices are hanging over the Face and, with what we’ve seen elsewhere in the area, these cornices are breaking under their own weight. This route may be too sketchy to climb right now. Another couple of friends climbed “All Mixed Up” on Thatchtop just a couple days ago. They reported thin-but-climbable ice low on the route, getting fatter as you ascend. Despite sending the route, they reported miserable conditions due to, once again, strong wind dumping spindrift on them all day. Plus they went all the way to the summit…ugh. Still, other guides and friends have been up in the Black Lake area and report good ice all around. Once again, one of your main considerations would be the snowpack stability (or lack thereof) as the W. Gully has avalanched with people on it before.

 Lovely conditions en route to Grace Falls

I was guiding out at Grace Falls on Saturday in full-on alpine conditions. We passed multiple parties on their way out as we hiked in to the area. As soon as we got out of the trees it was obvious why everyone else was bailing. The mountains were quite grumpy, acting more like a freight train than anything else. Still, we managed to find and climb the Falls in near white-out conditions as did another couple of brave climbers, Mike and Joel. Snowshoes would have been nice. Climbing in the dry, warm desert would have been nice too.

 Recent surface hoar forming in wind-protected meadows below treeline, could be a layer of concern after the approaching storm wraps up middle of next week

Other ice in the Park: Jewel Lake (aka Overflow) is in and I’d wager that the Crypt. Freezer Burn area, and World Cup Wall may be good as well. Through the swirling madness near Emerald Lake on Tuesday, we could see ice on the Squid and nearby Tentacles as well. I couldn’t say it’s climbable but there’s ice on it. Yesterday and today were warm and tomorrow is to be more of the same, at least for most of the day, so these south-facing areas may not do so well. But more weather is on the way so hopefully these routes will continue to form up. Loch Vale appears to be “in” but still no word on the Chasm Cirque area up near Longs Peak. Hidden Falls is “in” but super thin and probably not worth hacking up yet. Uhm, off the top of my head that’s about all the ice I can think of that I know anything about right now.

 On Notchtop's NE Face, now in the midst of an intense snow squall

Warm temps mean brilliant rock climbing along the Front Range, will this be the last few days before we get trounced by winter for good? If you’re curious about something I haven’t written about here or if you have any observations or updates you’d like to share, please e-mail me at acouncell@totalclimbing.com. I’m always happy to help (or get help, haha). As always, thanks for reading and stay safe out there!

Andrew Councell is a CMS Guide and year-round Estes Park resident

Rocky Mountain National Park: Conditions Update Nov. 5th, 2010

With all this warm weather, the lower-elevation ice is coming down. Again in the Park yesterday, we witnessed a number of “pitches” that were there at the beginning of the week but are gone now. On the other hand, the snow that was so punishingly deep for climbers/hikers has now settled and makes for easier off-trail travel. If you’re planning on going far from the normal trails, however, I’d still recommend snowshoes. And this higher-elevation ice may be improving as a result of these temps. Yesterday on the NE Face of Notchtop, there was fat, wet ice that wasn’t there last weekend. With freezing temps each night, hopefully we’re seeing more ice form up than melts out each day. Much of the alpine ice is still a little thin to climb with adequate protection. Many of the lower-angle smears, like All Mixed Up, are barely protectable with stubbies and water can be seen running between the ice and rock. Yesterday we could hear the water running and the ice creaking and groaning under our weight…not very confidence-inspiring. If the weather stays this nice, I’d recommend going rock climbing in the Front Range and give these routes another week.

Andrew Councell
CMS Guide
AMGA Certified Rock Guide
acouncell@totalclimbing.com
www.totalclimbing.com

Rocky Mountain National Park: Conditions Update Nov. 3rd, 2010

No sooner have the words left my fingertips and found their way onto this report, and things change again up there. Today was another warm day and, unfortunately, a bit too warm for much of the ice around the Park. We were skiing in the Park and saw lots of ice melting due to the warmth, especially in the sun, even above 11,000’. North-facing and shaded routes seem to be doing quite well and lots of cool-looking alpine routes keep appearing at the higher elevations. Lower elevation stuff seems to be disappearing! The Ptarmigan Fingers avalanched very hard after our big snow, running their full track. The east-most Finger (the BB-Couloir) ran all the way to the tarn but it didn’t stop there. In fact, it had so much force when it hit the tarn that it broke through the ice and demolished it, sweeping the ice and water uphill towards Notchtop. Large shards of lake ice were mixed with the avalanche debris. The top wind-slab forming around the ridge tops is fairly sensitive, especially in unsupported and/or high-angle areas. As always, it varies in thickness but appears to be about 8-10” thick on average.

Andrew Councell
CMS Guide
AMGA Certified Rock Guide
acouncell@totalclimbing.com
www.totalclimbing.com

RMNP Conditions Report - November 2, 2010 (Updated Nov. 3rd & 5th)

N. Face of Notchtop and area - 10/31

Yet all how beautiful!
Pillars of pearl
Propping the cliffs above, stalactites bright
From the ice roof descending; and beneath,
Grottoes and temples with their crystal spires
And gleaming columns radiant in the sun. 

-- William Henry Burleigh

Ice above Bear Lake

I love Burleigh's description of ice columns forming on a sunlit cliff face, it always makes me want to go ice climbing!  But then again, his description leads me to thoughts of ice climbing in the sun and, at least in this part of the world, that's seldom the case.  This time of year the sun melts whatever snow we have and this turns to ice only when it dribbles into some north-facing aspect.  So I've been running around checking out various north faces around the Park to see what's coming in, if anything.  There's been a lot of doom and gloom floating around on the internet about how bad the ice is going to be this year.  It's true, the ice hasn't formed as early as usual but that's due to all the splitter Fall weather we've been enjoying.  But despite all the sour predictions, the ice is coming in...it's thin but on it's way. 

