Climbed Quandary Peak via the East Ridge on Halloween. Was contemplating going up the West Ridge, but had my dog and was unsure about ice and whether pups could make it. So I set out around 9:45 am since weather was supposed to be perfect. Weather stayed beautiful - about 45 degrees with very little to no wind Made it to summit by about 11:20 am and talked with a Breckenridge local for about 20 minutes under a clear, blue sky and slight breeze.
Going through the trees, there was a bit of snow and some icy patches, but nothing that was bad and/or unavoidable. Above treeline, there was some icy patches, but again, nothing unavoidable. At about 12,800', route was packed snow to the top. I was carrying microspikes and poles, but didn't need either on the way up. On the way down, broke out the poles, but didn't use my microspikes (although it wouldn't have been a bad idea). All in all, the route was in pretty good shape and made it off the trail by about 1:00 p.m. Weather for Quandary over this next weekend is supposed to be beautiful and I expect most of the snow to be pretty soft as long as you aren't hitting the trailhead before sunrise.
|
