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 Peak:  Mt. Ouray
 Route:  West Ridge from Marshall Pass
 Range:  Sawatch
 Posted By:  MountainHiker
 Date of Info:  4/28/2012
 Date Posted:  4/28/2012
Details

Able to drive to the summit of Marshall Pass from the east. There were a few drifts about 1.5 miles from the summit that already had tracks through them. No floatation needed for the mountain. Some post holing below tree line, but nothing major. Above treeline was largely blown off but there was fresh snow from the recent storm. Much of this melted during the day. Between the rocks was often filled in with snow. There was hoar frost higher on the mountain. There are some cornices and snow deposit areas depending on aspect. We took MicroSpikes but didn't use them. Recommend having a pole for traction on snowy areas. It was a windy day!


Comments or Questions
Matt Lemke
User
YAY!!! Marshall Pass open
4/29/2012 3:21am
I have been trying to figure this out for awhile now...Thanks!


mtnfiend
User
What type of vehicle did you take to the TH??
5/1/2012 12:47am
And how large were the snow drifts (depth and length). Is the road very muddy??

Thanks!!


MountainHiker
User
stock 4 door Jeep Wrangler
5/1/2012 4:19am
The drifts were maybe 6” deep in places with tire tracks. The longest would have been a few car lengths and a few of those in a row. It was frozen the night before on the way up. In the afternoon coming down we could see there had been a lot of melting. The mud was splater the fenders but not an issue for driving. Unless there is more snow I expect these drifts to go from - no big deal for a 4WD to no big deal for a car fairly soon. A few more warm days they could be mostly gone. We could see trees had been cleared in places.


Papillon
User
UN 13472
5/1/2012 9:18pm
Thanks for the update, MountainHiker. How did it look following the ridge toward Chipeta and UN 13472?


MountainHiker
User
Chipeta
5/1/2012 10:09pm
In that direction it looked impressive! On the side you see from Ouray there are some cliffs on the side of the ridge with some neat looking cornices above. The windward side is probably mostly blown off with snow between some rocks, based on our hike up to 12685. The few inches of fresh snow was melting fast.



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