Close up of Notchtop's N. Face route

My apologies in advance for the quality of some of the photos; the zoom on my camera isn't the best and I was often shooting into the sun.  You should be able to get the idea. :)

Pillars and flows on the Guides' Wall

We've had some interesting weather in the final weeks of October, with up to a meter of snow in some areas of the Park.  I didn't believe it; I was in Indian Creek at the time.  But I've seen the photos, heard the accounts, and been out there myself since then.  In the trees near Lake Helene a few days ago, there was well over two feet of snow in most areas.  A friend skiing out as we hiked in said he'd dug a snow profile that was 5-6' deep near the base of the Ptarmigan Fingers.  Other hikers lamented their lack of snowshoes as they tried to go off trail in the deep snow.  Sunday night the Park was forecasted to receive another 5-6" of snow with blustery winds. 

Hot Doggie and area

My hands were going numb trying to get some of these photos as the winds were pretty strong.  It was cold on Sunday!  Today it was literally t-shirt weather even at 9000-10000'.  This trend looks to continue at least through the week and this may mean that snow continues to melt, ice continues to grow, and the climbing will be fat.  Or, on the other hand, it could all melt and fall down.  We shall see. 

Grace Falls - 10/31

I hiked up to the N. Face of Notchtop to see how it's faring (which actually faces more NE).  With fresh snow on the face, it was difficult to see how much actual ice there was but it didn't look like the lower portion of the Face was in.  The upper pitches appear to have some ice.  Below the N. Face, ice is forming in the Hot Doggie area and at the Guides' Wall.  Grace Falls is small but certainly frozen.  If you were to hike up there for the N. Face, you'd at least be able to climb something in the Odessa Lake area if nothing else.  Otherwise, there is ice forming in places I've not seen before (speaking from 5 years knowledge).  The warm weather is causing snow-melt to form ice along all sorts of north-facing crags where we may not normally find ice.  Is it climbable?  It's hard to say, I guess, depends on how bold you are. 

All Mixed Up - 11/2

 More ice near All Mixed Up; Organ Pipes, I believe

There are few reports from the Longs Peak, Chasm Cirque, Meeker areas these days.  I'd bet that Alexander's Chimney is coming into shape and MAYBE the Smear of Fear has grown since I saw it last near the middle of October.  Elsewhere in the Park, north and east-facing areas seem to be coming in whereas south-facing routes are falling down in this Indian Summer heat.  I could imagine ice in Martha's by the weekend given its elevation and relative shade but it's hard to say.

 Smear-of-Fearesque pitch above Mills Lake

Not much ice on the Crypt

From the road, even from the Safeway parking lot in Estes, you can clearly see that All Mixed Up has ice on it.  It appears to be "in" so I decided to hike up there today to check it out.  There is lots of coverage on the route but it looks quite thin up to the last pitch which looks pretty good.  There's also this 100' Smear-of-Fearesque pitch just above Mills Lake that looks pretty cool.  The Jewel Lake (aka Overflow) ice is also in but equally thin.  Reflections, Black Lake Slabs, the W. Gully area, as well as Yellow Tears, etc will definitely have ice as well though I didn't go up to see for myself today. 

Ice smears on Otis' East Face

 World Cup Wall

I did run up to the Loch and was able to walk across the lake to get views of Necrophilia, Deep Freeze, Thatchtop's NW Face, and the Loch Vale ice crag.  Hopefully the photos speak for themselves as I wasn't able to get a closer look.  I didn't see Vanquished but did notice some ice on the lower right side of the Cathedral Wall.  Freezer Burn area is just wet and one, lonely, detached icicle is all that exists in the Crypt area.  Loch Vale ice is thin, forming, and should probably not be climbed for another bit considering this venue's popularity.  Mixed Emotions has some ice and the ice is beginning to form across the wall. 

Loch Vale and Mixed Emotions

 More of Loch Vale area

It appears that a mixed line is possible on Otis' 800' east face, with various thin-ice smears spread across the wall.  Greg Sievers' World Cup Wall is actually looking fairly promising, at least from the trail.  There's lots of ice, lots of coverage but, again, it looks fairly thin.  This is the story all over Glacier Gorge, ice in all sorts of shaded, cliffy areas.  Some of it was falling down in today's warmth but much of it looked like it was going to hang around for a while.  What's caused this?  My theory is the new, high-moisture snow followed by relatively warm weather.  Hopefully freezing temps at night continue to feed these formations.  These ephemeral smears are literally all over the place right now.  So far at least we're off to a great start for the RMNP alpine ice season.  It's time to get out there and send!

Looking at at Deep Freeze

 Last pitch of Deep Freeze

For you die-hard, backcountry skiers, it's de-sending time.  Coverage is fairly thin throughout the Park but I've seen more than a couple parties out getting after it.  Areas that endure lots of wind-loading obviously have better coverage.  The Ptarmigan Fingers is one such area.  The Hourglass Couloir on Flattop's N. Face also looks skiable.  The S. Face of Hallet looked like it was filling in nicely as well.  It sorta sucks to have to deal with the heinous winds around here but at least things get covered quickly when it blows. 

Ptarmigan Fingers, filling in quickly (compare with last week)

 More of the Fingers

If you have observations from your own forays into the Park or if you just have questions, please feel free to e-mail me at acouncell@totalclimbing.com.  I'll be out climbing and skiing every day this week but off to the desert soon enough...can't get enough rock climbing.  So, my apologies in advance for any delay.  I will update this report each day as necessary and plan on rolling out weekly updates throughout the winter.  I'm looking forward to a great winter!

I updated the conditions report on our website, Nov. 3rd & 5th. 

Andrew Councell is a CMS Guide and year-round Estes Park resident